Adonijah
Pronounced ad-oh-NY-juh
- Meaning
- "My lord is Yahweh"
- Origin
- Hebrew
Adonijah means "my lord is Yahweh" in Hebrew. He was David's fourth son who attempted to seize the throne as David lay dying, declaring himself king without his father's approval. Like Absalom before him, Adonijah was described as very handsome, and David had never disciplined him. Adonijah hosted a coronation feast, inviting supporters including Joab and the priest Abiathar, but notably excluding Solomon, Nathan, and Bathsheba. When Nathan and Bathsheba informed David, the aging king immediately had Solomon anointed as king at the Gihon spring. Adonijah's attempted coup failed, and he was initially pardoned. But when he later requested Abishag — David's nurse — as his wife, Solomon recognized it as a veiled claim to the throne and had him executed. His story illustrates the deadly consequences of ambition divorced from divine appointment.
Spiritual meaning
Adonijah's name — 'my lord is Yahweh' — contradicted his self-exalting actions. His story warns that claiming God as Lord while pursuing our own agenda is a dangerous contradiction. True lordship requires genuine submission.
Related verses (KJV)
"Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king."
1 Kings 1:5 (KJV) →"And his father had not displeased him at any time in saying, Why hast thou done so?"
1 Kings 1:6 (KJV) →