And the king replied, "Do just as he says. Strike him down and bury him, and so remove from me and from the house of my father the innocent blood that Joab shed. And the king repliedThis phrase indicates the authority and responsibility of King Solomon as he responds to a situation requiring justice. The Hebrew word for "king" is "melek," which signifies a ruler with divine appointment. Solomon, as the king, is acting under the guidance of God, fulfilling his duty to uphold righteousness and justice in the kingdom. Do as he says
This command reflects Solomon's decision to follow through with the advice given to him. It shows his resolve to act decisively in matters of justice. The phrase underscores the importance of obedience to wise counsel, a theme prevalent in Solomon's reign, as he was known for his wisdom. Strike him down and bury him
This directive is a call for execution and burial, emphasizing the seriousness of the crime committed by Joab. The Hebrew word for "strike" is "nakah," which can mean to smite or kill. This action is not taken lightly but is seen as necessary to uphold justice and cleanse the land of bloodguilt. so that you may remove from me and my father’s house
Solomon's concern here is for the removal of guilt from his lineage. The phrase "my father’s house" refers to the house of David, highlighting the importance of maintaining a legacy of righteousness. The Hebrew concept of "house" (bayit) often signifies not just a physical dwelling but a family line or dynasty. the innocent blood
This phrase refers to the unjust killing of Abner and Amasa by Joab. The shedding of "innocent blood" is a grave sin in the Hebrew Scriptures, as life is sacred and protected by God’s law. The Hebrew word for "innocent" is "naqiy," meaning free from guilt or blameless, underscoring the injustice of Joab's actions. that Joab shed without cause
Joab's actions are described as being "without cause," indicating that his killings were not justified by any legal or moral standard. The Hebrew word for "without cause" is "chinnam," meaning gratuitously or without reason. This highlights the need for justice to be served to maintain divine order and righteousness in the kingdom. Persons / Places / Events 1. King SolomonThe son of David and Bathsheba, Solomon is the king of Israel at this time. He is known for his wisdom and is tasked with establishing his kingdom firmly. 2. JoabThe son of Zeruiah, Joab was the commander of David's army. He is known for his military prowess but also for his acts of violence, including the murder of Abner and Amasa. 3. DavidThe former king of Israel and father of Solomon. David's reign was marked by both triumphs and personal failures. His legacy is significant in the history of Israel. 4. BenaiahThe son of Jehoiada, Benaiah is a loyal supporter of Solomon and is tasked with carrying out the king's orders, including the execution of Joab. 5. The TabernacleThe place where Joab sought refuge, holding onto the horns of the altar, seeking sanctuary from execution. Teaching Points Justice and AccountabilitySolomon's decision to execute Joab underscores the importance of justice and holding individuals accountable for their actions, even when they are powerful or have served loyally in the past. Sanctity of Innocent LifeThe shedding of innocent blood is a serious offense in the eyes of God. This passage reminds us of the value God places on life and the need to protect the innocent. Leadership and Difficult DecisionsAs a leader, Solomon had to make difficult decisions to establish his kingdom and uphold righteousness. This teaches us about the challenges of leadership and the need for wisdom and courage. Legacy and ConsequencesThe actions of Joab had lasting consequences for David's house. This serves as a reminder that our actions can affect not only ourselves but also those around us and future generations. Bible Study Questions 1. How does Solomon's decision to execute Joab reflect the biblical principle of justice, and what can we learn from this about handling wrongdoing in our own lives? 2. In what ways does the account of Joab illustrate the consequences of unchecked sin, and how can we apply this understanding to our personal walk with God? 3. How does the concept of sanctuary in the Old Testament compare to the grace and forgiveness offered through Jesus Christ in the New Testament? 4. What leadership qualities does Solomon demonstrate in this passage, and how can we apply these qualities in our roles within our families, workplaces, and communities? 5. How does the shedding of innocent blood in this passage connect to the broader biblical theme of justice and righteousness, and what steps can we take to promote these values in our society today? Connections to Other Scriptures Exodus 21:14This verse provides the law regarding premeditated murder and the denial of sanctuary for such crimes, which is relevant to Joab's situation. 2 Samuel 3:27 and 2 Samuel 20:10These passages recount Joab's murders of Abner and Amasa, which are the innocent bloodshed referenced by Solomon. Deuteronomy 19:10This verse discusses the importance of not shedding innocent blood in the land, which connects to Solomon's desire to remove guilt from his house. People Abiathar, Abishag, Abner, Absalom, Achish, Adonijah, Amasa, Anathoth, Barzillai, Bathsheba, Benaiah, David, Eli, Gera, Haggith, Jehoiada, Jether, Joab, Maacah, Maachah, Ner, Shimei, Solomon, Zadok, ZeruiahPlaces Anathoth, Bahurim, Gath, Hebron, Jerusalem, Jordan River, Kidron, Mahanaim, ShilohTopics Aside, Attack, Benaiah, Blood, Body, Buried, Bury, Cause, Causeless, Clear, Death, Fall, Family, Father's, Guilt, Hast, Innocent, Joab, Jo'ab, Mayest, Remove, Replied, Says, Shed, Spoken, Strike, ThusDictionary of Bible Themes 1 Kings 2:28-33 7318 blood, symbol of guilt 1 Kings 2:28-34 7315 blood, basis of life 1 Kings 2:31-32 5493 retribution 1 Kings 2:31-33 5340 house
8278 innocence, teaching on
8471 respect, for human beings 1 Kings 2:31-34 5969 treachery Library The Horns of the Altar
WE MUST tell you the story. Solomon was to be the king after David, but his elder brother, Adonijah, was preferred by Joab, the captain of the host, and by Abiathar, the priest; and, therefore, they got together, and tried to steal a march upon dying David, and set up Adonijah. They utterly failed in this; and when Solomn came to the throne Adonijah was afraid for his life, and fled to the horns of the altar at the tabernacle for shelter. Solomn permitted him to find sanctuary there, and forgave …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 31: 1885"He Ascended into Heaven:" Believe. "He Sitteth at the Right Hand of the Father...
