Last Words & Death

David's Physical Decline

1 Kings opens with one of the most pitiful descriptions of a king in Scripture:

"Now King David was old and advanced in years. And although they covered him with clothes, he could not get warm. Therefore his servants said to him, 'Let a young woman be sought for my lord the king, and let her wait on the king and be in his service. Let her lie in your arms, that my lord the king may be warm.'" — 1 Kings 1:1–2

David was approximately 69 or 70 years old. The man who had run toward Goliath, danced before the Ark, fled from Absalom across the Jordan — could not get warm under his own bedclothes.

Abishag the Shunammite

The servants searched throughout Israel and found Abishag the Shunammite — "very beautiful." She became the king's attendant. The text is careful: "The king knew her not" 1 Kings 1:4. She was not a concubine; she was a nurse.

Abishag would reappear in the story. After David's death, Adonijah's request to marry her would be the trigger for Solomon's execution of him.

Adonijah's Coup Attempt

The Heir-Apparent's Calculation

Of David's surviving older sons:

• Amnon — dead (killed by Absalom)
• Chileab — likely died young; not mentioned
• Absalom — dead (killed by Joab)
• Adonijah son of Haggith — fourth-born, but now eldest surviving

Adonijah considered himself heir apparent. The text notes:

"He was also a very handsome man, and he was born next after Absalom. His father had never at any time displeased him by asking, 'Why have you done thus and so?'" — 1 Kings 1:6

David had failed to discipline him. Like Absalom, Adonijah was beautiful and unrestrained.

The Conspiracy

Adonijah followed his brother Absalom's playbook almost exactly:

• Got himself a chariot, horsemen, and 50 men to run before him
• Secured the support of Joab son of Zeruiah (David's commander)
• Secured the support of Abiathar the priest

But several key figures did not join:

• Zadok the priest
• Benaiah son of Jehoiada (commander of the bodyguard)
• Nathan the prophet
• Shimei and Rei
• David's mighty men

The Feast at En-rogel

Adonijah held a great sacrificial feast at the stone of Zoheleth, beside En-rogel. He invited:

• All his royal brothers — except Solomon
• All the men of Judah, the king's servants
• Joab, Abiathar, and his supporters

Solomon, Nathan, Benaiah, and the loyalists were deliberately not invited.

Nathan and Bathsheba's Counter-Strategy

Nathan heard of the feast and immediately went to Bathsheba. His plan was coordinated:

1. Bathsheba would go to David first and ask why Adonijah is reigning
2. While she was still speaking, Nathan would enter and confirm her words
3. The two-witness pattern would force David's decision

Bathsheba's Approach

Bathsheba bowed and paid homage. David asked, "What do you desire?" She replied:

"My lord, you swore to your servant by the LORD your God, saying, 'Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne.' And now, behold, Adonijah is king, although you, my lord the king, do not know it... Lest it come to pass, when my lord the king sleeps with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be counted offenders." — 1 Kings 1:17–21

Nathan's Entry

While Bathsheba was still speaking, Nathan entered. He told David essentially the same thing — feigning surprise that David could be unaware. He asked the deliberate question: "Has this thing been done by my lord the king and you have not told your servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?"

David's Decision

David called Bathsheba back. He swore to her by the LORD:

"As the LORD lives, who has redeemed my soul out of every adversity, as I swore to you by the LORD, the God of Israel, saying, 'Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place,' even so will I do this day." — 1 Kings 1:29–30

The Anointing of Solomon

David summoned Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada. His instructions:

1. Take the king's own mule and put Solomon on it
2. Bring him down to Gihon (the spring on the eastern slope, in the Kidron valley)
3. Zadok and Nathan will anoint him there as king over Israel
4. Blow the trumpet and proclaim: "Long live King Solomon!"
5. Bring him back to sit on the king's throne

Why Gihon?

Gihon was deliberately chosen — it was in earshot of Adonijah's feast at En-rogel, only about a mile away. The two springs lay along the same valley. The sound would carry.

The Procession

Solomon was anointed at Gihon. Zadok took the horn of oil from the tent (the Tabernacle of David on Mount Zion) and anointed Solomon. The trumpet was blown. The people shouted "Long live King Solomon!" and went up after him, playing pipes and rejoicing — "so that the earth was split by their noise" 1 Kings 1:40.

The News Reaches the Coup

Joab heard the trumpet first: "What does this uproar in the city mean?" While he was still asking, Jonathan son of Abiathar arrived — the same Jonathan who had carried messages for David during Absalom's revolt. He brought a different message now:

"Our lord King David has made Solomon king... Solomon sits on the royal throne. Moreover, the king's servants came to congratulate our lord King David, saying, 'May your God make the name of Solomon more famous than yours, and make his throne greater than your throne.' And the king bowed himself on the bed." — 1 Kings 1:43, 46–47

The Feast Dissolves

"Then all the guests of Adonijah trembled and rose, and each went his own way" 1 Kings 1:49. The coup collapsed without a fight.

