1 Kings 2:43
New International Version
Why then did you not keep your oath to the LORD and obey the command I gave you?”

New Living Translation
Then why haven’t you kept your oath to the LORD and obeyed my command?”

English Standard Version
Why then have you not kept your oath to the LORD and the commandment with which I commanded you?”

Berean Standard Bible
So why have you not kept your oath to the LORD and the command that I gave you?”

King James Bible
Why then hast thou not kept the oath of the LORD, and the commandment that I have charged thee with?

New King James Version
Why then have you not kept the oath of the LORD and the commandment that I gave you?”

New American Standard Bible
Why then have you not kept the oath of the LORD, and the command which I imposed on you?”

NASB 1995
“Why then have you not kept the oath of the LORD, and the command which I have laid on you?”

NASB 1977
“Why then have you not kept the oath of the LORD, and the command which I have laid on you?”

Legacy Standard Bible
Why then have you not kept the oath of Yahweh, and the command which I have commanded you?”

Amplified Bible
Why then have you not kept the oath of the LORD, and the command which I gave you?”

Christian Standard Bible
So why have you not kept the LORD’s oath and the command that I gave you? ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
So why have you not kept the LORD’s oath and the command that I gave you?”

American Standard Version
Why then hast thou not kept the oath of Jehovah, and the commandment that I have charged thee with?

Contemporary English Version
You have disobeyed me and have broken the promise you made to the LORD.

English Revised Version
Why then hast thou not kept the oath of the LORD, and the commandment that I have charged thee with?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Why didn't you keep your oath to the LORD and obey the command I gave you?

Good News Translation
Why, then, have you broken your promise and disobeyed my command?

International Standard Version
So why haven't you kept the oath you made to the LORD, and why didn't you obey my personal order to you?"

Majority Standard Bible
So why have you not kept your oath to the LORD and the command that I gave you?”

NET Bible
Why then have you broken the oath you made before the LORD and disobeyed the order I gave you?"

New Heart English Bible
Why then have you not kept the oath of the LORD, and the commandment that I have instructed you with?"

Webster's Bible Translation
Why then hast thou not kept the oath of the LORD, and the commandment that I have charged thee with?

World English Bible
Why then have you not kept the oath of Yahweh and the commandment that I have instructed you with?”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And why have you not kept the oath of YHWH, and the charge that I charged on you?”

Young's Literal Translation
and wherefore hast thou not kept the oath of Jehovah, and the charge that I charged upon thee?'

Smith's Literal Translation
And wherefore didst thou not watch the oath of Jehovah, and the command which I commanded upon thee?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Why then hast thou not kept the oath of the Lord, and the commandment that I laid upon thee?

Catholic Public Domain Version
Then why have you not kept the oath to the Lord, and the commandment which I instructed to you?”

New American Bible
Why, then, have you not kept the oath of the LORD and the command that I gave you?”

New Revised Standard Version
Why then have you not kept your oath to the LORD and the commandment with which I charged you?”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Why then have you not kept the oath of the LORD and the commandment that I have charged you with?

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Why have you not kept the oath of LORD JEHOVAH and the command that I have commanded you?”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Why then hast thou not kept the oath of the LORD, and the commandment that I have charged thee with?'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And why hast thou not kept the oath of the Lord, and the commandment which I commanded thee?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Execution of Shimei
42the king summoned Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the LORD and warn you, ‘On the day you leave and go elsewhere, know for sure that you will die’? And you told me, ‘The sentence is fair; I will comply.’ 43So why have you not kept your oath to the LORD and the command that I gave you?” 44The king also said, “You know in your heart all the evil that you did to my father David. Therefore the LORD will bring your evil back upon your head.…

Cross References
2 Samuel 7:14
I will be his Father, and he will be My son. When he does wrong, I will discipline him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men.

2 Samuel 12:9-10
Why then have you despised the command of the LORD by doing evil in His sight? You put Uriah the Hittite to the sword and took his wife as your own. You have slain him with the sword of the Ammonites. / Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’

1 Samuel 15:22-23
But Samuel declared: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obedience to His voice? Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, and attentiveness is better than the fat of rams. / For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance is like the wickedness of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has rejected you as king.”

1 Kings 11:11
Then the LORD said to Solomon, “Because you have done this and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant.

1 Kings 13:21-22
and the prophet cried out to the man of God who had come from Judah, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because you have defied the word of the LORD and have not kept the commandment that the LORD your God gave you, / but you went back and ate bread and drank water in the place where He told you not to do so, your body shall never reach the tomb of your fathers.’”

2 Kings 17:14-15
But they would not listen, and they stiffened their necks like their fathers, who did not believe the LORD their God. / They rejected His statutes and the covenant He had made with their fathers, as well as the decrees He had given them. They pursued worthless idols and became worthless themselves, going after the surrounding nations that the LORD had commanded them not to imitate.

2 Chronicles 36:16
But they mocked the messengers of God, despising His words and scoffing at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD against His people was stirred up beyond remedy.

Nehemiah 9:26
But they were disobedient and rebelled against You; they flung Your law behind their backs. They killed Your prophets, who had admonished them to return to You. They committed terrible blasphemies.

Psalm 89:30-32
If his sons forsake My law and do not walk in My judgments, / if they violate My statutes and fail to keep My commandments, / I will attend to their transgression with the rod, and to their iniquity with stripes.

Proverbs 13:13
He who despises instruction will pay the penalty, but the one who respects a command will be rewarded.

Isaiah 1:2
Listen, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the LORD has spoken: “I have raised children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against Me.

