1 Kings 2:1-18

David's Charge to Solomon

1 As David's ¹time to die drew near, he charged Solomon his son, saying,

2 "²I am going the way of all the earth. ³Be 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, ⁴according to what is written in the Law of Moses, that ⁵you may succeed in all that you do and wherever * * you turn,

4 so that ⁶the LORD may carry out His promise which He spoke concerning me, saying, '⁷If your sons are careful of their way, ⁸to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, ⁹you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.'

5 "Now you also know what Joab the ¹⁰son of Zeruiah did to me, what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to ¹¹Abner the son of Ner, and to ¹²Amasa 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 "¹³So act according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray hair go down to Sheol in peace.

7 "But ¹⁴show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and ¹⁵let them be among those who eat at your table; ¹⁶for they assisted me when I fled from Absalom your brother.

8 "Behold, ¹⁷there 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 ¹⁸he 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, ¹⁹for 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 ²⁰David slept with his fathers and was buried in ²¹the city of David.

11 ²²The days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: ²³seven years he reigned in Hebron and thirty-three * years he reigned in Jerusalem.

12 And ²⁴Solomon 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, "²⁵Do you come peacefully?" And he said, "Peacefully."

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

15 So he said, "You know that ²⁶the kingdom was mine and ²⁷that all Israel expected * me to be king; ²⁸however, the kingdom has turned about and become my brother's, ²⁹for it was his from the LORD.

16 "Now I am making one request of you; do not refuse me." And she said to him, "Speak."

17 Then he said, "Please speak to Solomon the king, for he will not refuse you, that he may give me ³⁰Abishag the Shunammite as a wife."

18 Bathsheba said, "Very well; I will speak to the king for you."

1 Kings 2:1-18 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.

Cross References

• 1. Genesis 47:29; Deuteronomy 31:14
• 2. Joshua 23:14
• 3. Deuteronomy 31:7, 23; Joshua 1:6, 7
• 4. Deuteronomy 17:18-20
• 5. 1 Chronicles 22:12, 13
• 6. 2 Samuel 7:25
• 7. Psalms 132:12
• 8. 2 Kings 20:3
• 9. 2 Samuel 7:12, 13; 1 Kings 8:25; 1 Kings 9:5
• 10. 2 Samuel 2:13, 18
• 11. 2 Samuel 3:27; 1 Kings 2:32
• 12. 2 Samuel 20:10
• 13. 1 Kings 2:9
• 14. 2 Samuel 19:31-38
• 15. 2 Samuel 9:7, 10
• 16. 2 Samuel 17:27-29
• 17. 2 Samuel 16:5-8
• 18. 2 Samuel 19:18-23
• 19. 1 Kings 2:6
• 20. Acts 2:29; Acts 13:36
• 21. 2 Samuel 5:7; 1 Kings 3:1
• 22. 2 Samuel 5:4, 5; 1 Chronicles 3:4; 1 Chronicles 29:26, 27
• 23. 2 Samuel 5:5
• 24. 1 Chronicles 29:23; 2 Chronicles 1:1
• 25. 1 Samuel 16:4
• 26. 2 Samuel 3:3, 4; 1 Kings 2:22
• 27. 1 Kings 1:5-25
• 28. 1 Kings 1:38-50
• 29. 1 Chronicles 22:9, 10; 1 Chronicles 28:5-7
• 30. 1 Kings 1:3, 4

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "days"
• [b]. Lit "become a man"
• [c]. Or "faithfulness"
• [d]. Lit "there shall not be cast off to you a man from before Me"
• [e]. Lit "made"
• [f]. Lit "that was about"
• [g]. Lit "that were on"
• [h]. I.e. the nether world
• [i]. Lit "came near to"
• [j]. Or "grievous"
• [k]. I.e. the nether world
• [l]. Lit "set their faces on me"
• [m]. Lit "turn away my face"
• [n]. Lit "turn away your face"