meta: {"file": "/data/tomer/Sefaria-Export/txt/Tanakh/Commentary/Ralbag/Prophets/Ralbag on I Kings/English/Sefaria Community Translation.txt"}
text: Ralbag on I Kings
  רלב"ג על מלכים א
  Sefaria Community Translation
  
  
  Ralbag on I Kings
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  Now King David was old: Until "Solomon married the daughter of Pharaoh." (1 Kings 3:1)
  And they covered him in clothes, but he could get no heat: It is known that clothes do not warm a person up, but rather they incidentally prevent the air which surrounds the body from cooling him.  Therefore his servants requested for him something that would provide him with warmth. And they chose for him that he would be warmed by the warmth of a young virgin for many reasons - first, that she would warm him (physically), second, that she would excite the man and arouse him for sex, and third that it would arouse his nature because of her beauty and her being a virgin, and this would cause him to warm himself.  
  
  Verse 2
  
  And be a companion unto him: This means - guard the treasury.  And this would be the reason that she could come to lie in his bosom and the man would not feel it.  
  
  Verse 3
  
  
  
  Verse 4
  
  
  
  Verse 5
  
  And he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him: It is fitting for you to know that it was not permitted for the kings of Israel to accumulate many horses (Deuteronomy 17:16), and therefore this was not a small matter for the kings of Israel.  
  
  Verse 6
  
  And his father had not grieved him all his life in saying: "Why hast thou done so?": For this reason, Adonijah thought that David's intention was to make him king after him, since he had never admonished him for any of his actions.  And moreover he was very handsome, and on account of his beauty he thought himself fitting to rule.  
  And he was born after Absalom: It is impossible to explain that we should understand from this the matter of their birth, because Absalom was the son of Maacah (2 Samuel 3:3), while Adonijah was the son of Haggith (2 Samuel 3:4).  If this was in regard to the matter of their birth, it would have been fitting for the two of them to be born from one mother, Adonijah after Absalom.  Therefore it is to be explained that this is in regard to their upbringing, as was stated: "and the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she bore to Adriel [the son of Barzillai] the Meholathite" (2 Samuel 21:8), which is in regard to upbringing as was stated previously (Ralbag on 2 Samuel 21:8).  The intended meaning is that his mother raised him in the same manner as Absalom, and he behaved with the same customs and personality.  Therefore it said, "and he was also a very goodly man" like Absalom, who was very handsome, as was recalled previously. Thus, just as Absalom thought that he would rule after David because of his great beauty, Adonijah thought likewise.
  
  Verse 7
  
  And he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest: This means that he had already convinced them to go on and to agree to make him king, and they helped him in this manner.  Thus he thought that just as these men had helped David attain kingship and to succeed, they would do the same for him.  For example, when Abiathar came to David as he was fleeing from Saul (1 Samuel 22:20), David would do everything according to him. And Joab established David upon the throne of the kingdom and fought his wars against Ish-bosheth (2 Samuel 2:8-9) and Absalom (2 Samuel 18:2) and Sheba son of Bichri (2 Samuel 20:1). And Joab likewise was drawn to Adonijah and helped him with the kingdom in order that he would love him and not remove him from being chief of the army when it was clear to him that David intended to remove him from his position due to the matter of Absalom. And Abiathar the priest also [followed Adonijah] when he saw that David was giving more honor and standing to Zadok than he was giving to Abiathar. And this is explained in the preceding stories in which David appointed Zadok and Abiathar. 
  
  Verse 8
  
  
  
  Verse 9
  
  and fatlings: This is one of the kinds of large, fat cattle.
  by the stone of Zoheleth This means at the stone of Zoheleth. We do not know the reason why the stone is called thus. It is possible that this stone was large and very smooth, and because of its smoothness they could move it from place to place.
  
  Verse 10
  
  He did not call Solomon his brother to eat with him because he knew that he would be opposed to him, being certain that he will become king after David his father. This was likewise the reason he did not call Nathan the prophet, because he prophesied to David that Solomon would rule after him, as was mentioned in Chronicles. (1 Chronicles 17:11) And in general he did not call those that would assent to his counsel like Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Johoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and the mighty men that belonged to David because he knew that they would confound his counsel and, as a result, renew the hatred of the people who had agreed to his plan.
  
  Verse 11
  
  
  
  Verse 12
  
  
  
  Verse 13
  
  
  
  Verse 14
  
  and confirm your words: I will fill in what is lacking from them or 
  
  Verse 15
  
  
  
  Verse 16
  
  
  
  Verse 17
  
  
  
  Verse 18
  
  
  
  Verse 19
  
  
  
  Verse 20
  
  
  
  Verse 21
  
  I and my son Solomon shall be counted offenders: This means punished, because since Adonijah will know that the kingship is supposed to be with Solomon he will strive to kill him, just as Saul sought to kill David for the same reason. There will also reason to mention the sin with Bath-sheba after David's death and bring this slander also upon Solomon. But perhaps if Solomon comes to rule, it will be clear to everyone that Bath-sheba was divinely ordained for David and was not forbidden after the death of Uriah. Because of reverence for the king they will be afraid to say anything against him or have this intention. "'I and my son Solomon shall be counted offenders' if you do not disclose this (that you intend for him to be king) while you're alive, because the good gift that you gave us is being exploited from us, and it should not be an incriminating thing for us for the matter to be revealed that your intention is to coronate us as you spoke and swore to your maidservant."
  
  Verse 22
  
  
  
  Verse 23
  
  
  
  Verse 24
  
  hast thou said: Adonijah will reign after me: This means, "Did you say, my lord the king, that this will be and did not inform your servant?" This means, "Was this what my lord the king said, and they didn't tell me because you did not permit it to be made known to your servant who will sit on your throne?"
  
  Verse 25
  
  
  
  Verse 26
  
  
  
  Verse 27
  
  
  
  Verse 28
  
  then King David answered and said, "Call me Bath-sheba": It would appear from this that Bath-sheba left the room when Nathan the prophet came to speak to the king in order that the king would not recognize that this was an agreed upon matter between them. Thus David called for Bath-sheba and was afraid to come to her to say these words, because she was more self-confident than Nathan the prophet, as we found with what the Tekoaite woman did, that she said these words to Joab, not to her. (2 Samuel 14:2)
  
  Verse 29
  
  
  
  Verse 30
  
  
  
  Verse 31
  
  
  
  Verse 32
  
  
  
  Verse 33
  
  upon mine own mule: This is one of the symbols of kingship, that  no one should ride on the king's chariot who is not a king.
  and bring him frown to Gihon: He chose to anoint him at a river to be a symbol that his kingship will last and survive and expand.
  
  Verse 34
  
  and let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him: We know that the anointing with oil that Moses did was done throughout generations, as was mentioned there. (Exodus 30:30-31) No other was done apart from it. Thus it is explained that this anointing was not a complete covering with oil because the oil would not be sufficient for this. The anointing was not done thus with everything that Moses had done. Therefore it is explained that he would only do a partial anointing, that it anointing the king on his head, as it said about Saul, "Samuel took the vial of oil and poured it upon his head."(1 Samuel 10:1) It is fitting that anointing should be upon the place where the crown of kingship will be. And it is fitting that you know that it was only necessary to anoint Solomon because of the conflict with Adonijah, because with the anointing of David, all those after him from his line were also anointed, like with the anointing of Aaron and his sons, all those coming after them to be priests were also anointed. Thus it was not necessary to anoint after this except with the high priest. 
  
  Verse 35
  
  and he shall come and sit upon my throne: To publicize to everyone that he is king, in order to deflect controversy from Solomon.
  
  Verse 36
  
  Amen! So says the Lord, God of my lord the king: This is a prayer that the will of the Blessed Lord will be that the matter will be so. That is to say that the kingship will be Solomon's, because if it doesn't come to him through God's will, this will be of no use to him.
  
  Verse 37
  
  and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David: We learn from this that this is not with respect to the kingship, but this is that the will of the king is for his son to succeed even more than him.
  
  Verse 38
  
  So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites, went down: They were a Sanhedrin, as in ancient times. 
  
  Verse 39
  
  
  
  Verse 40
  
  piped with pipes: This means that they were playing flutes.  These are musical instruments, like in appearance to reeds, and they are pierced at intervals to give forth particular notes.  
  so that the earth rent with the sound of them: This was said either as exaggeration and embellishment, or the intended meaning is that their sound gathered many people to them on all sides and it was as if the air of the earth was rent by their power.  
  
  Verse 41
  
  Wherefore is this noise of the city being in an uproar?: This means, "What is the sound of the city that it is murmering?" This is the terrific agitation.
  
  Verse 42
  
  for thou art a worthy man, and bringest good tidings: It would seem that the intended meaning of "worthy man" is "good man," because the good man does "worthiness" by his kindness, and the way of the good man is to give good tidings, not bad.  Or, the intended meaning of "worthy man" is "brave man," because the way of the brave man is always to predict good [results] from words of conflict and war because he is not afraid.  
  
  Verse 43
  
  
  
  Verse 44
  
  
  
  Verse 45
  
  
  
  Verse 46
  
  
  
  Verse 47
  
  
  
  Verse 48
  
  
  
  Verse 49
  
  
  
  Verse 50
  
  and caught hold of the horns of the altar: It was already explained in Torah that the altar shelters only if a murderer who killed with malice and cunning comes there.  Thus Adonijah came there because there he would not fear that Solomon would kill him, and the place would be a shelter for him until Solomon the king should promise not to put him to death.
  
  Verse 51
  
  
  
  Verse 52
  
  If he shall show himself a worthy man, there shall not a hair of him fall to the earth: This means, "If he will put forth his strength to be a servant of the king and his commands like a worthy man, no harm will come to him for my part." And thus David sent to the men of Jabesh-Gilead, "Now therefore let your hands be strong, and be ye valiant." (2 Samuel 2:7)
  
  Verse 53
  
  And he came and prostrated himself before King Solomon, and Solomon said to him: It would appear that because Solomon said to him, "if he shall show himself a worthy man," Adonijah thought that [Solomon] would want [him] to stand before him and serve him, and thus he did not want to take leave of him without permission.  And when Solomon felt this, he said to him that he should go to his house.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  
  
  Verse 2
  
  be thou strong therefore, and show thyself a man: This means that your deeds should not be those of an immature youth, but those of a great man. 
  
  Verse 3
  
  and keep the charge of the LORD thy God: This means that he should keep in his heart what God commanded in order to observe it. And this surely involves learning Torah. And this learning will involve observing, so that you will walk in the ways of God that are mentioned in Torah, and to keep all the laws and the commandments and the judgments and the testimonies written in the Torah of Moses. By this learning you will succeed and all that is fitting for you to do in everything that happens to you. And you will be prepared to behave  according to the ways of the Torah in all your deeds. And thus also you will succeed and know all that is fitting that you will turn there. For example, if a person doesn't know that he is obligated to sit in a Sukkah on the holiday of Sukkot