2:2 I go the a way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore,
and shew thyself a man;
(a) I am ready to die as all men must.
2:3 And keep the b charge of the LORD thy God, to walk in his
ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his
judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law
of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest,
and whithersoever thou turnest thyself:
(b) He shows how hard it is to govern and that no one can do
it well except he obey God.
2:4 That the LORD may continue his word which he spake
concerning me, saying, If thy children take heed to their
way, to walk before me in c truth with all their heart and
with all their soul, there shall not fail thee (said he) a
man on the throne of Israel.
(c) Without hypocrisy.
2:5 Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did
to me, [and] what he did to the two captains of the hosts of
Israel, unto Abner the son of Ner, and unto Amasa the son of
Jether, whom he slew, and d shed the blood of war in
peace, and e put the blood of war upon his girdle that
[was] about his loins, and in his shoes that [were] on his
feet.
(d) He shed his blood in time of peace, as if there had been
war.
(e) He put the bloody sword into his sheath.
2:7 But shew kindness unto the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite,
and let them be of those that eat at thy table: f for so
they came to me when I fled because of Absalom thy brother.
(f) That is, they dealt mercifully with me.
2:9 Now therefore hold him not guiltless: for thou [art] a wise
man, and knowest what thou oughtest to do unto him; but his
hoar head bring thou down to the grave with g blood.
(g) Let him be punished with death, see (1Ki 2:46).
2:13 And Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the
mother of Solomon. And she said, h Comest thou peaceably?
And he said, Peaceably.
(h) For she was afraid lest he would work treason against
the king.
2:15 And he said, Thou knowest that the kingdom was mine, and
[that] all Israel i set their faces on me, that I should
reign: howbeit the kingdom is turned about, and is become
my brother's: for it was his from the LORD.
(i) In sign of their favour and consent.
2:19 Bathsheba therefore went unto king Solomon, to speak unto
him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her, and k
bowed himself unto her, and sat down on his throne, and
caused a seat to be set for the king's mother; and she sat
on his right hand.
(k) In token of reverence, and that others by his example
might have her in greater honour.
2:22 And king Solomon answered and said unto his mother, And why
dost thou ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? ask for
him the l kingdom also; for he [is] mine elder brother;
even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the
son of Zeruiah.
(l) Meaning, that if he would have granted Abishag, who was
so dear to his father, he would later have aspired for
the kingdom.
2:26 And unto Abiathar the priest said the king, Get thee to
Anathoth, unto thine own fields; for thou [art] worthy of
death: but I will not at this time put thee to death,
because thou m barest the ark of the Lord GOD before
David my father, and because thou hast been afflicted in
all wherein my father was afflicted.
2:28 Then tidings came to Joab: for Joab had n turned after
Adonijah, though he turned not after Absalom. And Joab fled
unto the tabernacle of the LORD, and caught hold on the
horns of the altar.
(n) He took Adonijah's part when he would have usurped the
kingdom (1Ki 1:7).
2:29 And it was told king Solomon that Joab was fled unto the
tabernacle of the LORD; and, behold, [he is] by the o
altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada,
saying, Go, fall upon him.
(o) Thinking to be saved by the holiness of the place.
2:31 And the king said unto him, Do as he hath said, and p
fall upon him, and bury him; that thou mayest take away the
innocent blood, which Joab shed, from me, and from the
house of my father.
(p) For it was lawful to take the wilful murderer from
the altar, (Ex 21:14).
2:33 Their blood shall therefore return upon the q head of
Joab, and upon the head of his seed for ever: but upon
David, and upon his seed, and upon his house, and upon his
throne, shall there be peace for ever from the LORD.
(q) Joab will be justly punished for the blood that he has
cruelly shed.
2:35 And the king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his room
over the host: and Zadok the r priest did the king put in
the room of Abiathar.
(r) And so took the office of high priest from the house of
Eli, and restored it to the house of Phinehas.
2:39 And it came to pass at the end of three years, that two of
the s servants of Shimei ran away unto Achish son of
Maachah king of Gath. And they told Shimei, saying,
Behold, thy servants [be] in Gath.
(s) Thus God appoints the ways and means to bring his just
judgments on the wicked.
2:40 And Shimei arose, and saddled his ass, and went to Gath to
Achish to seek his servants: and t Shimei went, and
brought his servants from Gath.
(t) His covetous mind moved him to risk his life, rather
than to lose the worldly profit he had by his servants.
2:44 The king said moreover to Shimei, u 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;
(u) For though you would deny it, your own conscience
accuses you for reviling and doing wrong to my father,
(2Sa 16:5).
2:46 So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; which
went out, and fell upon him, that he died. And the kingdom
was x established in the hand of Solomon.
