1 Kings 2:22

King Solomon answered his mother, “Why do you request Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Since he is my older brother, you might as well request the kingdom for him and for Abiathar the priest and for Joab son of Zeruiah!”

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — King Solomon addresses his mother Bathsheba immediately after she requests Abishag for Adonijah.

The words — The Hebrew שֹׁאֶ֜לֶת (sho.'E.let) literally means “asking” or “requesting,” paired with וְ/לָ/מָה֩ (ve./la./Mah) for “and why?” to frame Solomon’s rhetorical challenge.

The thread — 1 Chronicles 3:2 identifies Adonijah as David’s fourth son, while 1 Kings 1:5 records his earlier declaration of royal ambition.

Why it lands — The text presents Solomon’s immediate recognition that the request targets royal succession, forcing the reader to see how a personal petition triggers a political crisis.

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

וַיַּעַן֩va/i.ya.'Anand/ he answered הַמֶּ֨לֶךְha./Me.lekhthe/ king שְׁלֹמֹ֜הshe.lo.MohSolomon וַיֹּ֣אמֶרva/i.Yo.merand/ he said לְאִמּ֗וֹle./'i.M/oto/ mother/ his וְלָמָה֩ve./la./Mahand/ <to>/ why?אַ֨תְּ'at[are] you שֹׁאֶ֜לֶתsho.'E.letasking אֶת־'et-<obj.>אֲבִישַׁ֤ג'a.vi.ShagAbishag הַשֻּׁנַמִּית֙ha./shu.na.Mitthe/ Shunammite לַאֲדֹ֣נִיָּ֔הוּla./'a.Do.ni.Ya.hufor/ Adonijah וְשַֽׁאֲלִי־ve./sha.'a.li-and/ askלוֹ֙l/ofor/ himאֶת־'et-<obj.>הַמְּלוּכָ֔הha./me.lu.Khahthe/ kingship כִּ֛יkifor ה֥וּאhu'he אָחִ֖י'a.Ch/i[is] brother/ my הַגָּד֣וֹלha./ga.Dol<the>/ old מִמֶּ֑נִּיmi.Me./nimore than/ meוְלוֹ֙ve./L/oand/ for/ himוּלְאֶבְיָתָ֣רu./le./'ev.ya.Tarand/ for/ Abiathar הַכֹּהֵ֔ןha./ko.Henthe/ priest וּלְיוֹאָ֖בu./le./yo.'Avand/ for/ Joab בֶּן־ben-[the] son of צְרוּיָֽה׃ פtze.ru.YahZeruiah

King James Version

And king Solomon answered and said unto his mother, And why dost thou ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? ask for him the kingdom also; for he is mine elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah.

Cross-references

1 Chronicles 3:2 the third was Absalom the son of Maacah daughter of King Talmai of Geshur; the fourth was Adonijah the son of Haggith;
2 Samuel 12:8 I gave your master’s house to you and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you the house of Israel and Judah, and if that was not enough, I would have given you even more.
1 Kings 1:5 At that time Adonijah, David’s son by Haggith, began to exalt himself, saying, “I will be king!” And he acquired chariots and horsemen and fifty men to run ahead of him.
1 Kings 1:11 Then Nathan said to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, “Have you not heard that Adonijah son of Haggith has become king, and our lord David does not know it?
1 Kings 1:24 “My lord the king,” said Nathan, “did you say, ‘Adonijah will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne’?
1 Chronicles 3:5 and these sons were born to him in Jerusalem: Shimea, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon. These four were born to him by Bathsheba daughter of Ammiel.
Matthew 20:22 “You do not know what you are asking,” Jesus replied. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” “We can,” the brothers answered.
Mark 10:38 “You do not know what you are asking,” Jesus replied. “Can you drink the cup I will drink, or be baptized with the baptism I will undergo?”
James 4:3 And when you do ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may squander it on your pleasures.

People named

SolomonJoabAbiatharZeruiahAdonijahAbishag