Jeremiah 7:23-24
but this is what I commanded them: Obey Me, and I will be your God, and you will be My people. You must walk in all the ways I have commanded you, so that it may go well with you. / Yet they did not listen or incline their ear, but they followed the stubborn inclinations of their own evil hearts. They went backward and not forward.

Ezekiel 18:24
But if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and practices iniquity, committing the same abominations as the wicked, will he live? None of the righteous acts he did will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness and sin he has committed, he will die.

Matthew 7:26-27
But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. / The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its collapse!”

Matthew 21:28-31
But what do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first one and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ / ‘I will not,’ he replied. But later he changed his mind and went. / Then the man went to the second son and told him the same thing. ‘I will, sir,’ he said. But he did not go. ...


Treasury of Scripture

Why then have you not kept the oath of the LORD, and the commandment that I have charged you with?

Why

2 Samuel 21:2
And the king called the Gibeonites, and said unto them; (now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; and the children of Israel had sworn unto them: and Saul sought to slay them in his zeal to the children of Israel and Judah.)

Ezekiel 17:18,19
Seeing he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when, lo, he had given his hand, and hath done all these things, he shall not escape…

commandment

2 Chronicles 30:12
Also in Judah the hand of God was to give them one heart to do the commandment of the king and of the princes, by the word of the LORD.

Ecclesiastes 8:2
I counsel thee to keep the king's commandment, and that in regard of the oath of God.

Romans 13:5
Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.

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Charge Charged Command Commandment Instructed Kept Laid Oath Obey Order Wherefore
1 Kings 2
1. David, having given a charge to Solomon
3. of Reverence
5. of Joab
7. of Barzillai
8. of Shimei
10. Solomon succeeds
12. Adonijah, moving Bathsheba to ask unto Solomon for Abishag,
13. is put to death
26. Abiathar, having his life given him, is deprived of the priesthood
28. Joab fleeing to the horns of the altar, is there slain
35. Benaiah is put in Joab's room, and Zadfok in Abiathar's
36. Shimei, confined to Jerusalem, by occasion of going to Gath, is put to death.














Why then
This phrase introduces a rhetorical question, emphasizing the expectation of accountability. In the Hebrew text, the word "why" (מַדּוּעַ, maddua) often signals a challenge or a call for introspection. It suggests a moment of confrontation where the speaker, King Solomon, is addressing a breach of trust. This sets the stage for a moral and spiritual evaluation, urging the listener to reflect on their actions in light of divine and royal authority.

have you not kept
The phrase underscores the failure to uphold a commitment. The Hebrew root for "kept" (שָׁמַר, shamar) means to guard, observe, or give heed. It implies a duty of care and vigilance, especially in spiritual and covenantal contexts. This highlights the seriousness of the transgression, as it involves neglecting a sacred duty. The emphasis here is on the expectation of faithfulness and the consequences of failing to maintain one's promises.

your oath
An oath in biblical times was a solemn promise, often invoking God as a witness. The Hebrew word for oath (שְׁבוּעָה, shevu'ah) signifies a binding agreement that carries spiritual weight. Breaking an oath was not merely a personal failure but a violation of a divine covenant. This reflects the gravity of the situation, as oaths were integral to maintaining social and religious order in ancient Israel.

to the LORD
This phrase highlights the divine aspect of the oath. The use of "the LORD" (יְהוָה, Yahweh) signifies the covenantal relationship between God and His people. It underscores the idea that the oath was not just a personal promise but a commitment made before God, who is the ultimate judge and enforcer of covenants. This elevates the seriousness of the breach, as it is an offense against the divine order.

and the command
The word "command" (מִצְוָה, mitzvah) refers to a directive or ordinance given by an authority. In this context, it is a royal command from Solomon, who was divinely appointed as king. This phrase emphasizes the dual nature of the obligation—both divine and royal. It reflects the theocratic nature of Israel's monarchy, where the king's commands were seen as extensions of God's will.

that I gave you
This personalizes the command, linking it directly to Solomon's authority. The phrase underscores the relational aspect of the command, as it was given by Solomon himself, who was responsible for upholding justice and righteousness in the kingdom. It highlights the expectation of obedience to both divine and kingly authority, reinforcing the idea that the breach was a direct challenge to Solomon's rule and, by extension, to God's order.

Verse 43. ? Why them halt thou not kept the oath of the Lord and the commandment that I have charged [Heb. commanded] thee with. ["Shimei ought to have been warned against trifling with Solomon's forbearance by the punishment already inflicted on Adonijah and Joab." Wordsworth.]

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
So why
וּמַדּ֕וּעַ (ū·mad·dū·a‘)
Conjunctive waw | Interrogative
Strong's 4069: Why? for what reason?

have you not
לֹ֣א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

kept
שָׁמַ֔רְתָּ (šā·mar·tā)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 8104: To hedge about, guard, to protect, attend to

your oath
שְׁבֻעַ֣ת (šə·ḇu·‘aṯ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 7621: Something sworn, an oath

to the LORD
יְהוָ֑ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

and
וְאֶת־ (wə·’eṯ-)
Conjunctive waw | Direct object marker
Strong's 853: Untranslatable mark of the accusative case

the command
הַמִּצְוָ֖ה (ham·miṣ·wāh)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 4687: Commandment

that
אֲשֶׁר־ (’ă·šer-)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

I gave you?”
צִוִּ֥יתִי (ṣiw·wî·ṯî)
Verb - Piel - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 6680: To lay charge (upon), give charge (to), command, order


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OT History: 1 Kings 2:43 Why then have you not kept (1Ki iKi i Ki 1 Kg 1kg)
1 Kings 2:42
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