“Then Adoniya son of Chagit elevated himself to say, I will rule ….” (Melachim 1, 1:5) Adoniya was truly a righteous man, clean of all strange lusts, sure of himself that he was clean and refined of anything vile. Then when his heart was aroused to take Avishag the Shunamite he assumed that it was surely from God’s will that the kingdom was his, and with it her. From this, he exalted himself in saying, “I will rule.” Therefore when it was sent to Shlomo haMelech to give Avishag to Adoniya, Shlomo had understood in his wisdom that surely Adoniya would not harbor any strange lusts, but only that which he had seized in his mind that even the right to rule was his. This is why Shlomo answered (Melachim 1, 2:22), “why do you ask him just for Avishag? Ask him also for the kingdom.” Then Shlomo saw that in the depth of Adoniya’s heart he was rebelling against the kingdom, and this swore, “as God lives … just as I am king, so shall Adoniya on this day be put to death.” The desire for Avishag had really come to him from his desire for rulership.
וַאֲדֹנִיָּה בֶן חַגִּית מִתְנַשֵּׂא לֵאמֹר אֲנִי אֶמְלֹךְ כוּ׳. לֶהֱיוֹת כִּי אֲדוֹנִיָּהוּ הָיָה בֶּאֱמֶת אִישׁ צַדִּיק וְנָקִי מִכָּל חֶמְדָּה זָרָה וְיָדַע אֶת עַצְמוֹ שֶׁהוּא מְבֹרָר וּמְזֻכָּךְ מִ"לֹּא תִנְאָף", וְכַאֲשֶׁר נָפַל בְּלִבּוֹ חֵשֶׁק לִקַּח אֶת אֲבִישַׁג הַשּׁוּנַמִּית דִּמָּה לוֹ כִּי הוּא וַדַּאי מֵרְצוֹן הַש"י שֶׁהַמְּלוּכָה שַׁיֶּכֶת לוֹ וְלָכֵן הִיא מֻתֶּרֶת לוֹ, וּמִזֶּה הָיָה מִתְנַשֵּׂא לֵאמֹר אֲנִי אֶמְלוֹךְ, וְלָכֵן כַּאֲשֶׁר שָׁלַח לִשְׁלֹמֹה הַמֶּלֶךְ שֶׁיִּתֵּן לוֹ אֶת אֲבִישַׁג הֵבִין שְׁלֹמֹה בְּחָכְמָתוֹ כִּי בֶּטַח לֹא יַחֲזִיק אֲדוֹנִיָּה אֶת חִשְׁקוֹ לְחֶמְדָּה זָרָה, רַק מִמַּה שֶּׁהֶחְזִיק בְּדַעְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר בֶּאֱמֶת אַף הַמְּלוּכָה שַׁיֶּכֶת אֵלָיו, לָזֶה הֵשִׁיב שְׁלֹמֹה (מלכים א' ב',כ"ב) "וְשַׁאֲלִי לוֹ הַמְּלוּכָה", וְרָאָה כִּי הוּא בְּעוֹמֶק לִבּוֹ מוֹרֵד בַּמַּלְכוּת וְנִשְׁבַּע "חַי ה׳" כוּ׳, כִּי בֶּאֱמֶת עִיקַּר הַחֵשֶׁק שֶׁהָיָה לוֹ לַאֲבִישַׁג בָּא לוֹ מִמַּה שֶּׁבְּשָׁרְשׁוֹ חָשַׁק לְהַמְּלוּכָה.
“Then Adoniya son of Chagit elevated himself to say, I will rule ….” (Melachim 1, 1:5)
Adoniya was truly a righteous man, clean of all strange lusts, sure of himself that he was clean and refined of anything vile. Then when his heart was aroused to take Avishag the Shunamite he assumed that it was surely from God’s will that the kingdom was his, and with it her. From this, he exalted himself in saying, “I will rule.” Therefore when it was sent to Shlomo haMelech to give Avishag to Adoniya, Shlomo had understood in his wisdom that surely Adoniya would not harbor any strange lusts, but only that which he had seized in his mind that even the right to rule was his. This is why Shlomo answered (Melachim 1, 2:22), “why do you ask him just for Avishag? Ask him also for the kingdom.” Then Shlomo saw that in the depth of Adoniya’s heart he was rebelling against the kingdom, and this swore, “as God lives … just as I am king, so shall Adoniya on this day be put to death.” The desire for Avishag had really come to him from his desire for rulership.