Why did Adonijah take “hold of the horns of the altar (1:50)?
The horns of the altar were vertical projections at each corner. The idea of seeking asylum at the altar was rooted in the Pentateuch (see Exodus 21:13–14). The priest smeared the blood of the sacrifice on the horns of the altar (see Exodus 29:12; Leviticus 4:7, 18, 25, 30, 34) during the sacrificial ritual. Adonijah thus seeks to place his own destiny under the protection of God.
