1 Kings 2:3

The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

Contextual Overview

¹As the time drew near for David to die, he charged his son Solomon, ²"I am about to go the way of all of the earth. So be strong and prove yourself a man. ³And keep the charge of the LORD your God to walk in His ways and to keep His statutes, commandments, ordinances, and decrees, as is written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you turn,⁴and so that the LORD may fulfill His promise to me: 'If your descendants take heed to walk faithfully before Me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.' ⁵Moreover, you know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me and what he did to Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether, the two commanders of the armies of Israel. He killed them in peacetime to avenge the blood of war. He stained with the blood of war the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet. ⁶So act according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace. ⁷But show loving devotion to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table, because they stood by me when I fled from your brother Absalom. ⁸Keep an eye on Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite with you from Bahurim who called down bitter curses against me on the day I went to Mahanaim. But he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to him by the LORD: 'I will never kill you with the sword.' ⁹Now therefore, do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man. You know what you ought to do to him to bring his gray head down to Sheol in blood." ¹⁰Then David rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

And keep: Deuteronomy 29:9, Joshua 1:7, Joshua 22:5, 1 Chronicles 22:12, 1 Chronicles 22:13, 1 Chronicles 28:8, 1 Chronicles 28:9, 1 Chronicles 29:19

statutes: Deuteronomy 4:1, Deuteronomy 4:5, Deuteronomy 4:8, Deuteronomy 5:1, Deuteronomy 6:1, Deuteronomy 6:2

testimonies: Deuteronomy 4:45, Psalms 19:7, Psalms 119:2, Psalms 119:111, Psalms 119:138

written: Deuteronomy 17:18-20, Malachi 4:4

that thou: Deuteronomy 29:9

prosper: or, do wisely, Joshua 1:7, Joshua 1:8, *marg. 1 Samuel 18:5, 1 Samuel 18:14, 1 Samuel 18:30, 2 Chronicles 31:20, 2 Chronicles 31:21, Psalms 1:2, Psalms 1:3, Psalms 119:98-100, Proverbs 3:1-4

whithersoever: 2 Samuel 8:6, 2 Samuel 8:14, 2 Kings 18:7

Reciprocal: Genesis 24:40 - before Leviticus 8:35 - keep Deuteronomy 26:17 - and to 1 Kings 3:3 - walking 1 Kings 3:14 - if thou 1 Kings 6:12 - if thou wilt 2 Chronicles 7:17 - if thou wilt Nehemiah 1:7 - the commandments Zechariah 3:7 - if thou wilt keep 2 Peter 1:14 - shortly

Cross-References

Genesis 2:2
And by the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on that day He rested from all His work.

Genesis 2:3
Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on that day He rested from all the work of creation that He had accomplished.

Genesis 2:4
This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made them.

Genesis 2:7
Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.

Genesis 2:8
And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, where He placed the man He had formed.

Genesis 2:10
Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it branched into four headwaters:

Genesis 2:11
The name of the first river is Pishon; it winds through the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold.

Genesis 2:12
And the gold of that land is pure, and bdellium and onyx are found there.

Genesis 2:13
The name of the second river is Gihon; it winds through the whole land of Cush.

Genesis 2:14
The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it runs along the east side of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And keep the charge of the Lord thy God,.... Which may in general respect his whole walk and conversation, and his obedience to the law and will of God; and in particular his just government of Israel committed to his charge:

to walk in his ways; directed to in his word:

to keep his statutes and his judgments; his laws, ceremonial, moral, and judicial:

and his testimonies; as the above laws, which testify of his mind, and declare what he would have done and observed:

as it is written in the law of Moses; which a king of Israel was obliged to write a copy of, keep by him, and read it, and rule according to it, Deuteronomy 17:18:

that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself; to reign in righteousness, and according to the law of God, is the only way to have a prosperous and happy reign: or "that thou mayest act wisely" p; the law of God furnishing out the best rules of government and maxims of policy; see Deuteronomy 4:6.

p למען תשכיל "ut prudenter agas", Montanus, Tigurine version; "ut intelligas universa", V. L.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The “statutes” have been explained to be the positive ordinances of the Law; the “commandments” the moral precepts, not to steal, etc.; the “judgments” the laws belonging to civil government; and the “testimonies” the laws directing the commemoration of certain events. Compare Psalms 19:7-8.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Kings 2:3. Keep the charge of the Lord — Keep what God has given thee to keep.

1. Walk in his ways. Not in thine own, nor in the ways of a wicked, perishing world.

2. Keep his statutes. Consider all his appointments to be holy, just, and good; receive them as such, and conscientiously observe them.

3. Keep his commandments. Whatever he has bidden thee to do, perform; what he has forbidden thee to do, omit.

4. Keep his judgments. What he has determined to be right, is essentially and inherently right; what he has determined to be wrong or evil, is inherently and essentially so. A thing is not good because God has commanded it; a thing is not evil because he has forbidden it. He has commanded the good, because it is in its own nature good and useful; he has forbidden the evil, because it is in its own nature bad and hurtful. Keep therefore his judgments.

5. Keep his testimonies. Bear witness to all to which he has borne witness. His testimonies are true; there is no deceit or falsity in them. His testimonies refer also to future good things and good times; they are the significators of coming blessedness: as such, respect them.

That thou mayest prosper — If thou hast God's approbation, thou wilt have God's blessing. If thy ways please him, he will not withhold from thee any manner of thing that is good.