And king Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him that he died.
Parallel translations
- WEB King Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell on him, so that he died.
- BSB So King Solomon sent the order to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who struck down Adonijah, and he died.
- NKJV So King Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he struck him down, and he died.
- NASB Then King Solomon sent the order by Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he struck him so that he died.
- NLT So King Solomon ordered Benaiah son of Jehoiada to execute him, and Adonijah was put to death.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Solomon sends Benaiah to execute Adonijah, and the sentence is carried out. The chief rival to the throne is removed and the kingdom secured.
Overview
Benaiah, Solomon's trusted enforcer, carries out the king's judgment on Adonijah. The execution, though severe to modern ears, follows ancient royal practice for treason and fulfills Solomon's sworn word. With the pretender gone, the throne God established is no longer contested from within David's own house.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- 2 Sam 8:18And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over both the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David’s sons were chief rulers.
- 1 Sam 15:33And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.
- Judg 8:20–21And he said unto Jether his firstborn, Up, and slay them. But the youth drew not his sword: for he feared, because he was yet a youth.
- 2 Sam 1:15And David called one of the young men, and said, Go near, and fall upon him. And he smote him that he died.
- 1 Kgs 2:31And 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.
- 2 Sam 4:12And David commanded his young men, and they slew them, and cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them up over the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth, and buried it in the sepulchre of Abner in Hebron.
- 1 Kgs 2:46So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; which went out, and fell upon him, that he died. And the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.
- 1 Kgs 2:34So Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up, and fell upon him, and slew him: and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Solomon's glory, wisdom, and temple where God's presence dwells are a shadow of the greater Son of David — 'one greater than Solomon is here' — and of the true Temple, Christ himself.
How 1 Kings 2:25 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.