1 Kings 2:1-46
1 Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying,
2 I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man;
3 And keep the charge of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prospera in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself:
4 That the LORD may continue his word which he spake concerning me, saying, If thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not failb thee (said he) a man on the throne of Israel.
5 Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two captains of the hosts of Israel, unto Abner the son of Ner, and unto Amasa the son of Jether, whom he slew, and shedc the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loins, and in his shoes that were on his feet.
6 Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoar head go down to the grave in peace.
7 But shew kindness unto the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be of those that eat at thy table: for so they came to me when I fled because of Absalom thy brother.
8 And, behold, thou hast with thee Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite of Bahurim, which cursed me with a grievousd curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim: but he came down to meet me at Jordan, and I sware to him by the LORD, saying, I will not put thee to death with the sword.
9 Now therefore hold him not guiltless: for thou art a wise man, and knowest what thou oughtest to do unto him; but his hoar head bring thou down to the grave with blood.
10 So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David.
11 And the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: seven years reigned he in Hebron, and thirty and three years reigned he in Jerusalem.
12 Then sat Solomon upon the throne of David his father; and his kingdom was established greatly.
13 And Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, Comest thou peaceably? And he said, Peaceably.
14 He said moreover, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And she said, Say on.
15 And he said, Thou knowest that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign: howbeit the kingdom is turned about, and is become my brother's: for it was his from the LORD.
16 And now I ask one petition of thee, denye me not. And she said unto him, Say on.
17 And he said, Speak, I pray thee, unto Solomon the king, (for he will not say thee nay,) that he give me Abishag the Shunammite to wife.
18 And Bathsheba said, Well; I will speak for thee unto the king.
19 Bathsheba therefore went unto king Solomon, to speak unto him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her, and bowed himself unto her, and sat down on his throne, and caused a seat to be set for the king's mother; and she sat on his right hand.
20 Then she said, I desire one small petition of thee; I pray thee, say me not nay. And the king said unto her, Ask on, my mother: for I will not say thee nay.
21 And she said, Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah thy brother to wife.
22 And king Solomon answered and said unto his mother, And why dost thou ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? ask for him the kingdom also; for he is mine elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah.
23 Then king Solomon sware by the LORD, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah have not spoken this word against his own life.
24 Now therefore, as the LORD liveth, which hath established me, and set me on the throne of David my father, and who hath made me an house, as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death this day.
25 And king Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him that he died.
26 And unto Abiathar the priest said the king, Get thee to Anathoth, unto thine own fields; for thou art worthyf of death: but I will not at this time put thee to death, because thou barest the ark of the Lord GOD before David my father, and because thou hast been afflicted in all wherein my father was afflicted.
27 So Solomon thrust out Abiathar from being priest unto the LORD; that he might fulfil the word of the LORD, which he spake concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.
28 Then tidings came to Joab: for Joab had turned after Adonijah, though he turned not after Absalom. And Joab fled unto the tabernacle of the LORD, and caught hold on the horns of the altar.
29 And it was told king Solomon that Joab was fled unto the tabernacle of the LORD; and, behold, he is by the altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, Go, fall upon him.
30 And Benaiah came to the tabernacle of the LORD, and said unto him, Thus saith the king, Come forth. And he said, Nay; but I will die here. And Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me.
31 And the king said unto him, Do as he hath said, and fall upon him, and bury him; that thou mayest take away the innocent blood, which Joab shed, from me, and from the house of my father.
32 And the LORD shall return his blood upon his own head, who fell upon two men more righteous and better than he, and slew them with the sword, my father David not knowing thereof, to wit, Abner the son of Ner, captain of the host of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, captain of the host of Judah.
33 Their blood shall therefore return upon the head of Joab, and upon the head of his seed for ever: but upon David, and upon his seed, and upon his house, and upon his throne, shall there be peace for ever from the LORD.
34 So Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up, and fell upon him, and slew him: and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness.
35 And the king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his room over the host: and Zadok the priest did the king put in the room of Abiathar.
36 And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him, Build thee an house in Jerusalem, and dwell there, and go not forth thence any whither.
37 For it shall be, that on the day thou goest out, and passest over the brook Kidron, thou shalt know for certain that thou shalt surely die: thy blood shall be upon thine own head.
38 And Shimei said unto the king, The saying is good: as my lord the king hath said, so will thy servant do. And Shimei dwelt in Jerusalem many days.
39 And it came to pass at the end of three years, that two of the servants of Shimei ran away unto Achish son of Maachah king of Gath. And they told Shimei, saying, Behold, thy servants be in Gath.
40 And Shimei arose, and saddled his ass, and went to Gath to Achish to seek his servants: and Shimei went, and brought his servants from Gath.
41 And it was told Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and was come again.
42 And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him, Did I not make thee to swear by the LORD, and protested unto thee, saying, Know for a certain, on the day thou goest out, and walkest abroad any whither, that thou shalt surely die? and thou saidst unto me, The word that I have heard is good.
