1 Kings 2:36-46

1 Kings 2:36-46

[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  that thou shalt surely  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,  to Gath  to Achish  to seek  his servants:  and Shimei  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  on the day  thou goest out,  and walkest  abroad any whither,  that thou shalt surely  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  [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. 

What does 1 Kings 2:36-46 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

David had warned Solomon to keep Shimei under close observation and to put him to death ( 1 Kings 2:8-9). Evidently David realized, because of Shimei"s past actions, that it would only be a matter of time before he would do something worthy of death, probably rebel against Solomon"s authority. Solomon therefore made Jerusalem Shimei"s prison. Jerusalem was only "a small acropolis city, whose circumference has been estimated at4500 feet." [1] Solomon kept Shimei from reuniting with his Benjamite kinsmen. When Shimei left the city he flagrantly rebelled against Solomon"s authority. Leaving the city in itself was no great crime, but the fact that Solomon had specifically forbidden it made it very serious. Thus Shimei"s disregard for and disobedience to the will of the Lord"s anointed resulted in his death.
All of Solomon"s dealings with these enemies, who had conspired against the Lord"s anointed and violated the Mosaic Law, show that the new king had a firm commitment to keeping that Law. Moreover Solomon was also merciful and wise, traits of God Himself, who blessed Solomon with these characteristics as His son because of Solomon"s commitment to Him. This section also vividly portrays the fate of people who oppose God: disenfranchisement (in the case of Abiathar) and death (in the cases of Adonijah, Joab, and Shimei).
"Taken as a whole, 2 Samuel 9-20; 1 Kings 1-2is one of the most powerful indictments of sin in the Bible. But this material has to do with more than judgment. Running parallel to the nemesis of judgment are the grace and providence of God. The child born of the adulterous union died, but another son was born to David and Bathsheba ( 2 Samuel 12:15-25). David almost lost his kingdom to Absalom, but God defeated the counsel of Ahithophel and David regained his throne ( 2 Samuel 16:15 to 2 Samuel 17:14). The ultimate good in this tangle of events was the accession of that son of David whom the LORD loved ([2] 2 Samuel 12:24-25), who ended the disruption in David"s family and established the kingdom in strength and peace. Good and evil mingle together in these events. But God is able to achieve his purposes in the midst of and in spite of evil. Even that which is meant for evil God can turn to good ( Genesis 45:8; Genesis 50:20; Psalm 76:9). The supreme example of this, of course, was the turning of Good Friday into Easter." [3]
"The major canonical and theological issue this section raises is the fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant." [4]
"Historically, Israel is at a crossroads. From this moment on one sees a drastic shift from semidemocratic tribal rule (maintained to some extent in David"s administration) to a typical despotic city-state." [5]