Poole on 1 Kings 2:5-12: David's Death-bed Charge to Solomon, Part 2

Verse 5:[1]  Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruiah (2 Sam. 3:39; 18:5, 12, 14; 19:5-7) did to me, and what he did to the two captains of the hosts of Israel, unto (2 Sam. 3:27) Abner the son of Ner, and unto (2 Sam. 20:10) Amasa the son of Jether, whom he slew, and shed (Heb. put[2]) 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.

[What he did to me]  That is, in killing Absalom; in acting imperiously; in grieving the afflicted; and in threatening sedition, 2 Kings 19:7; in favoring Adonijah; etc.  Or he plotted against the dignity and life of David (certain interpreters in Sanchez).  [Others refer it to what follows:]  To me, that is, against me, a thing hurtful to me and the whole kingdom (Tirinus).  Question:  Why does he say to me?  Responses:  1.  Κατά τι, in a certain respect, by consequence:  since he killed those that I had received into my confidence (Junius, Piscator, Malvenda).  This is a grievous injury to my reputation.  2.  It is an injury to Magistracy, when the laws (of which he is the keeper) are despised; and, should he fail to punish sins, he himself is made guilty of sin, and is accused of weakness and folly (Sanchez).  3.  To me, because he took away two princes, so useful, so needed (Tirinus).

Did to me, that is, against me; either, first, Directly and immediately; how insolently and imperiously he hath carried himself towards me from time to time, trampling upon my authority and commands when they thwarted his humour or interest, provoking my spirit by his words and actions.  See 2 Samuel 3:39; 19:7.  Or, secondly, Indirectly, in what he did against Abner and Amasa; whose death was a great injury to David, as it was a breach of his laws and peace; a contempt of his person and government; a pernicious example to others of his subjects upon the like occasions; a great scandal and dishonour to him, as if Joab had been only David’s instrument, to effect what he secretly desired and designed; whereby the hearts of his people either were or might have been alienated from him, and inflamed against him, and the wounds which were well nigh healed might have been widened again, and made to bleed afresh.  And what he did, or, even; the following branches being added as an explication of the foregoing, to show what and how he acted towards or against David.  Or, and particularly; as his other miscarriages, so these especially.

[Whom he slew, ‎וַיַּהַרְגֵם]  That ו/and means, that is, so that thus you might conjoin what follows with what precedes, what things he did to the two, etc., that is, he slew them (certain interpreters in Vatablus). 

[And he shed the blood of war in peace (similarly Munster, Tigurinus),‎וַיָּ֥שֶׂם דְּמֵֽי־מִלְחָמָ֖ה בְּשָׁלֹ֑ם]  And he put the bloods of war in peace (Septuagint, Pagnine, Montanus, Piscator).  Some conjoin that, in peace, with what precedes, he slew them; and they expound it, whom he slew in peace; that is, with them being off their guard and suspecting nothing; and he put the blood of those as the blood of war; that is, the slaughter of those he esteemed as no less lawful than if he had killed them in battle.  Others expound it, he slew them, and put (that is, shed) the blood of war; that is, he regarded the killing of his brother Asahel by Abner in combat,[3] as if it had been done in peace; as if he had been killed in a time of peace, was he avenged with no less zeal, etc. (Vatablus).  And he regarded the death of those, as if of one that is slaughtered in war (Arabic, similarly the Syriac, Jonathan).  Scheming bellicose slaughter in peace (Junius and Tremellius), that is, perpetrating slaughter in a time of peace, which is appropriate only in war (Junius, Piscator).

Shed the blood of war in peace; he slew them as if they had been in the state and act of war, when there was not only a cessation of arms, but also a treaty and agreement of peace, of which also they were the great procurers and promoters.

[And he put the gore of battle, etc.,‎וַיִּתֵּ֞ן דְּמֵ֣י מִלְחָמָ֗ה בַּחֲגֹֽרָתוֹ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּמָתְנָ֔יו וּֽבְנַעֲל֖וֹ אֲשֶׁ֥ר בְּרַגְלָֽיו׃]  And he gave (shed [Jonathan], as he put back [Junius and Tremellius, Piscator], and putting [Tigurinus, Munster], he put, I say [Pagnine, Vatablus]) the bloods of war on his band, or belt (or his girdle [Septuagint, Junius and Tremellius]), which (understanding, was [Piscator], or was hanging [Junius and Tremellius]) on his loins; and in his shoe that (understanding, was [Piscator, similarly Junius and Tremellius]) on his feet (Piscator, Pagnine, Montanus, Munster, Tigurinus, similarly the Septuagint, Jonathan, Syriac, Arabic).  The sense:  He defiled his sword, which was hanging about his loins, with blood, etc.  His shoes also were spattered with blood (Munster).  On his belt; that is, with the sword, wherewith that slaughter was wrought, he girded himself deliberately (Vatablus).  There is an allusion to what was said on 2 Samuel 20:8, that on top of his cloak he girded the sword contrary to custom; for others were wearing it beneath (Mariana).  And in his shoe, etc., that is he killed them on the spot, in such a way that they might fall down dead at his feet (Vatablus).  The bloodstained sword he put back in its sheath, and with bloodstained feet he walked about:  and he was no more affected on that account, than if he had committed no wrongdoing (Junius, Piscator).  He was not ashamed of those murders, with the result that he feared neither the eyes nor the judgments of others; but he was bearing about their blood as a proof of his bellicose manliness:  neither the girdle nor the shoes, defiled with blood, were recalling him from any military assembly or administrative duty; nor were they hindering his ability to go wherever he wished (Sanchez).  The blood (especially of Amasa), spurting out, stained his belt and shoes, since he was holding him close (Menochius out of Sanchez).

Upon his girdle that was about his loins, and in his shoes that were on his feet:  this is added to note his impudence and impenitency, that although by his perfidious manner of killing them, when he pretended to embrace them, he stained his own garments with their blood, yet he was not ashamed of it, but gloried in it, and marched boldly along with the army with the same girdle and shoes which were sprinkled with their blood.  See 2 Samuel 20:10.

Verse 6:[4]  Do therefore (1 Kings 2:9; Prov. 20:26) according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoar head go down to the grave in peace.

[Thou shalt act according to thy wisdom]  That is, wisely observing the time and manner of acting; that is to say, The man is eager for revolution:  he will not remain quiet for long, without making himself obnoxious, etc. (Junius, Piscator).  Men, daring and bearing authority before the troops, are dangerous in a new Kingdom of a young King (Grotius).  David feared, that Joab would despise the youth of Solomon, and agitate the kingdom (Theodoret in Sanchez on verse 5).

According to thy wisdom, that is, what in reason and justice thou seest fit.  For though I was forced to forbear him when it was in a manner out of my power to punish him, yet I never forgave him; and therefore do thou wisely and severely examine all his actions, and particularly this last rebellion, and punish him according to his demerits.

[His gray hair]  That is, himself now old, and gray (Piscator).  For, although Joab was David’s nephew,[5] yet was he almost equal to him in age (Menochius).  He was in charge of the camp for almost forty years; namely, from the time David was first seated in Hebron:[6]  neither does it seem likely that he would administer that charge being less than thirty years old (Sanchez on verse 8).

[Peacefully[7]]  With impunity (Munster).  With or in peace (Junius and Tremellius, Piscator, Malvenda), that is, by a natural death (Vatablus, Piscator out of Junius).  Harmful pests, says he, thou oughtest not to endure, but to eliminate (Munster).  David had not remitted his crime, nor was he able to remit it by law; but he had deferred the punishment of a man both powerful and useful in war (Grotius, similarly Sanchez).  Such is that saying in Tacitus’[8] Histories 3, The Law of men was not permitting them to honor that slaughter, and the necessities of war were not permitting them to avenge it; and in Annals 15, Acilla, the mother of Annæus Lucanus, was overlooked, without acquittal, without punishment[9] (Grotius).  Josephus, in Antiquities 7:12, brings in David speaking in this way:  Be mindful…of Joab, seeing that hitherto he has avoided punishment, being more powerful than me.  But, how might Solomon, being yet a youth, accomplish, what David dared not?  Responses:  1.  Arms were then silent, and Joab was not necessary in a peaceful kingdom:  2.  Joab was then old, and less suitable for war (Sanchez on verse 8).

