1 Kings 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 shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loins, and in his shoes that were on his feet.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
knowest	יָדַ֡עְתָּ ya.Da'.ta	H3045	to know (properly · verb, qal perfect, 2nd person masculine singular
Joab	יוֹאָ֣ב yo.'Av	H3097	Joab · proper noun, a man's name
son	בֶּן ben-	H1121	a son (as a builder of the family name) · noun, common masculine singular construct
Zeruiah	צְרוּיָ֗ה tze.ru.Yah	H6870	Tserujah · proper noun, a woman's name
did	עָ֨שָׂה 'A.sah	H6213	to do or make · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
did	עָשָׂ֣ה 'a.Sah	H6213	to do or make · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
two	לִשְׁנֵֽי

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

2 Samuel 3:27 And when Abner was returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the gate to speak with him quietly, and smote him there under the fifth rib, t…
2 Samuel 20:10 But Amasa took no heed to the sword that was in Joab’s hand: so he smote him therewith in the fifth rib, and shed out his bowels to the grou…
2 Samuel 18:5 And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom. And all the people…
2 Samuel 18:12 And the man said unto Joab, Though I should receive a thousand shekels of silver in mine hand, yet would I not put forth mine hand against t…
2 Samuel 3:39 And I am this day weak, though anointed king; and these men the sons of Zeruiah be too hard for me: the LORD shall reward the doer of evil a…
2 Samuel 18:14 Then said Joab, I may not tarry thus with thee. And he took three darts in his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom, while he…
2 Samuel 2:18 And there were three sons of Zeruiah there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel: and Asahel was as light of foot as a wild roe.
2 Samuel 17:25 And Absalom made Amasa captain of the host instead of Joab: which Amasa was a man’s son, whose name was Ithra an Israelite, that went in to…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Kings 2:5

thou knowest also what Joab . . . did--The insolent and imperious conduct of that general had not only been deeply offensive to the feelings (Sa2 18:5-15; Sa2 19:5-7), but calculated to bring reproach on the character, to injure the prospects, and endanger the throne of David. Passing over the injuries committed directly against himself, David dwelt with strong feelings on the base assassination of Abner and Amasa. shed the blood of war in peace, &c.--The obvious meaning is, that in peace he acted towards them as if they had been in a state of warfare; but perhaps these graphic expressions might be designed to impress Solomon's mind more strongly with a sense of the malice, treachery, and…

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Adam Clarke on 1 Kings 2:5

Thou knowest - what Joab - did to me - He did every thing bad and dishonorable in itself, in the murder of Abner and Amasa, and indeed in the death of the profligate Absalom. Shed the blood of war - upon his girdle - and in his shoes - He stabbed them while he pretended to embrace them, so that their blood gushed out on his girdle, and fell into his shoes! This was a most abominable aggravation of his crimes.

John Gill on 1 Kings 2:5

Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did unto me,.... In slaying Absalom, contrary to his orders, and in behaving insolently towards him on account of his mourning for him, and at other times; but as these things might not be personally known to Solomon, only by hearsay, this may respect his disloyalty towards him, in joining with Adonijah, who set himself up for king in his lifetime, and without his knowledge and consent; or it may respect the instances next mentioned, in which he did injury to the interest, honour, and character of David: and, or "even", what he did to the two captains of the host of Israel, unto Abner the son of Ner, and unto Amasa the son of Jether,…

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Keil & Delitzsch on 1 Kings 2:1-11

The Church Fathers

[David] orders Solomon to punish [Joab], not out of viciousness or hatred for him but because he knew that he was wicked and that, if he had acted with hostility against him who was a mature man, he would act even worse against a young man, so that the kingdom would become unstable, and the house would not be firmly established. Therefore he entrusts his son with the revenge against him who had offended him, in order that, after the killing of that evil man by the hand of the new king, he might be feared by everyone, and no revolt might ever occur.
— Ishodad of Merv, BOOKS OF SESSIONS 1 KINGS 2:5-6

It is inquired how David — who bears no grudge and is gentle — having pardoned Shimei, charges Solomon to kill him, and Joab too, who had toiled alongside him. Why, then, was this so arranged? Being wise, David knew that Solomon would not allow Shimei to live, for fear of an uprising — since, as from a royal dignity, he was going to fight Solomon over the kingdom — nor Joab, as one who, apart from David's judgment, had established David's son as king, and who moreover had killed Abner, though he had toiled alongside the father in many wars and had achieved success. Foreseeing these things, David charges Solomon beforehand to do what Solomon would in any case have done of himself, so that when the aforementioned men are killed by him — that is, by Solomon — Solomon might have excuse, as having fulfilled his father's will and not having been moved against them of his own accord.
— Origen of Alexandria, FRAGMENTS ON KINGDOMS 19

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Abner — Father of light; i.e., “enlightening”, the son of Ner and uncle of Saul. He was commander-in-chief of Saul’s army (1 Sam. 14:50; 17:55; 20:25). He first introduced David to the court of Saul after…
David — Beloved, the eighth and youngest son of Jesse, a citizen of Bethlehem. His father seems to have been a man in humble life. His mother’s name is not recorded. Some think she was the Nahash of 2 Sam.…
Girdle — (1.) Heb. hagor, a girdle of any kind worn by soldiers (1 Sam. 18:4; 2 Sam. 20:8; 1 Kings 2:5; 2 Kings 3:21) or women (Isa. 3:24). (2.) Heb. ‘ezor, something “bound,” worn by prophets (2 Kings 1:8;…
Jether — Surplus; excellence. (1.) Father-in-law of Moses (Ex. 4:18 marg.), called elsewhere Jethro (q.v.). (2.) The oldest of Gideon’s seventy sons (Judg. 8:20). (3.) The father of Amasa, David’s general (1…
Joab — Jehovah is his father. (1.) One of the three sons of Zeruiah, David’s sister, and “captain of the host” during the whole of David’s reign (2 Sam. 2:13; 10:7; 11:1; 1 Kings 11:15). His father’s name…
Murder — Wilful murder was distinguished from accidental homicide, and was invariably visited with capital punishment (Num. 35:16, 18, 21, 31; Lev. 24:17). This law in its principle is founded on the fact of…
Solomon — Peaceful, (Heb. Shelomoh), David’s second son by Bathsheba, i.e., the first after their legal marriage (2 Sam. 12). He was probably born about B.C. 1035 (1 Chr. 22:5; 29:1). He succeeded his father…
Amasa · .Sam — .Sam
Evil For Good · .To Joab — .To Joab
Friends · .David was false to Joab — .David was false to Joab
Girdles · Worn upon the loins — Worn upon the loins

1 Kings 2:5

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Kings 2:5

Adam Clarke on 1 Kings 2:5

John Gill on 1 Kings 2:5

Keil & Delitzsch on 1 Kings 2:1-11

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

1 Kings 2:5

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Kings 2:5

Adam Clarke on 1 Kings 2:5

John Gill on 1 Kings 2:5

Keil & Delitzsch on 1 Kings 2:1-11

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Tyndale Open Study Notes on 1 Kings 2:5-6

Rashi on 1 Kings 2:5