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Texts -- 1 Kings 2:23-46 (NET)

Context
2:23 King Solomon then swore an oath by the Lord , “May God judge me severely , if Adonijah does not pay for this request with his life ! 2:24 Now , as certainly as the Lord lives (he who made me secure , allowed me to sit on my father David’s throne , and established a dynasty for me as he promised ), Adonijah will be executed today !” 2:25 King Solomon then sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada , and he killed Adonijah. 2:26 The king then told Abiathar the priest , “Go back to your property in Anathoth . You deserve to die , but today I will not kill you because you did carry the ark of the sovereign Lord before my father David and you suffered with my father through all his difficult times .” 2:27 Solomon dismissed Abiathar from his position as priest of the Lord , fulfilling the decree of judgment the Lord made in Shiloh against the family of Eli . 2:28 When the news reached Joab (for Joab had supported Adonijah , although he had not supported Absalom ), he ran to the tent of the Lord and grabbed hold of the horns of the altar . 2:29 When King Solomon heard that Joab had run to the tent of the Lord and was right there beside the altar , he ordered Benaiah son of Jehoiada , “Go , strike him down .” 2:30 When Benaiah arrived at the tent of the Lord , he said to him, “The king says , ‘Come out !’” But he replied , “No , I will die here !” So Benaiah sent word to the king and reported Joab’s reply . 2:31 The king told him, “Do as he said ! Strike him down and bury him. Take away from me and from my father’s family the guilt of Joab’s murderous , bloody deeds . 2:32 May the Lord punish him for the blood he shed ; behind my father David’s back he struck down and murdered with the sword two men who were more innocent and morally upright than he– Abner son of Ner , commander of Israel’s army , and Amasa son of Jether , commander of Judah’s army . 2:33 May Joab and his descendants be perpetually guilty of their shed blood , but may the Lord give perpetual peace to David , his descendants , his family , and his dynasty .” 2:34 So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and executed Joab; he was buried at his home in the wilderness . 2:35 The king appointed Benaiah son of Jehoiada to take his place at the head of the army , and the king appointed Zadok the priest to take Abiathar’s place . 2:36 Next the king summoned Shimei and told him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there – but you may not leave there to go anywhere ! 2:37 If you ever do leave and cross the Kidron Valley , know for sure that you will certainly die ! You will be responsible for your own death .” 2:38 Shimei said to the king , “My master the king’s proposal is acceptable . Your servant will do as you say .” So Shimei lived in Jerusalem for a long time . 2:39 Three years later two of Shimei’s servants ran away to King Achish son of Maacah of Gath . Shimei was told , “Look , your servants are in Gath .” 2:40 So Shimei got up , saddled his donkey , and went to Achish at Gath to find his servants ; Shimei went and brought back his servants from Gath . 2:41 When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had then returned , 2:42 the king summoned Shimei and said to him, “You will recall that I made you take an oath by the Lord , and I solemnly warned you, ‘If you ever leave and go anywhere , know for sure that you will certainly die .’ You said to me, ‘The proposal is acceptable ; I agree to it.’ 2:43 Why then have you broken the oath you made before the Lord and disobeyed the order I gave you?” 2:44 Then the king said to Shimei , “You are well aware of the way you mistreated my father David . The Lord will punish you for what you did. 2:45 But King Solomon will be empowered and David’s dynasty will endure permanently before the Lord .” 2:46 The king then gave the order to Benaiah son of Jehoiada who went and executed Shimei. So Solomon took firm control of the kingdom .

Pericope

NET

Bible Dictionary

  • Solomon

    [ebd] peaceful, (Heb. Shelomoh), David's second son by Bathsheba, i.e., the first after their legal marriage (2 Sam. 12). He was probably born about B.C. 1035 (1 Chr. 22:5; 29:1). He succeeded his father on the throne in early man...
    [isbe] SOLOMON - sol'-o-mun (shelomoh; New Testament Solomon): I. EARLY LIFE 1. Name and Meaning 2. Sources 3. Birth and Upbringing 4. His Accession 5. Closing Days of David II. REIGN OF SOLOMON 1. His Vision 2. His Policy 3. Its R...
    [nave] SOLOMON Son of David by Bathsheba, 2 Sam. 12:24; 1 Kin. 1:13, 17, 21. Named Jedidiah, by Nathan the prophet, 2 Sam. 12:24, 25. Ancestor of Joseph, Matt. 1:6. Succeeds David to the throne of Israel, 1 Kin. 1:11-48; 2:12; 1...