Let not his hoar head go down to the grave in peace; though he be old, having been the general of the army forty years, yet do not suffer him to die a natural death, but cut him off by the sword of justice.

Verse 7:[10]  But shew kindness unto the sons of (2 Sam. 19:31, 38) Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be of those that (2 Sam. 9:7, 10; 19:28) eat at thy table:  for so (2 Sam. 17:27) they came to me when I fled because of Absalom thy brother.

[But also to the sons of Barzillai]  It is most advantageous to new kings, if they honor paternal friendships.  David shows himself mindful of benefits received.  But it is strange that David was forgetful of Mephibosheth, and that most holy friendship formerly entered into with Jonathan.[11]  I do not know the reason.  Perhaps his memory lapsed at this point (Martyr).

Unto the sons of Barzillai, etc.:  Question:  Why doth he not require the like kindness to Mephibosheth the son of his dear Jonathan?  Answer:  Either he and his were now extinct, or by their after-miscarriages had forfeited his favour.

[And they shall eat at thy table]  Hebrew:  among those eating,[12] or, if one may speak so, messmates of thy table; that is, of the food set on thy table.  Metonymy of subject, although somewhat harsh; yet the Greeks thus translate it[13] (Piscator).

[For they came to meet me, וגו״ ‎כִּי־כֵן֙ קָרְב֣וּ אֵלַ֔י]  Because they they approached, or drew near, to me (Pagnine, Montanus, Vatablus, Septuagint), that is, with mercy and grace; that is, with ample gifts, 2 Samuel 19:31.  Therefore, thou shalt show mercy to them; that is, thou shalt heap upon them great kindnesses (Vatablus).  Because similarly they approached to me; that is, they, approaching, exhibited the same office to me, 2 Samuel 17:27-29 (Junius, Piscator).  They administered all things to me (Syriac, similarly the Arabic, Jonathan).

For so,[14] that is, with such kindness either as I cannot express, (as the particle so is elsewhere used,) or as I command thee to show to them.  They, that is, Barzillai and his sons; for though Barzillai only be mentioned, 2 Samuel 17:27, yet his sons doubtless were instrumental in the business, especially Chimham, 2 Samuel 19:37, 38.

Verse 8:[15]  And, behold, thou hast with thee (2 Sam. 16:5) Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite of Bahurim, which cursed me with a grievous (Heb. strong[16]) curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim:  but (2 Sam. 19:18) he came down to meet me at Jordan, and (2 Sam. 19:23) I sware to him by the LORD, saying, I will not put thee to death with the sword.

[Thou hast before thee Shimei]  Behold, Shimei before thee, understanding, either is (Piscator), or shall be; that is, thou shalt not allow him to roam; thou shalt circumscribe him within a certain place, wherein he might keep himself; lest he should conspire with his Benjamites (Junius).  But that ellipsis is unusual, and he gives precepts concerning him at length in verse 9 (Piscator). 

With thee, that is, in thy power, as that phrase is oft used.

[With a curse of the worst kind, ‎קְלָלָ֣ה נִמְרֶ֔צֶת [17]]  Strengthened (Montanus), vehement (Pagnine), detestable (Munster), bitter (Jonathan, Syriac), harsh (Septuagint), severe, strong (Vatablus), incredibly severe (Junius and Tremellius, similarly Tigurinus).  This, to the extent it was a punishment, was from God, and was to be borne; but, as it was an impiety, it had its rise from Shimei, and it was deserving just punishments (Martyr).

Cursed me with a grievous curse; or, reproached me with bitter reproaches, 2 Samuel 16:7, 8; which David could not but deeply resent from him, though, as it was an affliction sent from God, he patiently submitted to it.

[And I swore…I will not kill thee]  Understanding, as long as I live; therefore, he was not perjured in commanding these things (Menochius).  David was unwilling to avenge private injuries, especially on that day, which was not suitable for exacting punishment; but, since such a crime was of interest to the Republic, he commands his son to remove that offense from the people, and give satisfaction to the common cause (Sanchez).  [Concerning these things see what was said on 2 Samuel 19.]

