1 Kings 2:35-45

35 And the king ordained Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, upon the host for Joab; and the king put Zadok the priest (in place) for Abiathar. (And the king ordained Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, over the army in place of Joab; and he made Zadok the priest in place of Abiathar.)
36 Also the king sent, and called (for) Shimei, and said to him, Build to thee an house in Jerusalem, and dwell thou there (Build a house for thyself in Jerusalem, and live thou in it), and thou shalt not go out from thence hither and thither;
37 for in whatever day thou goest out, and passest [over] the strand of Kidron, know thou thee worthy to be slain; thy blood shall be on thine head. (for in whatever day thou goest out, and passest over the Kidron Stream/and passest over the Kidron Gorge, know thou that thou shalt be killed; thy blood shall be upon thy own head.)
38 And Shimei said to the king, The word of the king is good; as my lord the king spake, so thy servant shall do. And so Shimei dwelled in Jerusalem many days.
39 But it was done after three years, that the servants of Shimei fled to Achish, the son of Maachah, king of Gath; and it was told to Shimei, that his servants had gone into Gath.
40 And Shimei rose up, and saddled his ass (and saddled up his donkey), and went to Achish, into Gath, to seek his servants; and he brought them (back) again from Gath.
41 And it was told to king Solomon, that Shimei had gone to Gath from Jerusalem, and had come (back) again.
42 And Solomon sent, and called him, and said to him, Whether I witnessed not to thee by the Lord, and before-said to thee, In whatever day thou shalt go out hither and thither, know thou that thou shalt die; and thou answeredest to me, The word is good, which I heard? (And Solomon sent, and called for him, and said to him, Did I not make thee swear by the Lord? and did I not say to thee, On whatever day that thou shalt go out here and there, know thou that thou shalt die? and didest thou not answer to me, The word, which I heard, is good?)
43 Why therefore keptest thou not the oath of the Lord, and the commandment which I commanded to thee?
44 And the king said to Shimei, Thou knowest all the evil, of which thine heart is guilty to thee, which evil thou didest to [David] my father; the Lord hath yielded thy malice into thine head. (And the king said to Shimei, Thou knowest all the evil which thy heart is guilty of, which evil thou didest to my father David; and now the Lord shall yield thy malice onto thy own head.)
45 And king Solomon shall be blessed; and the throne of David shall be stable before the Lord till into without end.

1 Kings 2:35-45 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.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.