  • Shimei

    [isbe] SHIMEI - shim'-e-i (shim`i, possibly "hear me (El)" or "(Jah)"; Semeei, Semei): A name of frequent occurrence throughout the Old Testament records, sometimes varying slightly in form in English Versions of the Bible. The Kin...
    [smith] (renowned). Son of Gershon the son of Levi, (Numbers 3:18; 1 Chronicles 6:17,29; 23:7,9,10; Zechariah 12:13) called SHIMI in (Exodus 6:17) (B.C. after 1706.) Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite of the house of Saul, who l...
    [nave] SHIMEI 1. Called also Shimi. Son of Gershon, Ex. 6:17; Num. 3:18; 1 Chr. 6:17; 23:7, 10. 2. A Benjamite. Curses David; David's magnanimity toward, 2 Sam. 16:5-13; 19:16-23, with 1 Kin. 2:36-46. 3. An officer of David, 1 K...

  • Homicide

    [nave] HOMICIDE. Accidental Ex. 21:13, 28-32; Num. 35:11-15, 22-28, 32 Deut. 4:41-43; 19:1-10. Josh. 20:1-9 Felonious or Murder: Gen. 4:9-11 v. 12.; Gen. 9:5, 6; Gen. 49:7; Ex. 20:13 Deut. 5:17; Rom. 13:9. Ex. 21:29-32; Num. 35...

  • ISRAEL, HISTORY OF, 2

    [isbe] ISRAEL, HISTORY OF, 2 - III. Period of the Judges. 1. General Character of Period: In such a period of weakened national and religious life, it could easily happen that Israel would again lose the supremacy that it had won b...

  • Micah, Book of

    [ebd] the sixth in order of the so-called minor prophets. The superscription to this book states that the prophet exercised his office in the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. If we reckon from the beginning of Jotham's reign ...

  • Joab

    [ebd] Jehovah is his father. (1.) One of the three sons of Zeruiah, David's sister, and "captain of the host" during the whole of David's reign (2 Sam. 2:13; 10:7; 11:1; 1 Kings 11:15). His father's name is nowhere mentioned, alth...
    [isbe] JOAB - jo'-ab (yo'-abh, "Yahweh is father"; Ioab): (1) Son of Zeruiah, David's sister. He was "captain of the host" (compare 2 Sam 19:13) under David. 1. Joab and Abner: (a) Joab is first introduced in the narrative of the w...
    [smith] (whose father is Jehovah), the most remarkable of the three nephews of David, the children of Zeruiah, David?s sister. (B.C. 1053-1012.) Joab first appears after David?s accession to the throne at Hebron. Abner slew in battle...
    [nave] JOAB 1. Son of David's sister, 1 Chr. 2:16. Commander of David's army, 2 Sam. 8:16; 20:23; 1 Chr. 11:6; 18:15; 27:34. Dedicated spoils of his battles, 1 Chr. 26:28. Defeated the Jebusites, 1 Chr. 11:6. Defeats and slays ...

  • Government

    [nave] GOVERNMENT Paternal functions of, Gen. 41:25-57. Civil service school provided by, Dan. 1:3-20. Maintains a system of public instruction, 2 Chr. 17:7-9. Executive departments in. See: Cabinet; King; Ruler; Statecraft. Ju...

  • Achish

    [ebd] angry, perhaps only a general title of royalty applicable to the Philistine kings. (1.) The king with whom David sought refuge when he fled from Saul (1 Sam. 21:10-15). He is called Abimelech in the superscription of Ps. 34....
    [isbe] ACHISH - a'-kish ('akhish): King of the city of Gath in the days of David. His father's name is given as Maoch (1 Sam 27:2), and Maacah (1 Ki 2:39). David sought the protection of Achish when he first fled from Saul, and jus...
    [nave] ACHISH King of the Philistines, called also Abimelech. David escapes to, 1 Sam. 21:10-15; 27; 28:1, 2; 29; 1 Kin. 2:39, 40.