I will not put thee to death with the sword.  Question:  How then could David lawfully engage Solomon to punish him for it?  And did David upon his death-bed bear malice against Shimei?  Answer:  First, David was not a private person, which might remit such offences without any inconvenience; but a public magistrate, who for the honour and maintenance of government was obliged to punish such insolent and opprobrious speeches, if the necessity of his affairs had not then engaged him to pass it by.  Otherwise it appears from divers passages of the Psalms, and of this history, how free David was from a rancorous and revengeful spirit, even towards his enemies.  Secondly, The following advice is not contrary to David’s oath, both because that was only personal, that David would not kill him either at that time, as Abishai desired him, or whilst he lived, and did not oblige his successors; and especially, because it was not David’s mind that Shimei should be put to death for that fault, (as is evident; for then there was no need of Solomon’s wisdom to find out an occasion, but only of his justice to punish him for the old crime,) but for some other competent crime, which Solomon’s wisdom, narrowly prying into all his actions, would easily find out.  And if the condition which Solomon imposed upon Shimei, 1 Kings 2:36, 37, seem hard, it must be remembered that David only swore that he would pardon him as to life, but not that he would exempt him from all punishment or confinement.

Verse 9:[18]  Now therefore (Ex. 20:7; Job 9:28) hold him not guiltless:  for thou art a wise man, and knowest what thou oughtest to do unto him; but his hoar head (Gen. 42:38; 44:31) bring thou down to the grave with blood.

[Do not leave him unharmed, ‎אַל־תְּנַקֵּהוּ]  Thou shalt not justify him (Septuagint, Jonathan); do not absolve (Vatablus, similarly Junius and Tremellius, Piscator); do not send him away unpunished (or innocent [Pagnine]) (Montanus, similarly Tigurinus, Vatablus); thou shalt not cleanse him, or (that is to say) do not send him away innocent (Pagnine, similarly Munster).

Hold him not guiltless; though I have spared his life, do not treat him as an innocent person, neither let him go wholly unpunished.

[Thou art a wise man]  Therefore, Solomon at that time was not a boy of eight years old, as Saint Ignatius maintains;[19] nor of eleven or twelve years, as Jerome maintains; but as a young man of twenty years at least.  The same is gathered out of 1 Kings 11:4, in which he is said to be old, with the forty years of his kingdom not yet complete.  Add that Seder Olam[20] says, that David lived to see Solomon’s son, Rehoboam.  Thus Pineda,[21] Tostatus, Lyra, and Sanchez (Tirinus).

Thou art a wise man, and therefore wilt easily find out just occasions to chastise him, especially considering his perverse and wicked disposition.

[So that thou knowest what thou shalt do to him]  In what manner thou oughtest to punish him (Menochius).  He, being a man of a restless nature, will readily give to thee εὔλογον αἰτίαν, a plausible pretext.  See 1 Kings 2:37 (Grotius).  Thou shalt find a reason, on account of which thou shalt see to his death (Vatablus).  He does not command him to be killed because of his crime of cursing; lest he should appear to violate his oath.  But he want Solomon to punish him, caught in another, new sin (Martyr).

What thou oughtest to do unto him; how to punish him, not without just cause, and yet without any violation of my oath, or reflection upon me, or upon religion for my or thy sake.

[With blood]  That is, with gore, a violent death (Menochius).

With blood, that is, with the effusion of his blood; with a bloody or violent death.

Verse 10:[22]  So (1 Kings 1:21; Acts 2:29; 13:36) David slept with his fathers, and was buried in (2 Sam. 5:7) the city of David.

Slept with his fathers; see of this phrase Deuteronomy 31:16; 1 Kings 1:21.

[And he was buried in the city of David]  That is, in that part of Jerusalem, which he himself had taken from the Jebusite, and had called by his own name.  Josephus, Tostatus, and others think that David built with his palace a sepulcher for himself, but that it was quite small; but that Solomon enlarged it, and transformed it into a magnificent mausoleum; which, even after the city had been razed so many times, yet endured to the times of the Apostles, Acts 2:29, and of Jerom, as he himself testifies; and even to this our age, as Sebastiano Serlio testifies in his Architecture[23] 3;  according to the testimony of Cardinal Grimani,[24] who saw it himself (Sanchez, Menochius).

In the city of David, that is, in that part of Jerusalem which was called by his name, because he took it from the Jebusites.  See 2 Samuel 5:7; 1 Chronicles 11:5; 2 Chronicles 5:2.

Verse 11:[25]  And the days that David (2 Sam. 5:4; 1 Chron. 29:26, 27) reigned over Israel were forty years:  seven years reigned he in Hebron, and thirty and three years reigned he in Jerusalem.

Seven years; more precisely, seven years and six months, 2 Samuel 5:5; but smaller sums are oft neglected in Scripture computations.

Verse 12:[26]  (1 Chron. 29:23; 2 Chron. 1:1) Then sat Solomon upon the throne of David his father; and his kingdom was established greatly.

[His kingdom was confirmed]  By the consent of the people and of all the orders, and with their will inclined toward him (Menochius).  The author appears to add this to chasten the temerity and audacity of Adonijah, who, with the kingdom of Solomon now confirmed, dared to set in motion new plots to take possession of the kingdom (Malvenda).  Or this is said by way of anticipation, namely, with his enemies dispatched, as is the case at the end of this chapter (Vatablus). 

And his kingdom was established greatly:  Being settled upon him with universal consent and approbation, and with the hearty affections of his people, which all wise men know to be a prince’s best and surest establishment.

[1] Hebrew: ‎וְגַ֣ם אַתָּ֣ה יָדַ֡עְתָּ אֵת֩ אֲשֶׁר־עָ֙שָׂה לִ֜י יוֹאָ֣ב בֶּן־צְרוּיָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשָׂ֣ה לִשְׁנֵֽי־שָׂרֵ֣י צִבְא֣וֹת יִ֠שְׂרָאֵל לְאַבְנֵ֙ר בֶּן־נֵ֜ר וְלַעֲמָשָׂ֤א בֶן־יֶ֙תֶר֙ וַיַּ֣הַרְגֵ֔ם וַיָּ֥שֶׂם דְּמֵֽי־מִלְחָמָ֖ה בְּשָׁלֹ֑ם וַיִּתֵּ֞ן דְּמֵ֣י מִלְחָמָ֗ה בַּחֲגֹֽרָתוֹ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּמָתְנָ֔יו וּֽבְנַעֲל֖וֹ אֲשֶׁ֥ר בְּרַגְלָֽיו׃

[2] Hebrew:  ‎וַיָּשֶׂם.

[3] 2 Samuel 2:18-32.

[4] Hebrew:  ‎וְעָשִׂ֖יתָ כְּחָכְמָתֶ֑ךָ וְלֹֽא־תוֹרֵ֧ד שֵׂיבָת֛וֹ בְּשָׁלֹ֖ם שְׁאֹֽל׃ ס

[5] 1 Chronicles 2:13-17.

[6] See 1 Kings 2:11; 2 Samuel 2; 3.

[7] Hebrew:  ‎בְּשָׁלוֹם.

[8] Publius Cornelius Tacitus (c. 56-c. 117) was a Roman historian.  The information that he preserves about his era and its emperors is invaluable.

[9] Marcus Annæus Lucanus (39-65) was a Roman poet.  Lucan was arrested for conspiring against Nero, and, facing death, he implicated a number of others, including his own mother; but Nero chose not to act upon the information, probably in order to avoid further provoking the elite families involved.

[10] Hebrew: ‎וְלִבְנֵ֙י בַרְזִלַּ֤י הַגִּלְעָדִי֙ תַּֽעֲשֶׂה־חֶ֔סֶד וְהָי֖וּ בְּאֹכְלֵ֣י שֻׁלְחָנֶ֑ךָ כִּי־כֵן֙ קָרְב֣וּ אֵלַ֔י בְּבָרְחִ֕י מִפְּנֵ֖י אַבְשָׁל֥וֹם אָחִֽיךָ׃

[11] See 1 Samuel 18:1-4; 20:12-17; 23:16-18.

