1 Kings 1:33

The king also said unto them, Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule, and bring him down to Gihon:

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(33) Gihon (“breaking forth”) is clearly a place in the valley, under the walls of Jerusalem, mentioned as having a watercourse, or torrent, diverted by Heżekiah in his preparation of the city for siege (2Chronicles 32:30), and as forming one end of a new wall “up to the fish gate,” built by Manasseh; but whether it is on the west of the city, near the present Jaffa gate, or (as seems more probable) on the south, at the end of the valley called the Tyropœon, running through the city, has been doubted. The Targums here read Siloam; and this agrees with the latter supposition, which is also supported by the proximity to Adonijah’s feast at En-rogel, implied in the narrative.

Benson Commentary

1 Kings 1:33. Take with you the servants of your lord — His constant guards, the Cherethites and Pelethites, 1 Kings 1:38. Cause Solomon to ride upon mine own mule — As a token that the royal dignity is transferred upon him, and that by my consent. The rest of David’s sons were wont to ride upon mules when they went abroad, 2 Samuel 13:29. And Absalom rode on a mule when he was hanged in the oak. But David had a mule peculiarly reserved for himself alone; on which Solomon’s being set, was considered as the beginning of his kingly power, no private person whatsoever being permitted to ride upon the king’s mule. “It was capital,” says Maimonides, “to ride on the king’s ass or mule, to sit upon his throne, or to handle his sceptre without his order.” On the contrary, it appears from the story of Mordecai, (Esther 6.,) that to have the honour to ride on the king’s beast by his appointment, was accounted the highest dignity among the Persians. Bring him down to Gihon — A little river or brook near Jerusalem, on the west side, which discharged itself into the brook Kidron, and in the Chaldee is called by its modern name, Siloa. If we may credit Maimonides, and other rabbis, the kings of the house of David were all obliged, to be anointed by the side of a fountain or river; which, they say, was the reason why David commanded his servants to bring his son down to Gihon, and anoint him there. Such a situation for anointing their kings, the Jews say, was chosen to show the perpetuity of their kingdom, because rivers run always, though the cities which they wash are continually decaying, and liable to destruction. But it is much more probable that this place was fixed on, because it was near Jerusalem, and a place of great resort, and capable of containing and displaying that numerous company, which David knew would follow Solomon thither. And being on the west side of the city, it was remote from Adonijah, who was inaugurated on the east side, and from his company, and therefore the people could assemble here without fear of tumults or bloodshed.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

1:32-53 The people expressed great joy and satisfaction in the elevation of Solomon. Every true Israelite rejoices in the exaltation of the Son of David. Combinations formed upon evil principles will soon be dissolved, when self-interest calls another way. How can those who do evil deeds expect to have good tidings? Adonijah had despised Solomon, but soon dreaded him. We see here, as in a glass, Jesus, the Son of David and the Son of God, exalted to the throne of glory, notwithstanding all his enemies. His kingdom is far greater than that of his father David, and therein all the true people of God cordially rejoice. The prosperity of his cause is vexation and terror to his enemies. No horns of the altar, nor forms of godliness, nor pretences to religion, can profit those who will not submit to His authority, and accept of his salvation; and if their submission be hypocritical, they shall perish without remedy.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Mules and horses seem to have been first employed by the Israelites in the reign of David, and the use of the former was at first confined to great personages 2 Samuel 13:29; 2 Samuel 18:9. The rabbis tell us that it was death to ride on the king's mule without his permission; and thus it would be the more evident to all that the proceedings with respect to Solomon had David's sanction.

Gihon - Probably the ancient name of the valley called afterward the Tyropoeum, which ran from the present Damascus Gate, by Siloam, into the Kedron vale, having the temple hill, or true Zion, on the left, and on the right the modern Zion or ancient city of the Jebusites. The upper "source" of the "waters of Gihon," which Hezekiah stopped (see the margin reference), was probably in the neighborhood of the Damascus Gate.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

33. cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule—Directions were forthwith given for the immediate coronation of Solomon. A procession was to be formed by the "servants of their lord"—that is, the king's bodyguard. Mules were then used by all the princes (2Sa 13:29); but there was a state mule of which all subjects were forbidden, under pain of death, to make use, without special permission; so that its being granted to Solomon was a public declaration in his favor as the future king (see on [284]Es 6:8, 9).

bring him down to Gihon—a pool or fountain on the west of Jerusalem (see on [285]2Ch 32:30), chosen as equally public for the counter proclamation.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

The servants of your Lord, i.e. my public officers, and my guards.

To ride upon mine own mule; as a token that the royal dignity is transferred upon Solomon, and that by my consent. Compare Genesis 41:43 Esther 6:8.

To Gihon; a river near Jerusalem, on the west side, as may be gathered from 2 Chronicles 32:30, as En-rogel, where Adonijah was inaugurated, was on the east side. This place David chose, either as remote from Adonijah and his company, that so the people might go thither, and be there without fear of tumults or bloodshed; or to show that Solomon was chosen king in opposition to Adonijah; or because this was a place of great resort, and fit to receive and display that numerous company which he knew would follow Solomon thither; or that he might from thence return and make the more magnificent entrance into the city.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And the king said unto them, take ye the servants of your lord,.... Meaning his own servants, his bodyguards, the Cherethites and Pelethites, as appears from 1 Kings 1:38; the Jews (a) from hence gather, that a king is superior to an high priest, since David calls himself the lord of Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet:

and cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule; for it seems on such a creature David used to ride, as did his sons; horses not being so common in Judea as they were afterwards. Some of the Jews (b) say it was not lawful to ride upon a mule, and that this case of David is to be excepted; for they pretend that this was a peculiar mule; and if the instance of his son urged, they reply, an argument from what kings and their sons used to do is of no force. Now this was one way of testifying that it was his will that Solomon should reign in his stead; for no private person might ride upon the beast the king was wont to ride on; this is now one of the Jewish canons (c),

"no one may ride on the king's horse, nor sit on his throne, nor use his sceptre:''

and bring him down to Gihon; a fountain near Jerusalem, on the west side of it, which flowed from Mount Gihon, 2 Chronicles 32:30; the same with Siloah according to the Targum, of which mention is made, John 9:7. The reason for this order is not easily given; whether it was to denote the peaceableness and gentleness of Solomon's government, the waters of Shiloah moving softly, Isaiah 8:6, or the spread, constancy, firmness, and perpetuity of it, as the Jews say (d), since the water of a fountain is ever running; or because there might be a concourse of people there, and so he would be anointed and proclaimed king in a public manner, and be attended to the city with great pomp and solemnity.

(a) Bemidbar Rabba, sect. 6. fol. 186. 3.((b) Vid. Bartenoram in Misn. Celaim, c. 8. sect. 1.((c) Misn. Sanhedrin, c. 2. sect. 5. (d) T. Bab. Horayot, fol. 12. 1.

Geneva Study Bible

The king also said unto them, Take with you the {o} servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule, and bring him down to Gihon:

(o) Meaning, the king's servants and such as were of his guard.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

33. Take with you the servants of your lord] Judging from a similar order given by David (2 Samuel 20:6-7) these words imply a considerable body of armed men. For there it is said that the servants comprised Joab’s men, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites and all the mighty men. Where Joab was of the other side it was needful to be prepared for fighting.

upon mine own mule] To ride in the chariot or on the beast which carried the king was a mark of special distinction. So Pharaoh (Genesis 41:43) made Joseph ‘ride in the second chariot which he had.’ In like manner Jehonadab was taken (2 Kings 10:16) into Jehu’s chariot, and Haman named as a special mark of honour that a man should be set on ‘the horse that the king rideth upon’ (Esther 6:8).

bring him down to Gihon] From the direction here given this place must have been in the lower ground near Jerusalem. This agrees with the mention made of it in 2 Chronicles 33:14, where it is said to be in the valley, by which word is probably meant the torrent bed of the brook Kedron, so that Gihon would be in the Valley of Jehoshaphat on the east of Jerusalem. Both parties chose a place where there was water (see 1 Kings 5:9) for the anointing. Does this indicate that there was some purification connected with the act? At a later period there was an ‘upper’ and ‘lower’ pool at Gihon (2 Chronicles 32:30).