  • BENAIAH

    [ebd] built up by Jehovah. (1.) The son of Jehoiada, chief priest (1 Chr. 27:5). He was set by David over his body-guard of Cherethites and Pelethites (2 Sam. 8:18; 1 Kings 1:32; 1 Chr. 18:17). His exploits are enumerated in 2 Sam...
    [isbe] BENAIAH - be-na'-ya, be-ni'-a (benayah, benayahu, "Yahweh has built." Compare HPN, 182, 265, 268): (1) Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada of Kabzeel (compare Josh 15:21), was a man of "mighty deeds" and was more honorable than any...
    [smith] (made by the Lord). The son of Jehoiada the chief priest, (1 Chronicles 27:5) of the tribe of Levi, though a native of Kabzeel, (2 Samuel 23:20) set by David, (1 Chronicles 11:25) over his body-guard. (2 Samuel 8...

  • Zadok

    [ebd] righteous. (1.) A son of Ahitub, of the line of Eleazer (2 Sam. 8:17; 1 Chr. 24:3), high priest in the time of David (2 Sam. 20:25) and Solomon (1 Kings 4:4). He is first mentioned as coming to take part with David at Hebron...
    [isbe] ZADOK - za'-dok (tsadowq, once tsadhoq (1 Ki 1:26), similar to tsaddiq, and tsadduq, post-Biblical, meaning justus, "righteous"; Septuagint Sadok): Cheyne in Encyclopedia Biblica suggests that Zadok was a modification of a G...
    [smith] (just). Son of Ahitub and one of the two chief priests in the time of David, Abiathar being the other. Zadok was of the house of Eleazar the son of Aaron, (1 Chronicles 24:3) and eleventh in descent from Aaron. (1 Chro...
    [nave] ZADOK 1. High priest in time of David's reign, 2 Sam. 19:11; 20:25; 1 Chr. 15:11; 16:39. Removes the ark from Jerusalem at the time of Absalom's usurpation; returns with it at David's command, 2 Sam. 15:24-36; 17:15, 17-21....

  • Gibeon

    [ebd] hill-city, "one of the royal cities, greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty" (Josh. 10:2). Its inhabitants were Hivites (11:19). It lay within the territory of Benjamin, and became a priest-city (18:25; 21:17)....

  • Punishment

    [nave] PUNISHMENT. Death Penalty Shall not be remitted, Num. 35:31. In the Mosaic law the death penalty was inflicted for murder, Gen. 9:5, 6; Num. 35:16-21, 30-33; Deut. 17:6; adultery, Lev. 20:10; Deut. 22:24; incest, Lev. 20:...

  • Eli

    [ebd] ascent, the high priest when the ark was at Shiloh (1 Sam. 1:3, 9). He was the first of the line of Ithamar, Aaron's fourth son (1 Chr. 24:3; comp. 2 Sam. 8:17), who held that office. The office remained in his family till t...
    [smith] (ascension), a descendant of Aaron through Ithamar, the youngest of his two surviving sons. (Leviticus 10:1,2,12) comp. 1Kin 2:27 with 2Sam 8:17; 1Chr 24:3 (B.C. 1214-1116.) he was the first of the line of Ithamar who held th...
    [nave] ELI High priest, 1 Sam. 1:25; 2:11; 1 Kin. 2:27. Judge of Israel, 1 Sam. 4:18. Misjudges and rebukes Haah, 1 Sam. 1:14. His benediction upon Haah, 1 Sam. 1:17, 18; 2:20. Officiates when Samuel is presented at the taberna...

  • Abiathar

    [ebd] father of abundance, or my father excels, the son of Ahimelech the high priest. He was the tenth high priest, and the fourth in descent from Eli. When his father was slain with the priests of Nob, he escaped, and bearing wit...
    [isbe] ABIATHAR - a-bi'-a-thar, ab-i-a'-thar ('ebhyathar, "father of super-excellence," or, "the super-excellent one is father." With changed phraseology these are the explanations commonly given, though "a father remains" would be...
    [nave] ABIATHAR 1. High priest. Called Ahimelech in 2 Sam. 8:17; 1 Chr. 24:3, 6, 31, and Abimelech, 1 Chr. 18:16. Son of Ahimelech, 1 Sam. 22:20. Escapes to David from the vengeance of Saul, who killed the priests in the city of ...

  • Abishag

    [ebd] father of (i.e., "given to") error, a young woman of Shunem, distinguished for her beauty. She was chosen to minister to David in his old age. She became his wife (1 Kings 1:3,4,15). After David's death Adonijah persuaded Ba...
    [nave] ABISHAG, wife of David, 1 Kin. 1:1-4; 2:13-25.

