1 Kings 1:32

Call me Zadok. Zadok, Nathan, and Benaiah had not been called by Adonijah, but they now were called by the king. They were of no service to Adonijah in his conspiracy against the throne, but they were to be the key figures in the support of the throne. David, though “old and stricken in years,” is fired again by the characteristic energy of his youth. He thinks clearly and acts swiftly. Terse directions are given as to the part each should play. The sudden flash of energy and resoluteness of action is in striking contrast to the timidity and despondency with which David, when much younger, had received the news of Absalom’s rebellion (2 Sam. 15:14). At that time David knew that he had been in error, and that he was receiving a chastisement from God. Now all that was gone, and he knew that God was on his side.

Mine own mule. An animal undoubtedly well known to the people as reserved for the sole use of the king and symbolizing to them the prerogatives and privileges of royalty. If Solomon were seen riding that mule, the people would know that he was king.

Gihon. The site selected for the ceremony was Gihon, the famous spring of early Jerusalem on the southeastern slope of Ophel. It was situated just east of the City of David and is known today by the name ‘Ain Sitti Maryam, “Spring of our Lady Mary.” This was the spring to which the Jebusites constructed a tunnel so that water could be secured without venturing outside the city walls. Hezekiah later constructed a tunnel from Gihon to carry water to the west side of the City of David (2 Chron. 32:30), to the Upper Pool, or Pool of Siloam, and constructed about the latter a wall so that water might be available in case of a siege (2 Chron. 33:14). This location where Solomon was to be anointed was over half a mile up the valley from En-rogel, where the festivities of Adonijah’s coronation were in progress.