Bible Strands
1 Kings 2:19
So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah. The king stood up to greet her, bowed to her, and sat down on his throne. Then the king had a throne brought for his mother, who sat down at his right hand.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Bathsheba approaches King Solomon to deliver a petition for Adonijah immediately after agreeing to speak on his behalf. Solomon responds by standing, bowing, and seating her on a secondary throne at his right hand.
The words — The Hebrew verb וַתָּבֹא (va.tāḇōʾ) literally means "and she went," denoting her deliberate movement to the royal court. The preposition עַל ('al) functions as "on behalf of" or "concerning," specifying the purpose of her audience.
The thread — The positioning of a royal mother at the king’s right hand parallels the honored queen in Psalms 45:9. This public deference also enacts the parental honor commands recorded in Exodus 20:12 and Leviticus 19:3.
Why it lands — The text records a concrete intersection of court protocol and familial duty without editorial commentary. A reader notes that political authority and personal respect function together in the narrative without requiring moral justification.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Bath–sheba therefore went unto king Solomon, to speak unto him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her, and bowed himself unto her, and sat down on his throne, and caused a seat to be set for the king’s mother; and she sat on his right hand.
Cross-references
- Psalms 45:9 The daughters of kings are among your honored women; the queen stands at your right hand, adorned with the gold of Ophir.
- Exodus 20:12 Honor your father and mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
- Leviticus 19:3 Each of you must respect his mother and father, and you must keep My Sabbaths. I am the LORD your God.
- Leviticus 19:32 You are to rise in the presence of the elderly, honor the aged, and fear your God. I am the LORD.
- 1 Kings 15:13 He also removed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother because she had made a detestable Asherah pole. Asa chopped down the pole and burned it in the Kidron Valley.
- Psalms 110:1 A Psalm of David. The LORD said to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”
- Matthew 25:33 He will place the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.