  • ADONIJAH

    [ebd] my Lord is Jehovah. (1.) The fourth son of David (2 Sam. 3:4). After the death of his elder brothers, Amnon and Absalom, he became heir-apparent to the throne. But Solomon, a younger brother, was preferred to him. Adonijah, ...
    [smith] (my Lord is Jehovah). The fourth son of David by Haggith, born at Hebron while his father was king of Judah. (2 Samuel 3:4) (B.C. about 1050.) After the death of his three brothers, Amnon, Chileab and Absalom, he became e...

  • DAVID

    [isbe] DAVID - da'-vid (dawidh, or dawidh, "beloved"; Daueid, also in New Testament, Dauid, Dabid; see Thayer's Lexicon): I. NAME AND GENEALOGY II. EARLY YEARS 1. Shepherd 2. Slinger 3. Harpist 4. Poet 5. Psalmist 6. Tribesman III....

  • HOPHNI AND PHINEHAS

    [isbe] HOPHNI AND PHINEHAS - hof'-ni, fin'-e-as, -az (chophni, "pugilist" (?), pinechac, probably "face of brass"): Sons of Eli, priests of the sanctuary at Shiloh. Their character was wicked enough to merit the double designation ...

  • PRIEST, HIGH

    [isbe] PRIEST, HIGH - (ha-kohen, ho hiereus; ha-kohen ha-mashiach, ho hiereus ho christos; ha-kohen ha-gadhol, ho hiereus ho megas; kohen ha-ro'sh, ho hiereus hegoumenos; New Testament archiereus): I. INSTITUTION OF THE HIGH-PRIEST...

  • Oath

    [isbe] OATH - oth (shebhu`ah, probably from shebha`, "seven," the sacred number, which occurs frequently in the ritual of an oath; horkos; and the stronger word 'alah, by which a curse is actually invoked upon the oath-breaker Sept...
    [nave] OATH, a solemn qualification. Used in solemnizing covenants: Between Abraham and the king of Sodom, Gen. 14:22, 23; and Abimelech, Gen. 21:22, 23; between Isaac and Abimelech, Gen. 26:26-29, 31. Abraham requires oath of his ...
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  • I'm going to copy some articles on this subject, but let me give you my summation of all of them. In the Old Testament, the firstborn son was the one who normally received a double inheritance, and was the one who would inher...

