1 Kings 1:21

Old Testament Historical ASV (1901)

What does 1 Kings 1:21 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Otherwise it will come to pass, when my lord the king shall sleep with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon shall be counted offenders.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Otherwise it will come to pass, when my lord the king shall sleep with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon shall be counted offenders.
1 Kings 1:21 — American Standard Version

Context — 1 Kings 1

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
21Otherwise it will come to pass, when my lord the king shall sleep with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon shall be counted offenders.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Otherwise it shall come to pass, when my lord the king shall sleep with his fathers, etc.] That is, shall die, and be buried in the sepulchre of his ancestors, where he shall lie till he awakes in the morning of the resurrection: that I and my son Solomon shall be counted offenders; or “sinners” f7; not as if she would be reckoned an adulteress, and her son as illegitimate, as some think, and so be branded and treated as such; but as being traitors, making pretensions to the throne, she on the behalf of her son, and he for himself, when he had no right to it, being the younger son, and not declared successor by his father.”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“I and my son . . . shall be counted offenders--that is, slain, according to the barbarous usage of the East towards all who are rivals to the throne.”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Shall sleep - This euphemism for death, rare in the early Scriptures - being found only once in the Pentateuch (margin reference.), and once also in the historical books before Kings 2 Samuel 7:12 - becomes in Kings and Chronicles the ordinary mode of speech (see 1 Kings 2:10; 1 Kings 11:43, etc.; 2Ch 9:31; 2 Chronicles 12:16, etc.). David uses the metaphor in one psalm Psalms 13:3. In the later Scriptures it is, of course, common. (Jeremiah 51:39; Daniel 12:2; Matthew 9:24; John 11:11; 1 Corinthians 11:30; 1Co 15:51; 1 Thessalonians 4:14, etc.) return to 'Top of Page'”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“sleep: Kg1 2:10; Gen 15:15; Deu 31:16 that I: That is, when Adonijah is established on the throne, I and my son Solomon shall be put to death as state criminals. The history of the world demonstrates, that the lust of dominion has tempted men to commit the most enormous crimes. A father has destroyed his son, a son deposed a father, and a brother murdered a brother, in order to obtain a crown! offenders: Heb. sinners, Kg1 2:15, Kg1 2:22-24 3 Kings (1 Kings) 1:22”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification