He conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest: He conferred with is literally “And his words were with.” This expression, which also occurs in 2 Sam 3.17, seems to mean that “He entered into negotiations with” (La Bible du Semeur) or “His confidants were” (De Vries). Another possible way of conveying the same meaning is “He took counsel with” (Revised English Bible). In this context these Hebrew words seem to imply that Adonijah had private dealings with Joab and Abiathar, and the sense may be “He conspired with” (Anchor Bible). Others, however, take the meaning more generally as “He had a discussion with” (Nouvelle Bible Segond). One African language says “He became one head with.” If there is ambiguity in using the pronoun He, the name Adonijah may be used (so New Living Translation, Parole de Vie).
Joab, a son of David’s sister Zeruiah (1 Chr 2.16), was the commander of David’s army during much of his reign (2 Sam 8.16; 20.23). Zeruiah was the mother of Joab. Unless this is made explicit, as in Good News Translation, many readers will assume that Zeruiah was the father. Bible en français courant, La Bible du Semeur, and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch include important implicit information in their translations by indicating that Joab was a “general.” The first readers would probably have been aware of this fact (2 Sam 19.13), but a modern reader starting at the beginning of this book might need to be reminded. The information is, in fact, made explicit in the Hebrew later in this chapter (verses 19 and 25).
On David’s relation to Abiathar, see 1 Sam 22.20-23.
Use of the definite article in the phrase the priest should not be understood to mean that Abiathar was the only priest in Israel at this time. Rather, he was the senior priest, the one who served as David’s personal priest. Zadok is also called “the priest” in the following verse. The word priest is used at least a dozen times in this chapter alone. The term refers to the person who offers sacrifices. In the Old Testament the office of the priesthood was limited to the tribe of Levi, and more specifically to one family of that tribe, the family of Aaron. The priests served as intermediaries between God and the people of Israel. Regulations with regard to the qualifications of priests are given in Lev 21.16-23. In some cultures there is an organized priesthood that is involved in ritual matters involving healing or consulting the spirits of ancestors. In some cases the word used for this office may be used to translate priest. But if the term is considered unacceptable, translators may use a descriptive expression such as “offerer of sacrifices” or “sacrifice-making person.” If at all possible, the church’s term for priest should be avoided.
They followed Adonijah and helped him is literally “they helped after Adonijah,” which is an expression meaning that they gave their support or backing to his efforts to become king. New Jerusalem Bible says they “both rallied to Adonijah’s cause,” and New Living Translation reads “they agreed to help him become king.” Another possible way of saying this is “they assured him of their support” (Revised English Bible) or simply “they supported him [or, Adonijah]” (New American Bible, Anchor Bible).
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .