Footman

A footman, in the royal-court sense, is one who runs ahead of a king or prince — a marker of regal pretension that appears at three turning points in Israel's monarchy.

Samuel's warning to the people

When the people demand a king, Samuel sets out the cost: "And he said, This will be the manner of the king who will reign over you⁺: he will take your⁺ sons, and appoint them to him, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and they will run before his chariots" (1Sa 8:11). Footmen running before chariots are listed among the things a king will draw out of the people.

Absalom's bid for the throne

Absalom adopts the same display when he begins his takeover: "And it came to pass after this, that Absalom prepared himself a chariot and horses, and fifty men to run before him" (2Sa 15:1).

Adonijah's bid for the throne

Adonijah, near the end of David's reign, copies the move: "Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king: and he prepared himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him" (1Ki 1:5). The same "fifty men to run before him" pattern recurs in both pretenders' attempts to claim royal standing.