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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • 2:4 Having related the creation of the universe as we know it, God next inspired Moses to explain for his readers what became of it.129Sin entered it and devastated it."The destiny of the human creation is to live in God's wo...
  • Jacob was not disobedient to God in leaving Bethel. God's instructions to go to Bethel and "live there"(v. 1) were evidently directions to dwell there while he fulfilled his vow. God did not command permanent residence there....
  • The height of this altar was 5 feet. This height has led some commentators to suggest that a step-like bench or ledge may have surrounded it on which the priests stood when they offered sacrifices.463In view of the command pr...
  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • The rest of the chapter explains why God would put Eli's sons to death (v. 25). The specific criticism that the man of God (a prophet, cf. 9:9-10) directed against Eli and his sons was two-fold. They had not appreciated God's...
  • The Hebrew word used to describe Samuel in verse 1 (naar) elsewhere refers to a young teenager (cf. 17:33). Consequently we should probably think of a boy in his early teens as we read this section. At this time in Israel's h...
  • "Saul the king is dead, Jonathan the heir apparent is dead, Abinadab and Malki-Shua (two of Jonathan's brothers) are dead (1 Sam 31:2), Abner the commander of the army is dead--and no other viable claimants or pretenders cont...
  • Chapters 9-20 contrast with chapters 2-8 in that this later section is negative whereas the earlier one was positive. It records failure; the former records success. Compare the similar narrative of Saul's triumphs (1 Sam. 7-...
  • At first, David piously tried to salve Joab's conscience for his complicity in Uriah's death (11:25). The Hebrew word translated "displease"literally means "be evil in your sight."David was calling what was sin something othe...
  • This is the central unit of chapters 5-20, and its central focus is the judgment that Hushai's advice was better than Ahithophel's (17:14). This advice is the pivot on which the fortunes of David swung in his dealings with Ab...
  • "The account of Sheba's rebellion against David serves as a counterpoise to the story of Absalom's conspiracy (15:1-12) in chapters 15-20, which constitute the major part of the narrative that comprises chapters 13-20 (more p...
  • Achtemeier, Paul J., and Elizabeth Achtemeier. The Old Testament Roots of Our Faith. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1979.Ackerman, James S. "Knowing Good and Evil: A Literary Ananysis of the Court History in 2 Samuel 9-20 and ...
  • I. The reign of Solomon chs. 1-11A. Solomon's succession to David's throne 1:1-2:121. David's declining health 1:1-42. Adonijah's attempt to seize the throne 1:5-533. David's charge to Solomon 2:1-94. David's death 2:10-12B. ...
  • The Holy Spirit led the writer of Kings to give an interpretation of history, not just a chronologically sequential record of events. This is true of all the writers of the Old Testament historical books. Some of the events i...
  • Adonijah was David's fourth son (2 Sam. 3:4) and the eldest one living at this time. Evidently he believed it was more important that the eldest son succeed David, as was customary in the Near East, than that the king of Yahw...
  • David's words here state succinctly the philosophy of history the writer of Kings set forth in this book.27It is the philosophy David had learned and now commended to his son Solomon. Careful obedience to the Law of Moses wou...
  • Adonijah's professed acceptance of Solomon's succession overcame Bathsheba's initial fear of him. He convinced her that he only wanted permission to marry King David's former nurse. But Solomon saw deeper into Adonijah's inte...
  • Solomon granted Abiathar a parole for participating in Adonijah's rebellion. By removing him from his office he cut off Eli's last descendant thereby fulfilling God's prophecy to Eli (1 Sam. 2:27-36). Eli's fertility ended be...
  • Perhaps because Solomon had shown Adonijah mercy when he fled to the altar (1:50-52) Joab sought refuge from Solomon for participating in Adonijah's rebellion there too. Joab, however, was a murderer as well as a rebel. Conse...
  • David had warned Solomon to keep Shimei under close observation and to put him to death (vv. 8-9). Evidently David realized because of Shimei's past actions that it would only be a matter of time before he would do something ...
  • The flowing narrative of chapters 1-2 now gives way to reports and lists that catalogue facts about Solomon's reign.The writer constructed the Solomon narrative (chs. 3-11), like so many others in the Old Testament, to draw a...
  • This incident demonstrates that God did indeed give Solomon the unusual wisdom He had promised (v. 28).50The writer did not specify when during Solomon's reign this event took place, but probably it occurred shortly after God...
  • Evidently this word from the Lord came to Solomon during temple construction. Note that this was a conditional promise based on obedience to the Mosaic Covenant. God would establish Solomon's kingdom forever (i.e., it would r...
  • Aharoni, Yohanan. "The Building Activities of David and Solomon."Israel Exploration Journal24:1(1974):13-16.Aharoni, Yohanan, and Michael Avi-Yonahl. The Macmillan Bible Atlas. Revised ed., New York: Macmillan Publishing Co.,...
  • The Chronicler's main interest in David's reign, as we have seen, focused on the Davidic Covenant with its promises to David and his descendants. In recounting the events of Solomon's reign he proceeded to emphasize the templ...
  • 68:19-23 David moved from a historical review of God's giving Israel victory to confidence that He would continue to do so daily. Any who resist Yahweh can count on His powerful opposition and their own inevitable defeat. Add...
  • The composition and structure of Jeremiah, discussed below, have led many scholars to conclude that an editor or editors (redactors) probably put the book in its final form. Many conservatives, however, believe that Jeremiah ...
  • Most of the prophetical books begin with some indication of authorship and date to put them in their historical contexts, and this is true of the Book of Jeremiah.1:1 The words (Heb. debarim, writings, prophecies, deeds, and ...
  • There were two rooms for singers in the inner court. One of them stood beside the north inner gate, and its door faced south. It also accommodated the needs of the priests who were responsible for the care of the temple. The ...
  • 43:18 The Lord told Ezekiel what to do when the construction of the altar was complete.538The purpose of this altar was to receive the burnt offerings that people would bring to the Lord and to receive the blood of those anim...
  • 44:15-16 The Levites from Zadok's branch of the priestly family, however, would have special privileges since Zadok and his sons had served the Lord faithfully in the past (cf. 40:46; 1 Sam. 2:35; 2 Sam. 8:17; 15:24-29; 1 Kin...
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