1 Kings 1:12

1 Kings 1:12 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Now therefore come, let me, I pray thee, give thee counsel, that thou mayest save thine own life, and the life of thy son Solomon.
• New International Version (NIV)Now then, let me advise you how you can save your own life and the life of your son Solomon.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Now therefore come, let me give you advice, that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Come, please, let me now give you advice, that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon.

Context of 1 Kings 1:12

10But he did not ask these people to come: Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, David's own special soldiers, his brother Solomon. 11Nathan said to Bathsheba, Solomon's mother, ‘Have you heard about the things that Haggith's son Adonijah is doing? He has become king, but our master, David, does not know about it. Please accept my advice so that you can save your life and the life of Solomon, your son. 13Go to King David and say to him, “My master the king, do you remember your strong promise to me? You told me that my son Solomon would certainly become king after you. You said that he would sit on your throne. So why has Adonijah now become king?” 14While you are still talking to the king, I will come in. I will say that your report is true.’

1 Kings 1:12 word by word

וְעַתָּ֕ה לְכִ֛י אִיעָצֵ֥ךְ נָ֖א עֵצָ֑ה וּמַלְּטִי֙ אֶת־נַפְשֵׁ֔ךְ וְאֶת־נֶ֥פֶשׁ בְּנֵ֖ךְ שְׁלֹמֹֽה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Now therefore comeיָלַךְyâlak · to walkH3212
• let me, I pray thee, give thee counselעֵצָה‛êtsâh · counselH6098
• let me, I pray thee, give thee counselיָעַץyâ‛ats · to adviseH3289
• that thou mayest saveמָלַטmâlaţ · to escapeH4422
• thine own lifeנֶ֫פֶשׁnephesh · soul: lifeH5315
• of thy sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• Solomonשְׁלֹמֹהshelômôh · SolomonH8010

Cross-references for 1 Kings 1:12

• Proverbs 11:14A nation will fall if it has no wise leaders. But it will do well if there are people who give good advice.
• Proverbs 20:18Things will go well if you receive good advice. If you want to fight a war, ask wise people to be your advisors.
• Proverbs 27:9Beautiful oil and perfume may give you joy. But good advice from a friend is even better.
• Jeremiah 38:15Jeremiah said to the king, ‘If I give you a true answer, you will surely kill me. If I give you advice, you will not agree.’
• 1 Kings 1:21If you do not decide this now, there will be trouble for me and my son Solomon. Soon after they bury you in the grave of your ancestors, they will punish us as bad people.’
• Genesis 19:17When they had reached a place outside the city, one of the angels said, ‘Now run! Your lives are in danger. Do not look behind you! Do not stop anywhere in this valley. Run up into the mountains or you will die.’
• Acts 27:31Paul said to the army officer and to the soldiers, ‘These sailors must stay on the ship. If they do not stay, you will not be safe. You will die.’
• Judges 9:5He went to his father's home in Ophrah. He killed his 70 brothers, the sons of Gideon. He killed them all on one rock. But Jotham, Gideon's youngest son, hid himself and he escaped.
• 2 Kings 11:1Ahaziah's mother, Athaliah, heard the news that her son was dead. So she started to kill all the royal family.
• 2 Chronicles 21:4Jehoram made himself a strong king to rule over his father's kingdom. Then he killed all his brothers, as well as some of the Israelite leaders.
• 2 Chronicles 22:10Ahaziah's mother Athaliah heard the news that her son was dead. So she started to kill everyone in Judah's royal family.
• Matthew 21:38The farmers saw the master's son coming. They said to each other, “This is the master's own son. The garden will belong to him when his father dies. So we should kill the son and then the garden will be ours.”

Commentaries on 1 Kings 1:12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12Save thine own life, and the life of thy son - Nathan took for granted that Adonijah would put both Bath-sheba and Solomon to death as state criminals, if he got established on the throne. O cursed lust of rule! a father will destroy his son, a son depose his father, and a brother murder a brother, in order to obtain a crown! At this time the monarchy of Israel was unsettled; no man knew who was to succeed to the crown, and the minds of the people were as…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12It would have been in accordance with general Eastern custom for Solomon to suffer death, if Adonijah had succeeded in his attempt. But to have executed his mother also would have been an unusual severity. Still, such cases sometimes occurred: Cassander put to death Roxana, the widow of Alexander the Great, at the same time with her son, the young Alexander.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 11-31Verses 11-31 Observe Nathan's address to Bathsheba. Let me give thee counsel how to save thy own life, and the life of thy son. Such as this is the counsel Christ's ministers give us in his name, to give all diligence, not only that no man take our crown, Re 3:11, but that we save our lives, even the lives of our souls. David made a solemn declaration of his firm cleaving to his former resolution, that Solomon should be his successor. Even the…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 11-14Bathsheba was Solomon’s mother and David’s favorite wife. Their affair caused the death of Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah the Hittite (see 2 Samuel 11:1–27). Nathan, the prophet who shared God’s promise with David (2 Samuel 7:1–17) and announced God’s love for Solomon at his birth (2 Samuel 12:24–25), confirmed God’s choice of Solomon to become king after David (see 1 Chronicles 28:4–7). Although Nathan strongly criticized David for his affair with Bathsheba…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 11-2711-27. Nathan spake unto Bath-sheba ... let me ... give thee counsel, &c.--The revolt was defeated by this prophet, who, knowing the Lord's will (2Sa 7:12; 1Ch 22:9), felt himself bound, in accordance with his character and office, to take the lead in seeing it executed. Hitherto the succession of the Hebrew monarchy had not been settled. The Lord had reserved to Himself the right of nomination (De 17:15), which was acted upon in the appointments both of…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Kings 1:12

• Bath-Sheba (Bathsheba)
• Civil Service
• Nathan
• Politics
• Solomon
• Statecraft

In the dictionaries

• Solomon
• Account
• Adonijah
• Assuredly
• Cherish
• David
• Abiathar
• Abishag
• Chronicles, Books of
• En-Rogel

Commentaries on 1 Kings 1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings