"He has sacrificed oxen, fatlings, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army; but Solomon your servant he has not invited.'" — Bathsheba catalogs Adonijah's coronation acts (the sacrifice, the feast) and his allies (priesthood and military), emphasizing the institutional weight behind the rival claim. Yet the *reductio ad absurdum*: Solomon, David's own son—and implicitly his designated heir—is excluded from his brother's coronation feast. The term *avdekha* (your servant) applies to Solomon through Bathsheba's voice, emphasizing Solomon's subordination to David and his vulnerability. The list of those invited underscores that Adonijah has secured support from the power structure David created. Bathsheba's rhetoric transforms Adonijah's coalition into a potential coup, his exclusion of Solomon into a rejection of David's own will.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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