Writer’s Diary March 2026

Was Joab good or bad at the end of his life?  Obviously, only God knows the answer to many aspects of this question, but one important question we may be able to shine some light on is: did Joab know that God had said Solomon was to be king when he supported Adonijah?  Note that this is not asking whether he knew that David had chosen Solomon, but whether he knew that God had done so.

There is no categoric statement either way about this.  Second Samuel, which describes all the events between Solomon’s birth and his coronation makes no mention of Solomon’s being chosen or announced as the future king.  1 Kings only mentions an earlier commitment to make Solomon king on the day he is made king.

However, some passages may lead us towards a conclusion.

1 Chronicles 22:6-10  Then he called for Solomon his son and charged him to build a house for the Lord, the God of Israel. 7 David said to Solomon, My son, I had it in my heart to build a house to the name of the Lord my God. 8 But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, You have shed much blood and have waged great wars. You shall not build a house to my name, because you have shed so much blood before me on the earth. 9 Behold, a son shall be born to you who shall be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his surrounding enemies. For his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. 10 He shall build a house for my name. He shall be my son, and I will be his father, and I will establish his royal throne in Israel forever.

David makes this comment while instructing Solomon to build a temple for God.  We don’t know exactly when it was made, but it is followed immediately by instructions to the leaders to help Solomon and the statement that when David was old he made Solomon king.  As such, it seems likely to have been around the time of Solomon’s coronation, particularly since it describes the vast fortune of materials David had collected.  There is no record of when God’s original statement(s) was/were made, either.  Assuming that all of this direction from God occurred at the same time (which it may not have), David knew a son “Solomon” would be king before the son he called Solomon was born.  However, if this did all occur at one time, how David would have known which of his sons to call Solomon?  And, of course, this raises the question of why God would also send a message that resulted in Solomon being named Jedidiah (2 Samuel 12:25)!  On first reading, this would seem to be God giving a different name from David’s chosen name for the child – a name that implied he was to be king.

Solomon, as a name, seems to be derived from shalom meaning peace, which fits well with the prophecies made about him being a man of peace.  What did his family call him as he grew up?  Solomon or Jedidiah or something else?  Could it be that it was not until a later time that God acknowledged him as the “Solomon” whose birth he had predicted?  It appears that by the time of Adonijah’s attempt to take the kingship, Solomon was the name by which prince Solomon was known, as is shown in the following passage.

1 Kings 1:9-10 Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fattened cattle by the Serpent’s Stone, which is beside En-rogel, and he invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the royal officials of Judah, 10 but he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the mighty men or Solomon his brother.

Inviting all of the king’s sons except Solomon suggests also that Adonijah knew Solomon was different from the rest of the king’s sons and saw a reason to keep him away from his own planned coronation.  The most likely explanation of this is that he knew David intended to make Solomon king.

1 Kings 1:11-13 Then Nathan said to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king and David our lord does not know it? 12 Now therefore come, let me give you advice, that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. 13 Go in at once to King David, and say to him, Did you not, my lord the king,swear to your servant, saying, Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne? Why then is Adonijah king?

(See also 1 Kings 1:17-19 where Bathsheba follows Nathan’s advice and also mentions that Solomon was not invited to the party.  In 1 Kings 1:26, Nathan confirms once more that Solomon was not invited although all of David’s other sons were.)

Clearly both Bathsheba and Nathan knew about Solomon becoming king and both mention David having made an oath about it.  David then confirms that he had made such an oath.

1 Kings 1:28-30 Then King David answered, Call Bathsheba to me.  So she came into the king’s presence and stood before the king. 29 And the king swore, saying, As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my soul out of every adversity, 30 as I swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel, saying, Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place,  even so will I do this day.

From these passages it is clear that Nathan, Bathsheba and Adonijah all knew that David intended Solomon to be king.  Adonijah seems to have avoiding inviting people who would support Solomon’s claim to the kingship.  Joab was invited.

It is very unlikely that Joab would not have known David’s intention.

However, this doesn’t answer the main question which is, did Joab know that Solomon was to be king at God’s command?  Joab was no stranger to going against David’s will when he believed it necessary.  At times he was indisputably correct.  However, going against God’s commands is quite different.

Did Joab know that Solomon was God’s choice of king?  Why is God’s choice not mentioned earlier (eg. in 2 Samuel) or the timing spelled out clearly?  Was Solomon known as Solomon from the time of his birth, or is it recorded that way because that is how he was known when the history recorded in Samuel and Chronicles was written?  Was he called Jedidiah as a child?

Based on the information we have and on the balance of probabilities, I think Joab is more likely than not to have known that God had chosen Solomon.  However, I can’t be sure of this because of the lack of information regarding the timing of various events and no statements of how publicly known the information was.

If God’s choice of David’s successor was clearly known before the birth of Solomon, why doesn’t any of it seem to be mentioned before the day of his coronation?

I have continued to work on separating the events of David’s life into those that occurred at home and those when he was at war.  Some details can’t be categorised in that way since they refer to longer periods of time (eg. 3 years of famine, 3 years of Absalom in Gerah, etc.).  Those I have put together with the “home” events.  However, it is taking a long time and I don’t think there is any point in including the table until it is complete.  God willing, when I finish, I’ll include it in the diary.  After that, the next task is put it in chronological order, which will not be easy.

By the way, one more passage that talks about God’s choice of Solomon is:

1 Chronicles 29:1 David the king said to all the assembly, “Solomon my son, whom alone God has chosen, is yet young and tender, and the work is great; for the palace is not for man, but for the LORD God.