And the king hath sent with him Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and they have caused him to ride upon the king's mule:

1 KINGS 1:44KJV
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1 Kings 1:44 (KJV)

What does 1 Kings 1:44 mean?

1 Kings 1:44 describes how King David sent several important leaders—Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, along with the Cherethites and Pelethites—with Solomon, and they placed Solomon on the king’s own mule. This act publicly marked Solomon as the chosen successor to David.

In this verse, someone is reporting to Adonijah about what King David has done. The setting is a tense moment where there is uncertainty about who will become king after David. By sending trusted leaders and having Solomon ride the king’s mule, David is making a clear and visible statement to the people about who the next king will be.

The Hebrew behind 1 Kings 1:44

  • מֶלֶךְ (melek, H4428): "king." This word is used both for David as the current king and to show the authority being passed to Solomon.
  • שָׁלַח (shalach, H7971): "sent." The use of this word shows that David is still actively making decisions and directing events, not just passively allowing things to happen.
  • פֶּרֶד (pered, H6506): "mule." In ancient Israel, the king’s mule was a symbol of royal authority. Having Solomon ride it was a public way to show he was the chosen heir, since only the king would ride this animal.

Why 1 Kings 1:44 matters

  • This verse clears up who had the authority to choose the next king: it was David, not Adonijah or anyone else.
  • The mention of specific leaders and royal guards shows that Solomon’s claim to the throne was supported by key religious, prophetic, and military figures.
  • The act of riding the king’s mule was a powerful, visible sign to everyone that Solomon was being made king, not just in words but in action.

Where else these words appear

“mule” Hebrew H6506 · used in 3 verses

  • 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:
  • 1 Kings 1:38 So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon king David's mule, and brought him to Gihon.

“Pelethites” Hebrew H6432 · used in 7 verses

  • 2 Samuel 8:18 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over both the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David's sons were chief rulers.
  • 2 Samuel 20:7 And there went out after him Joab's men, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and all the mighty men: and they went out of Jerusalem, to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri.
  • 1 Kings 1:38 So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon king David's mule, and brought him to Gihon.

“Cherethites” Hebrew H3774 · used in 10 verses

  • 1 Samuel 30:14 We made an invasion upon the south of the Cherethites, and upon the coast which belongeth to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.
  • 2 Samuel 20:7 And there went out after him Joab's men, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and all the mighty men: and they went out of Jerusalem, to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri.
  • 1 Chronicles 18:17 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and the sons of David were chief about the king.

“Nathan” Hebrew H5416 · used in 39 verses

  • 2 Samuel 5:14 And these be the names of those that were born unto him in Jerusalem; Shammua, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon,
  • 1 Kings 1:8 But Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet, and Shimei, and Rei, and the mighty men which belonged to David, were not with Adonijah.
  • 1 Chronicles 11:38 Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of Haggeri,