John Gill Commentary 1 Kings 1:50

"And Adonijah feared because of Solomon; and he arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar." — 1 Kings 1:50 (ASV)

And Adonijah feared because of Solomon
Lest he should seize him as an usurper and traitor, and put him to death:

and arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar ;
either that which was at Gibeon, where the tabernacle now was; see (1 Kings 3:4) ; so Jarchi; or rather that which was nearest, the altar that David had built in the threshingfloor of Araunah, (2 Samuel 24:25) ; the altar was a sort of asylum, or refuge, for such who had committed any crime worthy of death; not by divine appointment, but by custom, it being supposed that none would presume to defile with blood that which was sacred to the Lord; or shed the blood of men where the blood of beasts was poured; or use severity and strict justice, but mercy, where sacrifices were offered to atone for sin, and mercy was shown on account of them; these were notions, and this a custom, which obtained very early, and even among the Jews; see (Exodus 21:14) ; as well as among Gentiles; with whom it was usual, as to flee to the statues of their emperors, and to the temples of their deities, so likewise to their altars; this was customary among the Molossians, Samothracians, Crotoniatae, and Messenians; and particularly the altar of Jupiter Servator was an asylum, or place of refuge, to the Ithacians ^F12 . Cornelius Nepos ^F13 has given us an instance of one that fled to a temple of Neptune, and sat upon the altar for his security, as here Adonijah laid hold on the horns of this, that none might force him from it.

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FOOTNOTES:

• F12: Alexander ab Alex. Genial. Dier. l. 3. c. 20.
• F13: Vit. Pausan l. 4. c. 4.