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 33. - The king also said [Heb. "And the king said," which is everyway preferable. The "also" is somewhat confusing], Take with you the servants [i.e., the Cherethites and Pelethites, ver. 38] of your lord, [Hebrews lords; probably a pluralis majestatis (cf. Genesis 39:2; Genesis 42:30; 2 Kings 2:3, 5, 16), suggested to David by the usus loquendi of the court. This expression seems at first a strange periphrasis for "my servants." But David naturally adopts the language those around him were always using. See ver. 43; also 2 Samuel 11:11, and 2 Sam 20:6. Note: The latter passage, which refers to the king, has the plur.; the former, referring to Joab, the sing.] and cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule, [lit., "the she mule" (the most prized in the East. Cf. Judges 5:10, Hebrews) "which is mine." This was not merely a mark of honour (cf. Genesis 41:43; Esther 6:8, 9), but a public and very significant indication of David's will respecting his successor. The populace would perceive at once who was destined to sit in David's seat. "The Rabbins tell us that it was death to ride on the king's mule without his permission" (Rawlinson). פִרְדָּה, the fem. form is only found here and in vers. 38, 44. The mule would seem to have been a recent importation into Palestine - we never read of them before the time of David - and the Israelites were forbidden to breed them (Leviticus 19:19). Their use, consequently, was naturally restricted to royal or distinguished personages (2 Samuel 13:29). Wordsworth sees in the word a proof that David had not disobeyed God by multiplying horses to himself], and bring him down to Gihon. [Not Gibeon, which Thenius most arbitrarily would substitute for the received text. Where was Gihon? The popular belief (accepted by Bahr and Keil, as well as by some geographers) is that it was in the valley of the Son of Hinnom, a part of which still bears the name of Gihon, i.e., to the west of Jerusalem, and not far from the Jaffa gate. By many indeed the present Birket-es-Sultan is identified with the Lower Pool of Gihon. But others (Ferguson, Rawlinson, etc.) see in it the ancient name of the Tyropaeon. Scripture does not speak of it as a spring, though the "source of the waters of Gihon" is mentioned 2 Chronicles 32:30, Hebrews The text shows that it was below the city ("bring him down upon Gihon," ver. 33. Cf. also ver. 40). 2 Chronicles 33:14, speaks of "Gihon in the valley," where it is very noticeable that the word used is Nachal (i.e. Wady, watercourse). But this "is the word always employed for the valley of the Kedron, east of Jerusalem, the so called valley of Jehoshaphat; ge (ravine or glen) being as constantly employed for the valley of Hinnom, south and west of the town" (Grove," Dict. Bible," art. Gihon). It is also to be noticed that the text last cited mentions Gihon in connection with Ophel, which lies southeast of Jerusalem.. The Chald., Arab., and Syr. are probably right, therefore, in identifying Gihon here with Siloam (which lies at the foot of Ophel), in favour of which it may further be said that it would be admirably suited for David's purpose - of a counter demonstration - and that whether En-Rogel is to be found at the Well of the Virgin or the Well of Job. Siloam is at no great distance from either, and quite within earshot, whereas the traditional Gihon is altogether out of the way. It must be borne in mind that this procession to and from Gihon was ordained, not because there was any special reason for anointing Solomon there ? for it was not a holy place - but purely as a demonstration to the populace, and to checkmate the conspirators. It was probably a public place, and would accommodate a large concourse (Poole). 1 Kings 1:33

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

David then sent for Zadok, Nathan, and Benaiah, and directed them to fetch the servants of their lord (אדניכם, a pluralis majestatis, referring to David alone), and to conduct Solomon to Gihon riding upon the royal mule, and there to anoint him and solemnly proclaim him king. The servants of your lord (אדניכם עבדי) are the Crethi and Plethi, and not the Gibborim also (Thenius), as 1 Kings 1:38 clearly shows, where we find that these alone went down with him to Gihon as the royal body-guard. לי אשׁר על־הפּרדּה, upon the mule which belongs to me, i.e., upon my (the king's) mule. When the king let any one ride upon the animal on which he generally rode himself, this was a sign that he was his successor upon the throne. Among the ancient Persians riding upon the king's horse was a public honour, which the king conferred upon persons of great merit in the eyes of all the people (cf. Esther 6:8-9). פּרדּה, the female mule, which in Kahira is still preferred to the male for riding (see Rosenmller, bibl. Althk. iv. 2, p. 56). Gihon (גּחון) was the name given, according to 2 Chronicles 32:30 and 2 Chronicles 33:14, to a spring on the western side of Zion, which supplied two basins or pools, viz., the upper watercourse of Gihon (2 Chronicles 32:30) or upper pool (2 Kings 18:17; Isaiah 7:3; Isaiah 36:2), and the lower pool (Isaiah 22:9). The upper Gihon still exists as a large reservoir built up with hewn stones, though somewhat fallen to decay, which is called by the monks Gihon, by the natives Birket el Mamilla, about 700 yards W.N.W. from the Joppa gate, in the basin which opens into the valley of Hinnom. The lower pool is probably the present Birket es Sultan, on the south-western side of Zion (see Robinson, Palestine, i. p. 485ff., 512ff., and Biblical Researches, p. 142ff.). The valley between the two was certainly the place where Solomon was anointed, as it is not stated that this took place at the fountain of Gihon. And even the expression גּחון על אתו הורדתּם (take him down to Gihon) agrees with this. For is you go from Zion to Gihon towards the west, you first of all have to descend a slope, and then ascend by a gradual rise; and this slope was probably a more considerable one in ancient times (Rob. Pal. i. p. 514, note).

(Note: The conjecture of Thenius, that גּחון should be altered into גּבעון, is hardly worth mentioning; for, apart from the fact that all the ancient versions confirm the correctness of גּחון, the objections which Thenius brings against it amount to mere conjectures or groundless assumptions, such as that Zadok took the oil-horn out of the tabernacle at Gibeon, which is not stated in v. 39. Moreover, Gibeon was a three hours' journey from Jerusalem, so that it would have been absolutely impossible for the anointing, which was not commanded by David till after Adonijah's feast had commenced, to be finished so quickly that the procession could return to Jerusalem before it was ended, as is distinctly recorded in v. 41.)