1 Kings 2:2-12

2 "¹I am going the way of all the earth. ²Be strong, therefore, and show yourself a man.

3 "Keep the charge of the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His ordinances, and His testimonies, ³according to what is written in the Law of Moses, that ⁴you may succeed in all that you do and wherever * * you turn,

4 so that ⁵the LORD may carry out His promise which He spoke concerning me, saying, '⁶If your sons are careful of their way, ⁷to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, ⁸you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.'

5 "Now you also know what Joab the ⁹son of Zeruiah did to me, what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to ¹⁰Abner the son of Ner, and to ¹¹Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed; he also shed the blood of war in peace. And he put the blood of war on his belt about his waist, and on his sandals on his feet.

6 "¹²So act according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray hair go down to Sheol in peace.

7 "But ¹³show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and ¹⁴let them be among those who eat at your table; ¹⁵for they assisted me when I fled from Absalom your brother.

8 "Behold, ¹⁶there is with you Shimei the son of Gera the Benjamite, of Bahurim; now it was he who cursed me with a violent curse on the day I went to Mahanaim. But when ¹⁷he came down * to me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the LORD, saying, 'I will not put you to death with the sword.'

9 "Now therefore, do not let him go unpunished, ¹⁸for you are a wise man; and you will know what you ought to do to him, and you will bring his gray hair down to Sheol with blood."

Death of David

10 Then ¹⁹David slept with his fathers and was buried in ²⁰the city of David.

11 ²¹The days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: ²²seven years he reigned in Hebron and thirty-three * years he reigned in Jerusalem.

12 And ²³Solomon sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmly established.

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1 Kings 2:2-12 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST KING 2

This chapter gives an account of the charge David gave to his son Solomon, a little before his death, to walk in the ways of the Lord, 1Ki 2:1-4; and of some instructions delivered to him concerning some particular persons he should either show favour to, or execute justice on, 1Ki 2:5-9; and the next account in it is concerning his death and burial, and the years of his reign, 1Ki 2:10,11; after which it relates an address of Bathsheba to Solomon in favour of Adonijah, which was refused, and the issue of it was his death, 1Ki 2:12-25; and the deposition of Abiathar from the priesthood, 1Ki 2:26,27; and the putting of Joab to death for his treason and murders, 1Ki 2:28-34; in whose post Benaiah was put, as Zadok was in the place of Abiathar, 1Ki 2:35; and lastly the confinement of Shimei in Jerusalem, who had cursed David, 1Ki 2:36-38; who upon transgressing the orders given him was put to death, 1Ki 2:39-46.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 23

1. Joshua 23:14
2. Deuteronomy 31:7, 23; Joshua 1:6, 7
3. Deuteronomy 17:18-20
4. 1 Chronicles 22:12, 13
5. 2 Samuel 7:25
6. Psalms 132:12
7. 2 Kings 20:3
8. 2 Samuel 7:12, 13; 1 Kings 8:25; 1 Kings 9:5
9. 2 Samuel 2:13, 18
10. 2 Samuel 3:27; 1 Kings 2:32
11. 2 Samuel 20:10
12. 1 Kings 2:9
13. 2 Samuel 19:31-38
14. 2 Samuel 9:7, 10
15. 2 Samuel 17:27-29
16. 2 Samuel 16:5-8
17. 2 Samuel 19:18-23
18. 1 Kings 2:6
19. Acts 2:29; Acts 13:36
20. 2 Samuel 5:7; 1 Kings 3:1
21. 2 Samuel 5:4, 5; 1 Chronicles 3:4; 1 Chronicles 29:26, 27
22. 2 Samuel 5:5
23. 1 Chronicles 29:23; 2 Chronicles 1:1

Footnotes 10

[a]. Lit "become a man"
[b]. Or "faithfulness"
[c]. Lit "there shall not be cast off to you a man from before Me"
[d]. Lit "made"
[e]. Lit "that was about"
[f]. Lit "that were on"
[g]. I.e. the nether world
[h]. Lit "came near to"
[i]. Or "grievous"
[j]. I.e. the nether world