New King James Version
1 Kings 2:3
3And keep the charge of the Lord your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn;
1 Kings 2:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And keep the 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:
- New International Version (NIV)and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go
- English Standard Version (ESV)and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn,
- New Living Translation (NLT)Observe the requirements of the Lord your God, and follow all his ways. Keep the decrees, commands, regulations, and laws written in the Law of Moses so that you will be successful in all you do and wherever you go.
Context of 1 Kings 2:3
1Now the days of David drew near that he should die, and he charged Solomon his son, saying: 2“I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man. And keep the charge of the Lord your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn; 4that the Lord may fulfill His word which He spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons take heed to their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul,’ He said, ‘you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’ 5“Moreover you know also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner and Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed. And he shed the blood of war in peacetime, and put the blood of war on his belt that was around his waist, and on his sandals that were on his feet.
Read all of 1 Kings 21 Kings 2:3 word by word
וְשָׁמַרְתָּ֞ אֶת־מִשְׁמֶ֣רֶת׀ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֗יךָ לָלֶ֤כֶת בִּדְרָכָיו֙ לִשְׁמֹ֨ר חֻקֹּתָ֤יו מִצְוֹתָיו֙ וּמִשְׁפָּטָ֣יו וְעֵדְוֹתָ֔יו כַּכָּת֖וּב בְּתוֹרַ֣ת מֹשֶׁ֑ה לְמַ֣עַן תַּשְׂכִּ֗יל אֵ֚ת כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֣ר תַּֽעֲשֶׂ֔ה וְאֵ֛ת כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֥ר תִּפְנֶ֖ה שָֽׁם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And keepשָׁמַרshâmar · to keep: obeyH8104
- the chargeמִשְׁמֶ֫רֶתmishmereth · chargeH4931
- of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- thy Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- to walkיָלַךְyâlak · to walkH3212
- in his waysדֶּ֫רֶךְderek · way: conductH1870
- his statutesחֻקָּהchûqqâh · statuteH2708
- and his commandmentsמִצְוָהmitsvâh · commandmentH4687
- and his judgmentsמִשְׁפָּטmishpâţ · justice: judgementH4941
- and his testimoniesעֵדוּת‛êdûth · testimonyH5715
- as it is writtenכָּתַבkâthab · to writeH3789
- in the lawתּוֹרָהtôrâh tôrâh · instructionH8451
- of Mosesמֹשֶׁהmôsheh · MosesH4872
- that thou mayest prosperשָׂכַלώâkal · be prudentH7919
- in all that thou doestעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
- and whithersoever thou turnestפָּנָהpânâh · to turnH6437
Cross-references for 1 Kings 2:3
- Deuteronomy 29:9Therefore keep the words of this covenant, and do them, that you may prosper in all that you do.
- Joshua 1:7Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.
- Joshua 22:5But take careful heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
- 1 Chronicles 22:12Only may the Lord give you wisdom and understanding, and give you charge concerning Israel, that you may keep the law of the Lord your God.
- 1 Chronicles 28:8Now therefore, in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the Lord, and in the hearing of our God, be careful to seek out all the commandments of the Lord your God, that you may possess this good land, and leave it as an inheritance for your children after you forever.
- 1 Chronicles 29:19And give my son Solomon a loyal heart to keep Your commandments and Your testimonies and Your statutes, to do all these things, and to build the temple for which I have made provision.”
- Deuteronomy 4:1“Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe, that you may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers is giving you.
- Deuteronomy 5:1And Moses called all Israel, and said to them: “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your hearing today, that you may learn them and be careful to observe them.
- Deuteronomy 6:1“Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the Lord your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess,
- Deuteronomy 4:45These are the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which Moses spoke to the children of Israel after they came out of Egypt,
- Psalms 19:7The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;
- Psalms 119:2Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, Who seek Him with the whole heart!
- Deuteronomy 17:18“Also it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one before the priests, the Levites.
- Malachi 4:4“Remember the Law of Moses, My servant, Which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, With the statutes and judgments.
- 1 Samuel 18:5So David went out wherever Saul sent him, and behaved wisely. And Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.
- 2 Chronicles 31:20Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah, and he did what was good and right and true before the Lord his God.
Commentaries on 1 Kings 2:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Keep the charge of the Lord - Keep what God has given thee to keep. Walk in his ways. Not in thine own, nor in the ways of a wicked, perishing world. Keep his statutes. Consider all his appointments to be holy, just, and good; receive them as such, and conscientiously observe them. Keep his commandments. Whatever he has bidden thee to do, perform; what he has forbidden thee to do, omit. Keep his judgments. What he has determined to be right, is…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3The “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 Psalm 19:7-8.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2-4David advised Solomon to follow the spiritual and ethical rules from Deuteronomy and the covenant through Moses (see Leviticus 18:4–5; Deuteronomy 5:33; 6:4–5; 8:6; 10:12). He also mentioned the promises of the covenant with David (2 Samuel 7:12–16, 25). If Solomon followed God's rules, his heir would receive God's blessings and pass them to future generations (Psalm 89:3–4, 20, 24, 27–37). The most important heir of David was the Messiah. The Messiah…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. keep the charge of the Lord thy God--that is, the divine law in all its ceremonial as well as moral requirements. But particular reference was intended to its political institutions, as it was only by strictly maintaining the conduct that became the Hebrew monarch (De 17:10-20), that he would secure the blessing of peace and prosperity to his reign (see on De 4:5; De 29:10).Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Kings 2:3
In the dictionaries
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries