Scripture often introduces people or events suddenly and without much preparation. Such is the case with Adonijah. He is called the son of Haggith, who is mentioned before only in connection to the sons of David born to him in Hebron. We are told in the ESV that he exalted himself by declaring himself to be the next king. Paul R. House suggests that the literal translation would be lifting himself up¹. The form of the verb in the Hebrew emphasizes that this was a self-exaltation. In this manner Adonijah differs from his father and even from Saul, neither of whom put themselves forward for the throne. He also differs from the Bible’s picture of the promised Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ whom Hebrews tells us did not exalt himself (Hebrews 5:5). Pride was, therefore, one of Adonijah’s chief characteristics, and the rest of the verse confirms this.

He made his claim public by arranging for himself a bodyguard consisting of chariots, horsemen, and runners to go before him. One of the first things that a serious reader of the Bible remembers is that Absalom, his brother and leader of a failed rebellion against David, had done the same thing, as we read in 2 Samuel 15:1. Adonijah’s action was clearly consistent with his self-exalting claim, I will be king.

The similarity to Absalom that we find here is not coincidental. The writer wants us to see the similarities between the two men, and he wants us to learn from that similarity that Adonijah is not to be trusted. The next verse confirms this very thing.