[12] Hebrew:  ‎בְּאֹכְלֵי.

[13] 1 Kings 2:7:  “But shew kindness unto the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be of those that eat at thy table (‎וְהָי֖וּ בְּאֹכְלֵ֣י שֻׁלְחָנֶ֑ךָ; καὶ ἔσονται ἐν τοῖς ἐσθίουσιν τὴν τράπεζάν σου, and they shall be among those eating thy table, in the Septuagint):  for so they came to me when I fled because of Absalom thy brother.”

[14] Hebrew:  ‎כִּי־כֵן.

[15] Hebrew:  ‎וְהִנֵּ֣ה עִ֠מְּךָ שִֽׁמְעִ֙י בֶן־גֵּרָ֥א בֶן־הַיְמִינִי֘ מִבַּחֻרִים֒ וְה֤וּא קִֽלְלַ֙נִי֙ קְלָלָ֣ה נִמְרֶ֔צֶת בְּי֖וֹם לֶכְתִּ֣י מַחֲנָ֑יִם וְהֽוּא־יָרַ֤ד לִקְרָאתִי֙ הַיַּרְדֵּ֔ן וָאֶשָּׁ֙בַֽע ל֤וֹ בַֽיהוָה֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר אִם־אֲמִֽיתְךָ֖ בֶּחָֽרֶב׃

[16] Hebrew:  ‎נִמְרֶצֶת.

[17] מָרַץ, in the Niphal conjugation, signifies to be sickened.

[18] Hebrew:  ‎וְעַתָּה֙ אַל־תְּנַקֵּ֔הוּ כִּ֛י אִ֥ישׁ חָכָ֖ם אָ֑תָּה וְיָֽדַעְתָּ֙ אֵ֣ת אֲשֶׁ֣ר תַּֽעֲשֶׂה־לּ֔וֹ וְהוֹרַדְתָּ֧ אֶת־שֵׂיבָת֛וֹ בְּדָ֖ם שְׁאֽוֹל׃

[19] Epistle to the Antiochians 3.  Ignatius was Bishop of Antioch and martyr of Jesus Christ in the early second century, although the Epistle to the Antiochians is probably spurious.

[20] Seder Olam Rabbah was a work of Jewish chronology, covering the period from Adam to the Bar Kochba rebellion, and written around 160 AD, but not reaching its final form for another two centuries.

[21] John de Pineda (1558-1637) was a Spanish Jesuit theologian and exegete, teaching philosophy and theology at Seville and Cordova.  He composed commentaries on Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, and Job.

[22] Hebrew:  ‎וַיִּשְׁכַּ֥ב דָּוִ֖ד עִם־אֲבֹתָ֑יו וַיִּקָּבֵ֖ר בְּעִ֥יר דָּוִֽד׃ פ

[23] Sebastiano Serlio (1475-1554) was an Italian Renaissance architect.  His Tutte l'opere d'architettura et prospettiva focuses on the ancient buildings and ruins of Rome and Italy.

[24] Cardinal Domenico Grimani (1461-1523) was a Venetian nobleman, humanist, antiquarian, theologian, and churchman.  He is most remembered for his vast collection of Greco-Roman art and antiquities.

[25] Hebrew: ‎וְהַיָּמִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֙ר מָלַ֤ךְ דָּוִד֙ עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אַרְבָּעִ֖ים שָׁנָ֑ה בְּחֶבְר֤וֹן מָלַךְ֙ שֶׁ֣בַע שָׁנִ֔ים וּבִירוּשָׁלִַ֣ם מָלַ֔ךְ שְׁלֹשִׁ֥ים וְשָׁלֹ֖שׁ שָׁנִֽים׃

[26] Hebrew:  ‎וּשְׁלֹמֹ֕ה יָשַׁ֕ב עַל־כִּסֵּ֖א דָּוִ֣ד אָבִ֑יו וַתִּכֹּ֥ן מַלְכֻת֖וֹ מְאֹֽד׃