1 Kings 2:13-27
A Request from Adonijah
Read the passage
13Now Adonijah son of Haggith went to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, and she asked, “Do you come in peace?” “Yes, in peace,” he replied.
14Then he said, “I have something to tell you.” “Say it,” she answered.
15“You know that the kingship was mine,” he said. “All Israel expected that I should reign, but the kingship has turned to my brother, for it has come to him from the LORD.
16So now I have just one request of you; do not deny me.” “State your request,” she told him.
17Adonijah replied, “Please speak to King Solomon, since he will not turn you down. Let him give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.”
18“Very well,” Bathsheba replied. “I will speak to the king for you.”
19So 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.
20“I have just one small request of you,” she said. “Do not deny me.” “Make your request, my mother,” the king replied, “for I will not deny you.”
21So Bathsheba said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to your brother Adonijah as his wife.”
22King 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!”
23Then King Solomon swore by the LORD: “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if Adonijah has not made this request at the expense of his life.
24And now, as surely as the LORD lives—the One who established me, who set me on the throne of my father David, and who founded for me a dynasty as He promised—surely Adonijah shall be put to death today!”
25So King Solomon gave orders to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he struck down Adonijah and he died.
26Then the king said to Abiathar the priest, “Go back to your fields in Anathoth. Even though you deserve to die, I will not put you to death at this time, since you carried the ark of the Lord GOD before my father David, and you suffered through all that my father suffered.”
27So Solomon banished Abiathar from the priesthood of the LORD and thus fulfilled the word that the LORD had spoken at Shiloh against the house of Eli.
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
Adonijah comes to Bathsheba, who asks whether he comes in peace. He answers yes, then asks her to hear a request and not refuse him. His words sound humble, but he frames the matter through the claim that all Israel expected him to become king and that the kingdom turned to Solomon by the LORD's will.
Adonijah asks Bathsheba to request Abishag the Shunammite as his wife. Bathsheba brings the request to Solomon, who hears more than a proposal. Abishag had attended David in his bedroom. Solomon asks why his mother does not request the kingdom for Adonijah too, and names Joab and Abiathar alongside him. His reply makes clear that he regards the request as a threat to the succession, not simply a marriage proposal.
Solomon swears by the LORD that Adonijah will die for this request. Benaiah executes him. The judgment is severe and belongs to a particular royal succession crisis; it cannot be used as a model for treating ordinary family members who ask for something unwelcome.
Solomon spares Abiathar’s life because he carried the ark before David and shared David’s suffering, but sends him to his fields at Anathoth and removes him from the priesthood. The narrator identifies this removal as fulfillment of the LORD’s earlier word against Eli’s house. Abiathar’s earlier service is remembered even as he loses his office.
Questions
1 How does Adonijah describe his former claim?
AnswerHe says all Israel expected him to reign, but the kingdom turned to Solomon because the LORD had given it to him.
2 What does Adonijah ask Bathsheba to request?
AnswerHe asks her to request Abishag the Shunammite as his wife from Solomon, the newly established king.
3 How does Solomon interpret the request?
AnswerHe interprets it as evidence that Adonijah is reaching for the kingdom again rather than making a harmless personal request.
4 How can we consider a difficult request without assuming we know every motive?
AnswerAsk what the request would change, who it affects, and what facts from its history matter. Explain any concern rather than treating suspicion as proof. This royal judgment does not authorize us to control someone’s ordinary relationships or punish a request we dislike.
What This Means for Us
The same words can carry different meaning in different settings. Wise leadership listens not only to the surface request but also to the history, power, and likely consequences surrounding it.
This account belongs to a royal succession crisis and should never justify controlling another person's ordinary relationships. In our setting, serious decisions require evidence, lawful process, and protection from real threats—not suspicion based only on someone's past.
Prayer
God of wisdom, help us hear both words and context without becoming suspicious of everyone. Give leaders discernment, restraint, and just processes when old conflicts return in new forms. Amen.