# 1 Kings 02 📖 [[📚 Explore the Bible Books]] [[1 Kings Overview]] | [[1 Kings 01]] | [[1 Kings 03]] > [!info] Table of Contents > [[#📜 Scripture Text (NET)]] [[#📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary]] [[#🧠 Chapter Summary]] [[#🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application]] [[#✍️ Key Verses to Remember]] > [[#🤔 Interesting Facts]] [[#🔗 Related Passages/Cross Reference]] [[#🙏 Devotional Reflection]] ## 📜 Scripture Text (NET) (The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005) ## David’s Final Words to Solomon [[#Verse 01.]] When David was close to death, he told Solomon his son:  [[#Verse 02.]] “I am about to die. Be strong and become a man!  [[#Verse 03.]] Do the job the Lord your God has assigned you by following his instructions and obeying his rules, commandments, regulations, and laws as written in the law of Moses. Then you will succeed in all you do and seek to accomplish,  [[#Verse 04.]] and the Lord will fulfill his promise to me, ‘If your descendants watch their step and live faithfully in my presence with all their heart and being, then,’ he promised, ‘you will not fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’ [[#Verse 05.]] “You know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me—how he murdered two commanders of the Israelite armies, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. During peacetime he struck them down as if in battle; when he shed their blood, he stained the belt on his waist and the sandals on his feet.  [[#Verse 06.]] Do to him what you think is appropriate, but don’t let him live long and die a peaceful death. [[#Verse 07.]] “Treat fairly the sons of Barzillai of Gilead and provide for their needs, because they helped me when I had to flee from your brother Absalom. [[#Verse 08.]] “Note well, you still have to contend with Shimei son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim, who tried to call down upon me a horrible judgment when I went to Mahanaim. He came down and met me at the Jordan, and I solemnly promised him by the Lord, ‘I will not strike you down with the sword.’  [[#Verse 09.]] But now don’t treat him as if he were innocent. You are a wise man and you know how to handle him; make sure he has a bloody death.” [[#Verse 10.]] Then David passed away and was buried in the City of David.  [[#Verse 11.]] David reigned over Israel forty years; he reigned in Hebron seven years, and in Jerusalem thirty-three years. ### Solomon Secures the Throne [[#Verse 12.]] Solomon sat on his father David’s throne, and his royal authority was firmly solidified. [[#Verse 13.]] Haggith’s son Adonijah visited Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. She asked, “Do you come in peace?” He answered, “Yes.”  [[#Verse 14.]] He added, “I have something to say to you.” She replied, “Speak.”  [[#Verse 15.]] He said, “You know that the kingdom was mine and all Israel considered me king. But then the kingdom was given to my brother, for the Lord decided it should be his.  [[#Verse 16.]] Now I’d like to ask you for just one thing. Please don’t refuse me.” She said, “Go ahead and ask.” [[#Verse 17.]] He said, “Please ask King Solomon if he would give me Abishag the Shunammite as a wife, for he won’t refuse you.”  [[#Verse 18.]] Bathsheba replied, “That’s fine; I’ll speak to the king on your behalf.” [[#Verse 19.]] So Bathsheba visited King Solomon to speak to him on Adonijah’s behalf. The king got up to greet her, bowed to her, and then sat on his throne. He ordered a throne to be brought for the king’s mother, and she sat at his right hand.  [[#Verse 20.]] She said, “I would like to ask you for just one small favor. Please don’t refuse me.” He said, “Go ahead and ask, my mother, for I would not refuse you.”  [[#Verse 21.]] She said, “Allow Abishag the Shunammite to be given to your brother Adonijah as a wife.”  [[#Verse 22.]] King Solomon answered his mother, “Why just request Abishag the Shunammite for him? Since he is my older brother, you should also request the kingdom for him, for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab son of Zeruiah!” [[#Verse 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!  [[#Verse 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!”  [[#Verse 25.]] King Solomon then sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he killed Adonijah. [[#Verse 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.”  [[#Verse 27.]] Solomon removed Abiathar from being a priest for the Lord, fulfilling the Lord’s message that he had pronounced against the family of Eli in Shiloh. [[#Verse 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.  [[#Verse 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.”  [[#Verse 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.  [[#Verse 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.  [[#Verse 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.  [[#Verse 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.”  [[#Verse 34.]] So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and executed Joab; he was buried at his home in the wilderness.  [[#Verse 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. [[#Verse 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.  [[#Verse 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.”  [[#Verse 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. [[#Verse 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.”  [[#Verse 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. [[#Verse 41.]] When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had then returned,  [[#Verse 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.’  [[#Verse 43.]] Why then have you broken the oath you made before the Lord and disobeyed the order I gave you?”  [[#Verse 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.  [[#Verse 45.]] But King Solomon will be empowered, and David’s dynasty will endure permanently before the Lord.”  [[#Verse 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. ## ==📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary== ###### Overall. Question: Why did Solomon get so angry by the request for marriage? - Answer: The historical context makes Solomon’s reaction comprehensible. In ancient times, a new king would often marry the younger wives of his predecessor, as possession of the royal women was a key sign and mark of political legitimacy.[3](https://ref.ly/res/LLS:STNNDSCRPTCTHLC/2025-11-21T17:18:27Z/85530?len=210) Adonijah was Solomon’s older brother and had powerful supporters—Abiathar the priest and Joab son of Zeruiah—on his side. ([1 Kings 2:13–25](https://ref.ly/logosref/bible$2Bnlt.11.2.13-11.2.25)) By acquiring Abishag, Adonijah would strengthen his claim to challenge Solomon’s authority. - Biblical precedent reinforced Solomon’s concern: sons who sleep with their fathers’ wives or concubines do so as acts of rebellion, as when Absalom slept with David’s concubines in a blatant act of rebellion—a similar rebellion against David’s authority and attempt to regain the kingship.[4](https://ref.ly/res/LLS:PWRQVCTNHBRWBBL/2025-11-19T00:30:57Z/311204?len=94) Solomon recognized the danger immediately and responded with lethal force, viewing Adonijah’s request not as a romantic overture but as a calculated political move to destabilize his reign ###### Verse 01. ###### Verse 02. ###### Verse 03. ###### Verse 04. ###### Verse 05. ###### Verse 06. ###### Verse 07. ###### Verse 08. ###### Verse 09. ###### Verse 10. ###### Verse 11. ###### Verse 12. ###### Verse 13. ###### Verse 14. ###### Verse 15. ###### Verse 16. ###### Verse 17. ###### Verse 18. ###### Verse 19. ###### Verse 20. ###### Verse 21. ###### Verse 22. ###### Verse 23. ###### Verse 24. ###### Verse 25. ###### Verse 26. ###### Verse 27. ###### Verse 28. ###### Verse 29. ###### Verse 30. ###### Verse 31. ###### Verse 32. ###### Verse 33. ###### Verse 34. ###### Verse 35. ###### Verse 36. ###### Verse 37. ###### Verse 38. ###### Verse 39. ###### Verse 40. ###### Verse 41. ###### Verse 42. ###### Verse 43. ###### Verse 44. ###### Verse 45. ###### Verse 46. ## 🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights - coming soon. %% PRIVATE NOTES (only I see this) Write down things that are not straight from commentary but interesting facts that ground the text in history. %% ## 🧠 Chapter Summary - coming soon. %% PRIVATE NOTES (only I see this) Write a short paragraph (3–5 sentences) summarizing what happens in this chapter. - What is the main event or teaching? - How does this chapter fit the book’s overall story? - What stands out immediately? Anything Apologetic to point out? %% ## 🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application - coming soon. %% PRIVATE NOTES (only I see this) - 📌 Observation 1 - 📌 Observation 2 - 📌 Observation 3 - (Add more as needed.) %% %% #### Today, I can apply this chapter by: - ✅ Application 1 - ✅ Application 2 Make these very practical: - "Trust God's timing in an uncertain situation." - "Speak truth even when it’s unpopular." Think: - What do we learn about God here? - What do we learn about people? - Are there promises, commands, or warnings? %% ## ✍️ Key Verses to Remember - coming soon. %% PRIVATE NOTES (only I see this) - 📖 [Verse Reference] – "Quote of important verse." - 📖 [Verse Reference] – "Quote of another important verse." (You can link to deeper notes if you want later.) %% ## 🔗 Related Passages/Cross Reference - 🔗 coming soon. - 🔗 coming soon. %% Examples: - John 1:1 and Genesis 1 - Romans 5 and Genesis 3 %% ## 🙏 Devotional Reflection - coming soon. %% PRIVATE NOTES (only I see this) Write 3–6 sentences reflecting on: - How this chapter encourages your faith, - Convicts your heart, - Reveals God's character. Optional format: "In light of this chapter, I am challenged to..." or "I am comforted by..." %% ##### 📂 Internal Links/Personal Notes