1 Kings 2:31

1 Kings 2:31 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And the king said unto him, Do as he hath said, and 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.
• New International Version (NIV)Then the king commanded Benaiah, “Do as he says. Strike him down and bury him, and so clear me and my whole family of the guilt of the innocent blood that Joab shed.
• English Standard Version (ESV)The king replied to him, "Do as he has said, strike him down and bury him, and thus take away from me and from my father's house the guilt for the blood that Joab shed without cause.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then the king said to him, “Do as he has said, and strike him down and bury him, that you may take away from me and from the house of my father the innocent blood which Joab shed.

Context of 1 Kings 2:31

29It was reported to King Solomon, “Joab has fled to the Lord’s tabernacle and is now beside the altar.” Then Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada and told him, “Go and strike him down!” 30So Benaiah went to the tabernacle and said to Joab, “This is what the king says: ‘Come out!’” But Joab said, “No, for I will die here.” So Benaiah took a message back to the king, “This is what Joab said, and this is how he answered me.” The king said to him, “Do just as he says. Strike him down and bury him in order to remove from me and from my father’s family the blood that Joab shed without just cause. 32The Lord will bring back his own blood on his head because he struck down two men more righteous and better than he, without my father David’s knowledge. With his sword, Joab murdered Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel’s army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army. 33The responsibility for their deaths will come back to Joab and to his descendants forever, but for David, his descendants, his dynasty, and his throne, there will be peace from the Lord forever.”

1 Kings 2:31 word by word

וַיֹּ֧אמֶר ל֣וֹ הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ עֲשֵׂה֙ כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר דִּבֶּ֔ר וּפְגַע־בּ֖וֹ וּקְבַרְתּ֑וֹ וַהֲסִירֹ֣תָ׀ דְּמֵ֣י חִנָּ֗ם אֲשֶׁר֙ שָׁפַ֣ךְ יוֹאָ֔ב מֵעָלַ֕י וּמֵעַ֖ל בֵּ֥ית אָבִֽי׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
• saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• unto him, Doעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
• as he hath saidדָבַרdâbar · to speak: speakH1696
• and fallפָּגַעpâga‛ · to fall onH6293
• upon him, and buryקָבַרqâbar · to buryH6912
• him; that thou mayest take awayסוּרsûr ώûr · to turn aside: removeH5493
• the innocentחִנָּםchinnâm · for nothingH2600
• bloodדָּםdâm · bloodH1818
• which Joabיוֹאָבyô'âb · JoabH3097
• shedשָׁפַךְshâphak · to pour: killH8210
• from me, and from the houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: householdH1004
• of my fatherאָב'âb · fatherH1

Cross-references for 1 Kings 2:31

• Exodus 21:14If a person schemes and willfully acts against his neighbor to murder him, you must take him from my altar to be put to death.
• Genesis 9:5And I will require a penalty for your lifeblood; I will require it from any animal and from any human; if someone murders a fellow human, I will require that person’s life.
• Numbers 35:33“Do not defile the land where you live, for bloodshed defiles the land, and there can be no atonement for the land because of the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of the person who shed it.
• Deuteronomy 19:12the elders of his city are to send for him, take him from there, and hand him over to the avenger of blood and he will die.
• Deuteronomy 21:8Lord, wipe away the guilt of your people Israel whom you redeemed, and do not hold the shedding of innocent blood against them.’ Then the responsibility for bloodshed will be wiped away from them.
• 2 Kings 9:26‘As surely as I saw the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons yesterday’ — this is the Lord’s declaration — ‘so will I repay you on this plot of land’ — this is the Lord’s declaration. So now, according to the word of the Lord, pick him up and throw him on the plot of land.”
• Proverbs 28:17Someone burdened by bloodguilt will be a fugitive until death. Let no one help him.
• Acts 28:4When the local people saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “This man, no doubt, is a murderer. Even though he has escaped the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.”
• 1 Kings 2:5“You also know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me and what he did to the two commanders of Israel’s army, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. He murdered them in a time of peace to avenge blood shed in war. He spilled that blood on his own waistband and on the sandals of his feet.
• 2 Samuel 3:28David heard about it later and said, “I and my kingdom are forever innocent before the Lord concerning the blood of Abner son of Ner.

Commentaries on 1 Kings 2:31

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 31It was only a murderer to whom the tabernacle was to be no protection (margin reference). Hence, the reference to the “innocent blood.”Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 26-34Verses 26-34 Solomon's words to Abiathar, and his silence, imply that some recent conspiracies had been entered into. Those that show kindness to God's people shall have it remembered to their advantage. For this reason Solomon spares Abiathar's life, but dismisses him from his offices. In case of such sins as the blood of beasts would atone for, the altar was a refuge, but not in Joab's case. Solomon looks upward to God as the Author of peace, and…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 26-35Solomon believed that Adonijah's main supporters, Abiathar and Joab, were still part of Adonijah's plans, so he took action against them too.Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Kings 2:31

• Government
• Homicide
• Joab

In the dictionaries

• Joab
• Curse
• Fail
• Gibeon
• Gone
• Return
• Solomon
• Abishag
• Adonijah
• Innocence; Innocency; Innocent

Commentaries on 1 Kings 2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings