Now therefore, as the LORD liveth, which hath established me, and set me on the throne of David my father, and who hath made me an house, as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death this day.

1 KINGS 2:24KJV
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1 Kings 2:24 (KJV)

What does 1 Kings 2:24 mean?

In 1 Kings 2:24, Solomon declares under oath that his brother Adonijah will be put to death that day. Solomon grounds his decision in the LORD’s role in placing him on David’s throne and establishing his royal family as promised.

Solomon speaks after Adonijah has asked to marry Abishag, the young woman who attended David in his old age. Solomon treats that request as a threat to his position as king (1 Kings 2:22). His oath shows how seriously he takes the challenge.

The Hebrew behind 1 Kings 2:24

  • “house” — בַּיִת (bayit): The word can mean a building or a family. Here it refers to Solomon’s royal household or line, rather than a physical house.
  • “LORD” — יהוה (YHWH): This is the personal name of Israel’s God, traditionally represented by “LORD” in the KJV. Solomon invokes that name in the oath beginning “as the LORD liveth.”

Why 1 Kings 2:24 matters

  • Solomon sees Adonijah’s request as more than a request for marriage. In verse 22, he asks why Adonijah does not also ask for the kingdom, linking the request to a claim on the throne.
  • The words “as he promised” connect Solomon’s rule with the LORD’s earlier promise to David about his family and throne (2 Samuel 7:12–16). Solomon presents his position as the fulfillment of that promise.
  • Solomon’s order is immediate and specific: “this day.” In the next verse, Benaiah carries out the order (1 Kings 2:25).

Where else these words appear

“Adonijah” Hebrew H138 · used in 26 verses

  • 2 Samuel 3:4 And the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital;
  • 1 Kings 1:24 And Nathan said, My lord, O king, hast thou said, Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne?
  • 1 Kings 2:13 And Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, Comest thou peaceably? And he said, Peaceably.

“throne” Hebrew H3678 · used in 124 verses

  • Genesis 41:40 Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.
  • 2 Kings 4:10 Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither.
  • Psalms 122:5 For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David.