43 Why then hast thou not kept the oath of the LORD, and the commandment that I have charged thee with?
44 The king said moreover to Shimei, Thou knowest all the wickedness which thine heart is privy to, that thou didst to David my father: therefore the LORD shall return thy wickedness upon thine own head;
45 And king Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the LORD for ever.
46 So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; which went out, and fell upon him, that he died. And the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.
Death of David; Solomon Established on his Throne. The main source of this chapter is the same as that of 1, but interspersed are Deuteronomic additions (1 Kings 2:3 f., 1 Kings 2:10; 1 Kings 2:27). The authenticity of David's advice to Solomon has been disputed, especially the reasons given for procuring Joab's execution. Judged by any standard it places his character in an unamiable light. Solomon was advised to find a pretext for putting Joab and Shimei to death, and perfidy is inculcated as wisdom (1 Kings 2:6; 1 Kings 2:9). Without attempting to justify its morality, two reasons for it may be suggested. The king may have felt that his son could never have been secure on his throne so long as Joab was alive. No character is more clearly drawn in the Bible than Joab's. His fidelity to David was as undoubted as his ruthlessness in removing all who, like Abner (2 Samuel 3:22), or Amasa (2 Samuel 20:8 ff.), stood between him and the king. The slaying of Absalom contrary to David's express command (2 Samuel 18:14), and the suppression of Sheba's revolt (2 Samuel 20), prove that he was more alive to his master's interests than the king himself; and his treacherous character was notorious in Israel (2 Samuel 18:11). If he were allowed by Solomon to intrigue with impunity for Adonijah the young king's reign would have been brief. But there may have been a deeper reason, that urged by David (1 Kings 2:5), which we may accept. Joab, in slaying Abner and Amasa, had brought blood-guiltiness upon the house of David. In this case David would be swayed by the same motive as prompted the slaying of Saul's seven sons to relieve his land from blood-guiltiness (2 Samuel 21).
The sons of Barzillai (1 Kings 2:7) were commended to Solomon's care (2 Samuel 17:27 ff; 2 Samuel 19:31 ff.). Another enemy to be destroyed was Shimei (2 Samuel 16:5; 2 Samuel 19:18 ff.). Here again was David's advice prompted by policy or superstition? Shimei belonged to Saul's family, and may well have had influence to exert against David's successor. But David may also have dreaded the effect of the curse Shimei had pronounced on his family (see 1 Kings 2:44 f.).
In order to understand the request of Adonijah and the conduct of Solomon it must be borne in mind that the wives of the deceased king passed to his successor. When, therefore, Abner had relations with Rizpah, Saul's concubine, Ishbosheth instantly suspected him of treason (2 Samuel 3:7 *). In the same way Ahithophel advised Absalom to take David's concubines publicly in order to convince the people that he laid claim to his father's throne (2 Samuel 16:21). Adonijah asks Bath-sheba to assist him in obtaining Abishag, and appeals to her pity and good nature. As the eldest son he had a right to the throne, but he has lost that. May not he have the beautiful Abishag? As queen-mother Bathsheba enjoys a far more honourable position than as wife of the king (cf. 1 Kings 2:19 with 1 Kings 1:15 f.). Solomon recognised behind her request the existence of a widespread conspiracy. Benaiah was at once ordered to slay Adonijah (1 Kings 2:24). Abiathar the priest, as the companion of David, was treated with comparative leniency, Solomon allowed him to retire to his estate at Anathoth (p. 31), a village two and a half miles NE. of Jerusalem. It was a priestly town in the days of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:1; Jeremiah 32:7; see also Joshua 21:18; 1 Chronicles 6:60). Why Zadok was associated with Abiathar in the priesthood does not transpire. The writer's object is to show how the priesthood passed out of the line of Eli (1 Kings 2:27; see 1 Samuel 2:27). The view that Abiathar and the house of Eli were representatives of Ithamar, the younger son of Aaron, while Zadok was descended from Eleazar, cannot be substantiated (1 Chronicles 6:53). Zadok is said to have been made priest (1 Kings 2:35) in the room of Abiathar, as if the latter, though it is otherwise implied elsewhere (2 Samuel 8:17; 2 Samuel 20:24), were the superior (1 Kings 2:35). Joab evidently was conscious of guilt, and escaped to the Tent sanctuary in Jerusalem (1 Kings 1:33 *). The altar of Yahweh with the Hebrews, as with other nations, was a place of refuge (for horns see Exodus 27:2).
Solomon had respected it in the case of Adonijah (1 Kings 1:50): but Joab, having been guilty of wilful murder in the cases of Abner and Amasa, was actually slain at the altar itself, and not taken from it to his death (Exodus 21:14). In 1 Kings 2:33 Solomon accepts the view suggested in 1 Kings 2:5 that the death of Joab was necessary to remove from David's house any trace of guilt in respect to the death of Abner and Amasa. The fate of Shimei is next related (1 Kings 2:36). He was warned that if he passed the Kidron he would die. Strangely, he did not violate the letter of the command in going to Gath. Nevertheless he was slain, and with his death the kingdom was said to have been established in the hand of Solomon.