Did God declare that Solomon would become king?

Answer 1

A:The Deuteronomic history (Joshua, Judges, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings and 2 Kings) and the Book of Chronicles are in almost complete dispute on the events leading up to the succession by Solomon. We can surmise either that the Chronicler had reason to believe that the Deuteronomic history was false, or that the Chronicler simply wanted to rewrite history whether or not the earlier account was based on fact. Perhaps there was an awareness that so little was really known about the people and events of previous centuries that the earlier Deuteronomic history was unlikely to be reliable.

In 1 Kings chapter 1, the sickbed sequence provides a sense of urgency in appointing a successor, then Adonijah's attempted coup gives David a reason and context to move quickly and anoint Solomon over his other more senior brothers. Here, there is no suggestion that the decision came from God.

The Book of Chronicles omits the attempted coups and the Sheba uprising. This book reflects the post-Exilic view of the Priestly hierarchy, both in minimising the significance of David and in finding a theological background for history. While still in apparent good health and not yet bed-ridden, David announces to the people of Israel that God has chosen Solomon to be his heir.