1 Kings 2:4-14

4 so that ¹the LORD may carry out His promise which He spoke concerning me, saying, '²If your sons are careful of their way, ³to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, ⁴you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.'

5 "Now you also know what Joab the ⁵son of Zeruiah did to me, what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to ⁶Abner the son of Ner, and to ⁷Amasa 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 "⁸So act according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray hair go down to Sheol in peace.

7 "But ⁹show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and ¹⁰let them be among those who eat at your table; ¹¹for they assisted me when I fled from Absalom your brother.

8 "Behold, ¹²there 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 ¹³he 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, ¹⁴for 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 ¹⁵David slept with his fathers and was buried in ¹⁶the city of David.

11 ¹⁷The days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: ¹⁸seven years he reigned in Hebron and thirty-three * years he reigned in Jerusalem.

12 And ¹⁹Solomon sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmly established.

13 Now Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, "²⁰Do you come peacefully?" And he said, "Peacefully."

14 Then he said, "I have something to say to you." And she said, "Speak."

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1 Kings 2:4-14 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 20

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

Footnotes 9

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