1 Kings 2

1 As the time drew near [drawing near, approaching] for David [the youngest son of Jesse, a king of Israel] to die [to pass away, cease to exist], he charged [commanded, gave orders to] his son [descendant, offspring] Solomon [a king of Israel], word study 2 “I [the speaker] am about to go [to walk or journey] the way [path or manner of life] of all [everything] the earth [land or territory]. So be [to exist or come into being] strong [courageous or seizing control] and prove [show or demonstrate] yourself [as an individual] a man [a male person or adult]. word study 3 And keep [obey, guard] the charge [a guard or watch] of the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] your God [Elohim, the one supreme God] to walk [move, journey] in His ways [a road or path, a way of life] and to keep [protect, attend to] His statutes [ordinances given by God], commandments [laws or rules], ordinances [justice or judgment], and decrees [testimonies or witness], as is written [recorded, inscribed] in the Law [Torah, instruction or guidance] of Moses, so that you may prosper [be successful, thrive] in all [everything, every aspect] you do and wherever [in every direction, to any place] you turn [face, direct yourself], word study 4 and so that the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God] may fulfill His promise [establish His word, confirm His covenant] to me: ‘If your descendants [sons, children] take heed [are careful, observe] to walk [live, journey] faithfully [in truth, with integrity] before Me [in My presence, with reverence] with all their heart [innermost being, mind and will] and soul [living being, entire person], you will never fail [not be cut off, not cease] to have a man [a descendant, an heir] on the throne [seat of power, royal authority] of Israel [God’s chosen people, the nation].’ word study 5 Moreover, you know what Joab [David’s nephew and army general] son of Zeruiah did to me—what he did to Abner [cousin of King Saul] son of Ner and Amasa [general in Absalom’s army] son of Jether, the two commanders [rulers, captains] of the armies of Israel. He killed [murdered, slew] them in peacetime [a time of calm, no war] to avenge [take revenge for] the blood of war [bloodshed, battle]. He stained [put, shed] with the blood of war [blood of battle, violence] the belt [girdle, loin-covering] around his waist and the sandals [shoes] on his feet. word study 6 So act according [according to your judgment, wisely] to your wisdom [prudence, good judgment], and do not let his gray [hoary, white] head go down [descend, fall] to Sheol [the underworld, hell, grave] in peace [completeness, wellness, friendship]. word study 7 But show [extend, demonstrate] loving devotion [kindness, mercy] to the sons [descendants, family] of Barzillai [my iron] the Gileadite [from Gilead, a region of Israel], and let them be among those who eat [dine, feast] at your table [a place of fellowship, communion], because they stood by me [supported, helped] when I fled [ran away, escaped] from your brother [relative, kin] Absalom [father of peace, a complex figure]. word study 8 Keep an eye on Shimei [a Benjaminite] the son of Gera, the Benjamite [a descendant of Benjamin] from Bahurim [a town in the region of Benjamin] who is with you [in your company, under your care]. He called down [uttered, pronounced] bitter [grievous, painful] curses [a wish for harm or evil] against me on the day [a period of time, an occasion] I went to Mahanaim [a place of two camps, a location east of the Jordan River], but when he came down [descended, went down] to meet me at the Jordan [the river that flows from Lebanon to the Dead Sea], I swore [made a promise, took an oath] to him by the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God]: ‘I will never put you to the sword [kill you, execute you with a cutting instrument].’ word study 9 Now therefore [at this very moment], do not hold him guiltless [innocent, free from punishment], for you are a wise [intelligent, discerning] man. You know [are aware, have understanding] what you ought to do [are required to act] to him to bring his gray head [old age, hoary hair] down to Sheol [the underworld, the grave] in blood [with violence, by violent means].” word study 10 Then David [the king of Israel, a man after God’s heart] rested [slept, lay down] with his fathers [ancestors, heritage] and was buried [laid to rest, interred] in the City [town, settlement] of David [the city of the king]. word study 11 The length [duration, span] of David’s [the youngest son of Jesse, a king of Israel] reign [to rule, to advise] over Israel [the symbolic name of Jacob, also referring to his descendants] was forty [a significant period of time] years—seven years in Hebron [a place in Palestine, a city of refuge] and thirty-three [thirty and three, a combination of completeness and perfection] years in Jerusalem [the city of peace, the capital of Palestine]. word study 12 So Solomon [the king of peace] sat [dwelt, remained] on the throne [seat of power, royal authority] of his father [ancestor, patriarch] David, and his kingdom [royal power, dominion] was firmly [greatly, exceedingly] established [set up, strengthened]. word study 13 Now Adonijah [a festive name] son of Haggith went to Bathsheba [daughter of an oath, mother of Solomon] the mother [female parent, maternal figure] of Solomon, and she asked, “Do you come [approach, enter] in peace [shalom, completeness and wellness]?” “Yes, in peace [peaceably, with good intentions],” he replied. word study 14 Then he said [added, moreover], “I have something [a word, a matter] to tell [speak, communicate] you [to you, towards you].” “Say [speak, declare] it [on, forth],” she answered [said, spoke]. word study 15 “You know [are aware, have understood] that the kingship [royal authority, throne] was mine,” he said. “All [every part of] Israel [the chosen people, descendants of Jacob] expected [had set their faces on me, looked forward to] that I should reign [rule, have dominion], but the kingship [kingdom, royal power] has turned [been transferred, changed] to my brother [kinsman, relative], for it has come to him from [been given by, ordained by] the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God]. word study 16 So now [at this time, in this moment] I have just one [single, unique] request [petition, a loan] of you; do not [refuse to, decline] deny me [turn away my face, reject my plea].” “State [say on, speak] your request [what you ask for, your petition],” she told [said to, spoke to] him. word study 17 Adonijah replied, “Please [I pray thee, I ask you] speak to King [the ruler, monarch] Solomon, since he will not turn you down [say thee nay, refuse your request]. Let him give me Abishag [the young woman, a Shunammite] the Shunammite [a woman from Shunem, a city in Issachar] as my wife [to be my spouse, companion].” word study 18 “Very well [Good, it is pleasant],” Bathsheba [the daughter of an oath, mother of Solomon] replied [to say, speak]. “I [the speaker, myself] will speak [to communicate, talk] to the king [the royal person, monarch] for you [on your behalf, in your place].” word study 19 So Bathsheba [the daughter of an oath, mother of Solomon] went to King Solomon [the peaceful ruler] to speak to him [to communicate, to express her thoughts] for Adonijah [the son of David, seeking the throne]. The king [the monarch, the ruler] stood up to greet her, bowed [to show respect, to humble himself] to her, and sat down on his throne [the seat of power]. Then the king had a throne [a seat of honor, a place of dignity] brought for his mother [the queen, the matriarch], who sat down at his right hand [the position of honor, the place of privilege]. word study 20 “I have just [a single] one small request [petition, a humble asking] of you,” she said. “Do not [refuse, turn down] deny me [say no, reject my plea].” “Make your [specific, heartfelt] request [ask, inquire], my mother [female parent, maternal figure],” the king [ruler, sovereign] replied, “for I will not [absolutely not, under no circumstances] deny you [refuse, reject your plea].” word study 21 So Bathsheba said, “Let Abishag [the Shunammitess, a young woman] the Shunammite [from the city of Shunem] be given [to put, or set something] to your brother [male sibling, close relative] Adonijah [son of David] as his wife [female partner, companion].” word study 22 King Solomon [the peaceful ruler] answered his mother, “Why do you request [ask for, seek] Abishag [a young woman, a Shunammite] the Shunammite [a woman from Shunem] for Adonijah [my older brother, a son of David]? Since he is my older brother [my elder, a sibling], you might as well request [ask for, demand] the kingdom [the kingship, royal authority] for him and for Abiathar [the high priest, a spiritual leader] the priest [one who serves God, a mediator] and for Joab [a military leader, David’s nephew] son of Zeruiah [a woman of noble character, David’s sister]!” word study 23 Then King Solomon [the king of Israel, successor of David] swore [made a solemn vow, promised under oath] by the LORD [Yehovah, the one true God]: “May God [Elohim, the supreme Judge] punish me, and ever so severely [add to my punishment, increase my suffering], if Adonijah [the son of David, rival claimant to the throne] has not made this request [spoken this word, uttered this plea] at the expense of his life [against his own soul, to the loss of his very existence]. word study 24 And now [at this moment, as the situation unfolds], as surely as the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God] lives [is eternally present and active]—the One who established [set me firmly in place, confirmed my position] me, who set me on the throne [seat of royal authority] of my father David [the king and ancestor], and who founded [established and made secure] for me a dynasty [a line of kings, a royal house] as He promised [spoke and guaranteed]—surely Adonijah [the rebellious son of David] shall be put to death [executed, lose his life] today [on this very day, without delay]!” word study 25 So King [ruler, monarch] Solomon [a king of Israel] sent [dispatched, commanded] the order to Benaiah [Jehovah has built, a strong warrior] son of Jehoiada [Jehovah knows, a high priest], who struck down [fell upon, executed] Adonijah, and he died [passed away, met his end]. word study 26 Then the king [ruler, monarch] said to Abiathar [faithful priest] the priest [one who serves God], “Go back to your fields [lands, possessions] in Anathoth [a city near Jerusalem]. Even though you deserve to die [are worthy of death, should be put to death], I will not put you to death [execute you, take your life] at this time [now, today], since you carried [bore, lifted] the ark [chest, container] of the Lord [Adonay] GOD [Yehovah, the Almighty] before my father [ancestor, predecessor] David, and you suffered [were afflicted, endured hardship] through all that my father suffered [experienced, endured].” word study 27 So Solomon [thrust out, dismissed] banished Abiathar from the priesthood [office of priest, spiritual leadership] of the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] and thus fulfilled [made complete, accomplished] the word [promise, declaration] that the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] had spoken [declared, uttered] at Shiloh [place of rest, a city of worship] against [in regard to, concerning] the house [family, descendants] of Eli [a high priest, a leader in Israel]. word study 28 When the news [tidings, report] reached Joab, who had conspired [turned after, supported] with Adonijah [son of David, rival claimant to the throne] but not with Absalom [son of David, previous rebel], he fled [ran away quickly, escaped] to the tent [tabernacle, sacred dwelling] of the LORD [Yehovah] and took hold [seized, grasped] of the horns [corners, projections] of the altar [place of sacrifice, worship]. word study 29 It was reported [told, declared] to King [royal ruler] Solomon: “Joab [Jehovah is father] has fled [run away, escaped] to the tent [tabernacle, sacred place] of the LORD [Yehovah, God] and is now [behold, look] beside [near, close to] the altar [place of sacrifice, worship].” So Solomon sent [dispatched, commanded] Benaiah [Jehovah has built] son of Jehoiada [Jehovah knows], saying [to say, command], “Go [walk, proceed], strike him down [fall upon, attack]!” word study 30 And Benaiah [a strong warrior and leader] entered the tent [Tabernacle, sacred dwelling place] of the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] and said to Joab, “The king [royal person, monarch] says, ‘Come out [to come forth, to exit]!’” But Joab replied, “No [not, refusal], I will die [to die, either literally or as a punishment] here [in this place, at this location].” So Benaiah relayed the message [word, thing, or affair] to the king, saying, “This is how [thus, in this manner] Joab [Jehovah is father, prominent Israelite] answered me [responded, gave an answer].” word study 31 And the king replied, “Do just as he says [in accordance with his command]. Strike him down [fall upon him, kill him] and bury him, and so remove from me and from the house [family, descendants] of my father the innocent blood [blood shed without cause, unjustly] that Joab [Jehovah is father, a prominent Israelite] shed [poured out, spilled]. word study 32 The LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] will bring his bloodshed [the shedding of blood, violent death] back upon his own head, for without the knowledge [awareness, understanding] of my father David [the king of Israel, a man after God’s heart] he struck down [fell upon, attacked] two men more righteous [just, upright] and better [more virtuous, pleasing to God] than he when he put to the sword [killed with the sword, slew] Abner son of Ner, commander [captain, leader] of Israel’s army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander [captain, leader] of Judah’s army. word study 33 Their blood [the life force] will come back [return, be repaid] upon the heads [the topmost part of the body] of Joab [Jehovah is father, a prominent Israelite] and his descendants [seed, offspring] forever [always, eternally]; but for David [the beloved king, a man after God’s heart], his descendants [seed, family line], his house [dynasty, royal family], and his throne [seat of power, authority], there shall be peace [shalom, completeness, wellness] from the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] forever [till the end of time, eternally].” word study 34 So Benaiah [a strong warrior and leader] son of Jehoiada [Jehovah knows, a high priest] went up [to ascend, rise], struck down [fell upon, smote] Joab, and killed [slew, put to death] him. He was buried [laid to rest, interred] at his own home [house, dwelling place] in the wilderness [desert, open field]. word study 35 And the king [ruler, monarch] appointed Benaiah [a strong warrior] son of Jehoiada [Jehovah knows] in Joab’s [as commander] place [position, role] over the army [large group of people, military force], and he appointed Zadok [righteous, just] the priest [one who serves God, spiritual leader] in Abiathar’s [faithful follower, rebel] place [position, role]. word study 36 Then the king [ruler, monarch] summoned [called, sent for] Shimei and said to him, “Build [construct, establish] a house [dwelling place, residence] for yourself in Jerusalem [the city of peace, capital city] and live [dwell, reside] there, but do not go [depart, leave] anywhere else [to any other place, whither]. word study 37 On the day [of reckoning, when judgment comes] you go out [leave, depart] and cross [pass over, transition] the Kidron Valley [brook Kidron, a place of separation], know [be certain, have assurance] for sure [without a doubt, with certainty] that you will die [meet your end, succumb to death]; your blood [life force] will be on your own head [your responsibility, your accountability].” word study 38 “The sentence [good, and just] is fair,” Shimei [a common Israelite name] replied. “Your servant [one who serves, a slave] will do [obey, fulfill] as my lord [master, ruler] the king [royal person, monarch] has spoken [said, commanded].” And Shimei lived [dwelt, remained] in Jerusalem [the city of peace, capital of Palestine] for a long time [many days, several years]. word study 39 After [at the end of] three [a period of time, a duration of] years, however, two [a pair, a duo] of Shimei’s [a common Israelite name, a servant of King David] slaves [servants, bondsmen] ran away [to flee, to escape] to Achish [a Philistine king, a son of Maacah] son of Maacah [a name meaning oppression, a king’s lineage], king of Gath [a major Philistine city, a place of winepress]. And Shimei was told [informed, notified], “Look [behold, see], your slaves [servants, those under your authority] are in Gath [the city, the place of their refuge].” word study 40 So Shimei [arose, stood up] saddled [tied, bound] his donkey [male ass] and set out [went, walked] to Achish [the Philistine king] at Gath [the city of winepress] in search of [to seek, to find] his slaves [servants, bondsmen], and he brought them back [returned with them] from Gath [the Philistine city]. word study 41 When Solomon [the king of Israel, successor of David] was told [informed, declared to] that Shimei [a common Israelite name] had gone [walked, traveled] from Jerusalem [the city of peace, capital of Palestine] to Gath [a major Philistine city, meaning winepress] and had returned [come back, turned back again], word study 42 the king [ruler, monarch] summoned Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make you swear [take an oath, vow] by the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] and warn you, ‘On the day [a period of time, a specific point] you leave [go out, depart] and go elsewhere [to any other place], know for sure [be certain, have no doubt] that you will die’? And you told me, ‘The sentence [judgment, verdict] is fair [just, right]; I will comply [obey, follow].’ word study 43 So why [for what reason, how] have you not kept [obeyed, protected] your oath [promise, vow] to the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] and the command [law, instruction] that I gave [charged, appointed] you [as a responsibility, a duty]?” word study 44 The king [ruler, monarch] also said, “You know [are aware, have knowledge of] in your heart [mind, innermost being] all the evil [wickedness, bad] that you did [committed, perpetrated] to my father [ancestor, paternal leader] David. Therefore [as a result, consequently] the LORD [Yehovah, God] will bring [return, repay] your evil [wickedness, wrongdoing] back upon your head [as a consequence, in judgment]. word study 45 But King [the ruler, monarch] Solomon [a king of Israel] will be blessed [praised, honored, to bless] and David’s [the youngest son of Jesse, a king of Israel] throne [a seat of power] will remain secure [established, set up] before [in the presence of] the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] forever [always, for eternity, till the end of time].” word study 46 Then the king [ruler, monarch] commanded [gave orders, appointed] Benaiah [a strong warrior] son of Jehoiada, and he went out [came forth, departed] and struck [fell upon, executed] Shimei down, and he died [passed away, met his end]. Thus the kingdom [dominion, reign] was firmly established [set up, secured] in the hand [power, authority] of Solomon [a king of Israel]. word study