Adonijah at the Altar

Adonijah fled to the tabernacle and caught hold of the horns of the altar — the place of asylum for accidental killers, but a desperate gesture for a coup leader.

Solomon's response:

"If he will show himself a worthy man, not one of his hairs shall fall to the earth, but if wickedness is found in him, he shall die." — 1 Kings 1:52

Solomon sent for Adonijah, made him come down from the altar, and dismissed him: "Go to your house."

David's Deathbed Charge

1 Kings 2:1–9 records David's final personal words to Solomon — and the parallel in 1 Chronicles 28–29 records his public address to the assembly.

The Spiritual Charge

"I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, and show yourself a man, and keep the charge of the LORD your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn, that the LORD may establish his word that he spoke concerning me, saying, 'If your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.'" — 1 Kings 2:2–4

The Three Unfinished Tasks

David then turned to three personal matters he had not been able to resolve in his own reign. He laid them on Solomon:

1. Joab

"Moreover, you also know what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, how he dealt with the two commanders of the armies of Israel, Abner the son of Ner, and Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed, avenging in time of peace for blood that had been shed in war, and putting the blood of war on the belt around his waist and on the sandals on his feet. Act therefore according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace." — 1 Kings 2:5–6

The two murders David could not punish during his reign (because Joab was too powerful and too needed) were now passed to Solomon. The "blood of war" on the belt and sandals refers to the treacherous killings of Abner and Amasa — both at moments of peace, both by deception.

2. The Sons of Barzillai

"But deal loyally with the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table, for with such loyalty they met me when I fled from Absalom your brother." — 1 Kings 2:7

Barzillai had brought provisions to David at Mahanaim. Now David ensured that his sons would have a place at the royal table.

3. Shimei

"And there is also with you Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse on the day when I went to Mahanaim. But when he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the LORD, saying, 'I will not put you to death with the sword.' Now therefore do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man. You will know what you ought to do to him, and you shall bring his gray head down with blood to Sheol." — 1 Kings 2:8–9

David had personally sworn not to execute Shimei. But David had not bound Solomon. Solomon would deal with Shimei in his wisdom — and he did, by placing Shimei under house arrest in Jerusalem with the warning that if Shimei ever left the city, he would die. Three years later, two of Shimei's servants ran away to Gath and Shimei left the city to retrieve them. Solomon had him executed 1 Kings 2:36–46.

The Public Address

1 Chronicles 28:1–10 records David's address to "all the officials of Israel, the officials of the tribes, the officers of the divisions that served the king, the commanders of thousands, the commanders of hundreds, the stewards of all the property and livestock of the king and his sons, together with the palace officials, the mighty men, and all the seasoned warriors."

David — likely standing only with difficulty — spoke to them about:

• His heart's desire to build a house for the LORD
• The LORD's denial because he was a man of war
• God's choice of Solomon to build the temple
• The conditional and unconditional aspects of the covenant ("If he continues strong in keeping my commandments and my rules... I will establish his kingdom forever")
• The charge to Israel to seek the LORD their God

The Charge to Solomon

"And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever. Be careful now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong and do it." — 1 Chronicles 28:9–10

The Plans Delivered

David gave Solomon the written plans for the temple — "all this he made clear to me in writing from the hand of the LORD, all the work to be done according to the plan" 1 Chr 28:19.

The Final Encouragement

"Be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the LORD God, even my God, is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished." — 1 Chronicles 28:20

Echoes of Moses' charge to Joshua Deut 31:6–8 and Joshua's own charge to Israel Josh 1:9.

The Offerings for the Temple

1 Chronicles 29:1–9 records the public offering. David gave from his personal treasure:

• 3,000 talents of gold of Ophir
• 7,000 talents of refined silver

Then he asked, "Who then will offer willingly, consecrating himself today to the LORD?" The leaders responded with willing hearts. The total given by the people:

• 5,000 talents and 10,000 darics of gold
• 10,000 talents of silver
• 18,000 talents of bronze
• 100,000 talents of iron
• Precious stones

The people rejoiced because they had given willingly. David rejoiced greatly.

David's Last Recorded Prayer

1 Chronicles 29:10–19 is one of the great public prayers of Scripture:

"Blessed are you, O LORD, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name." — 1 Chronicles 29:10–13

The doxology in Matthew 6:13 of the Lord's Prayer — "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever, amen" — echoes this prayer almost directly.

The Self-Awareness

"But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding." — 1 Chronicles 29:14–15

The Coronation Sacrifices

The next day they sacrificed to the LORD: 1,000 bulls, 1,000 rams, 1,000 lambs, with their drink offerings, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel. They ate and drank before the LORD with great gladness.

"And they made Solomon the son of David king the second time, and they anointed him as prince for the LORD, and Zadok as priest" 1 Chr 29:22.

Solomon's first anointing had been the rushed one at Gihon during Adonijah's attempted coup. This second, public anointing was the formal coronation.

The Reign Summary

"Thus David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel. The time that he reigned over Israel was forty years. He reigned seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. Then he died at a good age, full of days, riches, and honor. And Solomon his son reigned in his place." — 1 Chronicles 29:26–28

David's Death and Burial

"Then David slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David." — 1 Kings 2:10

David was buried within the City of David — Mount Zion, the area he had taken from the Jebusites. His tomb was a known and visited location for centuries afterward:

• Nehemiah 3:16 — the tombs of David are mentioned during the wall repair
• Peter at Pentecost — "His tomb is with us to this day" Acts 2:29
• Josephus records that Herod the Great opened David's tomb seeking treasure

The exact location is disputed today. The traditional "Tomb of David" site on Mount Zion is medieval; the actual burial location was almost certainly on the original Mount Zion (now identified with the southeastern hill, the City of David ridge).

The Sources Cited

1 Chronicles 29:29 lists the historical sources for David's reign:

"Now the acts of King David, from first to last, are written in the Chronicles of Samuel the seer, and in the Chronicles of Nathan the prophet, and in the Chronicles of Gad the seer, with accounts of all his rule and his might and of the circumstances that came upon him and upon Israel and upon all the kingdoms of the countries." — 1 Chronicles 29:29–30

Three prophetic chroniclers — Samuel, Nathan, and Gad — wrote the original accounts that lay behind the canonical books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles.

Adonijah's Execution

The final loose thread of David's reign was Adonijah. After David's death, Adonijah came to Bathsheba and asked her to request from Solomon that he be given Abishag the Shunammite as wife.

This was not an innocent request. Abishag had lain in David's bosom, and was therefore — by ancient Near Eastern reckoning — part of David's harem. Taking a former king's woman was a claim to the throne, exactly as Absalom had done with the concubines and Abner had done with Rizpah.

Solomon recognized the implicit claim instantly:

"And why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also, for he is my older brother... God do so to me and more also if this word does not cost Adonijah his life!" — 1 Kings 2:22–23

Solomon sent Benaiah, who struck Adonijah down. He died that day.

Joab's Execution

When Joab heard Adonijah was dead, he fled to the tabernacle and grasped the horns of the altar. Solomon sent Benaiah. Joab refused to come out: "I will die here." Solomon ordered Benaiah to strike him at the altar. Benaiah did. Joab — David's general for 40 years, killer of Abner, killer of Absalom, killer of Amasa — was buried in his own house in the wilderness 1 Kings 2:28–34.

The deathbed charge had been fulfilled.

Abiathar Removed

Solomon also expelled Abiathar from the priesthood for siding with Adonijah:

"Go to Anathoth, to your estate, for you deserve death. But I will not at this time put you to death, because you carried the ark of the Lord GOD before David my father, and because you shared in all my father's affliction." — 1 Kings 2:26

1 Kings 2:27 notes the theological significance: "So Solomon expelled Abiathar from being priest to the LORD, thus fulfilling the word of the LORD that he had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh."

God had told Eli through the boy Samuel 1 Sam 2:27–36; 3:11–14 that Eli's line would be cut off from the priesthood. About 130 years later, that prophecy was fulfilled when Abiathar — last priest of Eli's line — was removed.

Zadok became sole high priest, beginning the Zadokite priestly line that would continue through the Second Temple period.

Shimei's Execution

Three years later — as noted above — Shimei left Jerusalem against Solomon's command. Solomon had him executed. The third element of David's deathbed charge was fulfilled.

The Closing of the Story

1 Kings 2:46 closes the era: "So the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon." Forty years after David's secret anointing by Samuel, forty more after his public anointing at Hebron, forty after that of his reign — the kingdom passed cleanly to his son. The promise of 2 Samuel 7 — "I will raise up your offspring after you... I will establish his kingdom" — had begun its temporal fulfillment.

David's life had ended:

Born

c. 1040 BC, Bethlehem of Judah

Died

c. 970 BC, Jerusalem

Age at death

70 years

Total reign

40 years (7.5 in Hebron + 32.5 in Jerusalem)

Buried

City of David, Mount Zion

Successor

Solomon, son of Bathsheba

What remained beyond his life was the throne, the temple plans, the worship orders of the Levites, the catalog of mighty men — and 73 psalms that would shape the prayer life of Israel, the Church, and ultimately, the lips of Christ Himself.

The next chapter gathers those psalms into the chronological narrative of his life.