"But Adonijah feared because of Solomon, and he arose and went and caught hold of the horns of the altar." — Adonijah's response is flight and supplication: *va-yira' Adoniyahu mi-penei Shlomoh, va-ya-qum va-yayya'a, va-ya-chaziq be-qarnay ha-mizbeach* (Adonijah feared because of Solomon, and he arose and went and caught hold of the horns of the altar). The *horns of the altar* (*qarnay ha-mizbeach*) represent the sacred asylum—in ancient Israel, one accused or feared could grasp the horns and be immune from violence as long as they remained there. The verb *chazaq* (grasped, held fast) suggests desperate grip. Adonijah's *fear* (*yira*) is not merely personal anxiety but recognition of mortal peril—in ancient succession conflicts, defeated rivals were often killed. The altar becomes Adonijah's refuge, sacred space where Solomon's agents cannot touch him without violating sanctuary law.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

Publish a note on this verse