11. "He ascended into heaven:" believe. "He sitteth at the right hand of the Father:" believe. By sitting, understand dwelling: as [in Latin] we say of any person, "In that country he dwelt (sedit) three years." The Scripture also has that expression, that such an one dwelt (sedisse) in a city for such a time. [1791] Not meaning that he sat and never rose up? On this account the dwellings of men are called seats (sedes). [1792] Where people are seated (in this sense), are they always sitting? Is …
St. Augustine—On the Creeds Whether Curiosity Can be About Intellective Knowledge?
Objection 1: It would seem that curiosity cannot be about intellective knowledge. Because, according to the Philosopher (Ethic. ii, 6), there can be no mean and extremes in things which are essentially good. Now intellective knowledge is essentially good: because man's perfection would seem to consist in his intellect being reduced from potentiality to act, and this is done by the knowledge of truth. For Dionysius says (Div. Nom. iv) that "the good of the human soul is to be in accordance with reason," …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica Whether the Angels have Bodies Naturally United to Them?
Objection 1: It would seem that angels have bodies naturally united to them. For Origen says (Peri Archon i): "It is God's attribute alone---that is, it belongs to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, as a property of nature, that He is understood to exist without any material substance and without any companionship of corporeal addition." Bernard likewise says (Hom. vi. super Cant.): "Let us assign incorporeity to God alone even as we do immortality, whose nature alone, neither for its own sake …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica Whether the Natural Law Can be Changed?
Objection 1: It would seem that the natural law can be changed. Because on Ecclus. 17:9, "He gave them instructions, and the law of life," the gloss says: "He wished the law of the letter to be written, in order to correct the law of nature." But that which is corrected is changed. Therefore the natural law can be changed. Objection 2: Further, the slaying of the innocent, adultery, and theft are against the natural law. But we find these things changed by God: as when God commanded Abraham to slay …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica The Whole Heart
LET me give the principal passages in which the words "the whole heart," "all the heart," are used. A careful study of them will show how wholehearted love and service is what God has always asked, because He can, in the very nature of things, ask nothing less. The prayerful and believing acceptance of the words will waken the assurance that such wholehearted love and service is exactly the blessing the New Covenant was meant to make possible. That assurance will prepare us for turning to the Omnipotence …
Andrew Murray—The Two Covenants "The King Kissed Barzillai. " 2 Sam. xix. 39
And no wonder, for David could appreciate a real man when he saw him, and so does David's Lord. I.--LOYALTY IS PRECIOUS TO THE KING OF KINGS. In the days when the son of Jesse had but few friends, it was a precious thing to be treated in the style Barzillai and his neighbours entertained him (see 2 Sam. xvii. 27-29). They were rich farmers, and had land which brought forth with abundance, so were able to act with princely hospitality to the fugitive monarch. But plenty may live with avarice, and …
Thomas Champness—Broken Bread What Manner of Man Ought not to Come to Rule.
Wherefore let every one measure himself wisely, lest he venture to assume a place of rule, while in himself vice still reigns unto condemnation; lest one whom his own guilt depraves desire to become an intercessor for the faults of others. For on this account it is said to Moses by the supernal voice, Speak unto Aaron; Whosoever he be of thy seed throughout their generations that hath a blemish, he shall not offer loaves of bread to the Lord his God (Lev. xxi. 17). And it is also immediately subjoined; …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great Authorship of the Pentateuch.
The term Pentateuch is composed of the two Greek words, pente, five, and teuchos, which in later Alexandrine usage signified book. It denotes, therefore, the collection of five books; or, the five books of the law considered as a whole. 1. In our inquiries respecting the authorship of the Pentateuch, we begin with the undisputed fact that it existed in its present form in the days of Christ and his apostles, and had so existed from the time of Ezra. When the translators of the Greek version, …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible Barzillai
BY REV. GEORGE MILLIGAN, M.A., D.D. "There is nothing," says Socrates to Cephalus in the Republic, "I like better than conversing with aged men. For I regard them as travellers who have gone a journey which I too may have to go, and of whom it is right to learn the character of the way, whether it is rugged or difficult, or smooth and easy" (p. 328 E.). It is to such an aged traveller that we are introduced in the person of Barzillai the Gileadite. And though he is one of the lesser-known characters …
George Milligan—Men of the Bible; Some Lesser-Known Fifth Sunday after Trinity Exhortation to the Fruits of Faith.
Text: 1 Peter 3, 8-15. 8 Finally, be ye all like-minded, compassionate, loving as brethren, tender-hearted, humble-minded: 9 not rendering evil for evil, or reviling for reviling; but contrariwise blessing; for hereunto were ye called, that ye should inherit a blessing. 10 For, He that would love life, And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips that they speak no guile: 11 And let him turn away from evil, and do good; Let him seek peace, and pursue it. 12 For the eyes of …
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. III Kings
The book[1] of Kings is strikingly unlike any modern historical narrative. Its comparative brevity, its curious perspective, and-with some brilliant exceptions--its relative monotony, are obvious to the most cursory perusal, and to understand these things is, in large measure, to understand the book. It covers a period of no less than four centuries. Beginning with the death of David and the accession of Solomon (1 Kings i., ii.) it traverses his reign with considerable fulness (1 Kings iii.-xi.), …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links 1 Kings 2:31 NIV1 Kings 2:31 NLT1 Kings 2:31 ESV1 Kings 2:31 NASB1 Kings 2:31 KJV
1 Kings 2:31 Commentaries
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