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from maternal fondness and ambition. At any rate, the prospect of gaining a crown was
worth making an effort; and the more quickly and boldly, the more likely of success.
It must be admitted that circumstances seemed specially to favor Adonijah's scheme.
David was indeed only seventy years old; but premature decay, the consequence of a
life of exposure and fatigue, had confined him not only to his room (ver. 15), but to his
bed (ver. 47). Such was his weakness, that the body had lost its natural heat, which
could not be restored even by artificial means; so that the physicians, according to the
medical views of those times, had advised bodily contact with a young, healthy
subject.^71 For this purpose Abishag,^72 a fair maiden from Shunem, had been brought
into the king's harem. In David's utter physical prostration, Adonijah might reckon on
being able to carry on his scheme without interference from the king.
Indeed, unless David had been specially informed, tidings of the attempt would not
even have reached his sick chamber until it was too late. The rebellion of Absalom had
failed because David was in full vigor at the time, and so ably supported by Abiathar
the priest and Joab the captain of the host. But Adonijah had attached these two to his
interests. It is not difficult to understand the motives of Joab in trying to secure the
succession for one who would owe to him his elevation, not to speak of the fact that the
rival candidate for the throne was Solomon, the "man of peace," the pupil of Nathan,
and the representative of the "religious party" in the land. But it is not so easy to
account for the conduct of Abiathar, unless it was prompted by jealousy of Zadok, who
officiated at Gibeon (1 Chronicles 16:39). As the latter was considered the principal
Sanctuary (1 Kings 3:4), the high-priest who officiated there might have been regarded
as entitled to the Pontificate, when the temporary dual service of Gibeon and Jerusalem
should give place to the permanent arrangements of the Temple. If such was his
motive, Abiathar may have also wished to lay the new king under personal obligations.
From such a movement - which took advantage first of the indulgence, and then of the
illness of David; which compassed aims that every one would know to be equally
contrary to the Divine appointment and the express declarations of the aged king; and
in which the chief agents were an ambitious priest and an unscrupulous military
chieftain, those who were faithful to their God or to their monarch would, of course,
keep aloof. Adonijah knew this, and accordingly excluded such from the invitation to
the feast, at which it had been arranged his accession to the throne should be
proclaimed. In other respects his measures closely resembled those taken by Absalom.
For some time previous to his attempt he had sought to accustom the people to regard
him as their future king by assuming royal state (1 Kings 1:5).^73
At length all seemed ready. It is characteristic that, in order to give the undertaking the
appearance of religious sanction, the conspirators prepared a great sacrificial feast. We
know the scene, and we can picture to ourselves that gathering in the shady retreat of
(^)