1 Kings 2:27-37

27 So Solomon dismissed Abiathar from being priest to the LORD, in order to fulfill ¹the word of the LORD, which He had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.

Joab Executed

28 Now the news came to Joab, ²for Joab had followed * Adonijah, ³although he had not followed * Absalom. And Joab fled to the tent of the LORD and ⁴took hold of the horns of the altar.

29 It was told King Solomon that Joab had fled to the tent of the LORD, and behold, he is beside the altar. Then Solomon ⁵sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, "⁶Go, fall upon him."

30 So Benaiah came to the tent of the LORD and said to him, "Thus the king has said, 'Come out.' " But he said, "No, for I will die here." And Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, "Thus spoke Joab, and thus he answered me."

31 The king said to him, "⁷Do as he has spoken and fall upon him and bury him, ⁸that you may remove from me and from my father's house the blood which Joab shed without cause.

32 "⁹The LORD will return his blood on his own head, ¹⁰because he fell upon two men more righteous and better than he and killed them with the sword, while my father David did not know it: ¹¹Abner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and ¹²Amasa the son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah.

33 "¹³So shall their blood return on the head of Joab and on the head of his descendants forever; but to David and his descendants and his house and his throne, may there be peace from the LORD forever *."

34 Then ¹⁴Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and fell upon him and put him to death, and he was buried at his own house ¹⁵in the wilderness.

35 ¹⁶The king appointed Benaiah the son of Jehoiada over the army in his place, and the king appointed ¹⁷Zadok the priest ¹⁸in the place of Abiathar.

Shimei Executed

36 Now the king sent and called for ¹⁹Shimei and said to him, "Build for yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, and do not go out from there to any place.

37 "For on the day you go out and ²⁰cross over the brook Kidron, you will know for certain that you shall surely die; ²¹your blood shall be on your own head."

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1 Kings 2:27-37 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 21

1. 1 Samuel 2:27-36
2. 1 Kings 1:7
3. 2 Samuel 17:25; 2 Samuel 18:2
4. 1 Kings 1:50
5. 1 Kings 2:25
6. Exodus 21:14
7. Exodus 21:14
8. Numbers 35:33; Deuteronomy 19:13; Deuteronomy 21:8, 9
9. Genesis 9:6; Judges 9:24, 57; Psalms 7:16
10. 2 Chronicles 21:13, 14
11. 2 Samuel 3:27
12. 2 Samuel 20:9, 10
13. 2 Samuel 3:29
14. 1 Kings 2:25
15. Joshua 15:61; Matthew 3:1
16. 1 Kings 4:4
17. 1 Chronicles 6:53; 1 Chronicles 24:3; 1 Chronicles 29:22
18. 1 Kings 2:27
19. 2 Samuel 16:5; 1 Kings 2:8
20. 2 Samuel 15:23; 2 Kings 23:6; John 18:1
21. Joshua 2:19; 2 Samuel 1:16; Ezekiel 18:13

Footnotes 3

[a]. Lit "seed"
[b]. Lit "seed"
[c]. Or "wadi"