1 Kings 2:40

The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

Contextual Overview

³⁵And the king appointed Benaiah son of Jehoiada in Joab's place over the army, and he appointed Zadok the priest in Abiathar's place. ³⁶Then the king summoned Shimei and said to him, "Build a house for yourself in Jerusalem and live there, but do not go anywhere else. ³⁷On the day you go out and cross the Kidron Valley, know for sure that you will die; your blood will be on your own head." ³⁸"The sentence is fair," Shimei replied. "Your servant will do as my lord the king has spoken." And Shimei lived in Jerusalem for a long time. ³⁹After three years, however, two of Shimei's slaves ran away to Achish son of Maacah, king of Gath. And Shimei was told, "Behold, your slaves are in Gath." ⁴⁰So Shimei saddled his donkey and set out to Achish at Gath in search of his slaves, and he brought them back from Gath.⁴¹When it was reported to Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned, 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.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

arose: Proverbs 15:27, Luke 12:15, 1 Timothy 6:10

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 27:2 - Achish 2 Kings 12:17 - against Gath

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Shimei arose, and saddled his ass, and went to Gath to Achish to seek his servants,.... And demand them; through the passion he was in with his servants, and his hurry to get them home, and the covetous disposition which prevailed on him, he might forget, or be tempted to neglect, the prohibition he was under not to go out of Jerusalem; or he might think Solomon had forgot it; or that he could come and go secretly without his knowledge; or if he should know of it, he might hope he would never punish him with death for so small a fault; however, so it was ordered by the providence of God leaving him to his own lust, and the temptations of Satan, that he might suffer just punishment for cursing David:

and Shimei went and brought his servants from Gath; for the king being at peace with Israel, and a tributary to them also, did not choose to detain them, but delivered them up lest it should be resented, and bring him into trouble.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Kings 2:40. And Shimei - went to Gath — It is astonishing that with his eyes wide open he would thus run into the jaws of death.