1 Kings 1:50

50 Adonijah, in great fear of Solomon, went to the Tent of the Lord's presence and took hold of the corners of the altar. ^[a]

1 Kings 1:50 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 1:50

And Adonijah feared because of Solomon
Lest he should seize him as an usurper and traitor, and put him to death:

and arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar;
either that which was at Gibeon, where the tabernacle now was; see ( 1 Kings 3:4 ) ; so Jarchi; or rather that which was nearest, the altar that David had built in the threshingfloor of Araunah, ( 2 Samuel 24:25 ) ; the altar was a sort of asylum, or refuge, for such who had committed any crime worthy of death; not by divine appointment, but by custom, it being supposed that none would presume to defile with blood that which was sacred to the Lord; or shed the blood of men where the blood of beasts was poured; or use severity and strict justice, but mercy, where sacrifices were offered to atone for sin, and mercy was shown on account of them; these were notions, and this a custom, which obtained very early, and even among the Jews; see ( Exodus 21:14 ) ; as well as among Gentiles; with whom it was usual, as to flee to the statues of their emperors, and to the temples of their deities, so likewise to their altars; this was customary among the Molossians, Samothracians, Crotoniatae, and Messenians; and particularly the altar of Jupiter Servator was an asylum, or place of refuge, to the Ithacians ^F12. Cornelius Nepos ^F13 has given us an instance of one that fled to a temple of Neptune, and sat upon the altar for his security, as here Adonijah laid hold on the horns of this, that none might force him from it.

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FOOTNOTES:

F12 Alexander ab Alex. Genial. Dier. l. 3. c. 20.
F13 Vit. Pausan l. 4. c. 4.

1 Kings 1:50 In-Context

48 and prayed, "Let us praise the Lord, the God of Israel, who has today made one of my descendants succeed me as king, and has let me live to see it!' "

49 Then Adonijah's guests were afraid, and they all got up and left, each going his own way.

50 Adonijah, in great fear of Solomon, went to the Tent of the Lord's presence and took hold of the corners of the altar.

51 King Solomon was told that Adonijah was afraid of him and that he was holding on to the corners of the altar and had said, "First, I want King Solomon to swear to me that he will not have me put to death."

52 Solomon replied, "If he is loyal, not even a hair on his head will be touched; but if he is not, he will die."

Footnotes

• [a]. corners of the altar: [Small projections at the four corners of the altar that looked like horns. Anyone holding on to them was safe from being killed.]