And Nathan said, “My lord the king, have you said, ‘Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne’?
Nathan knew God's mind in this matter and could not sit idle while the throne meant for Solomon was usurped. Prophets were deeply involved in such affairs because they understood the will of Heaven, not mere human preference or palace intrigue.
AI summary
Commenting on 1 Kings 1:11-31
And Nathan said, my lord, O king,.... He addresses him as with great veneration and respect due to his office, so as if he knew noticing of Bathsheba's application to him; and therefore begins and tells his story, as if the king had never heard anything relative to it: hast thou said, Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne?
Adonijah was the oldest son alive, blessed with manners and looks that won the court's favor; but his father's silence in seeing him flaunt the trappings of an heir-presumptive was read as consent. That fatal quiet emboldened him.
AI summary
Commenting on 1 Kings 1:5-31