Their blood will come back upon the heads of Joab and his descendants forever; but for David, his descendants, his house, and his throne, there shall be peace from the LORD forever.”
Parallel translations
- WEB So their blood will return on the head of Joab, and on the head of his offspring forever. But for David, for his offspring, for his house, and for his throne, there will be peace forever from Yahweh.”
- KJV Their blood shall therefore return upon the head of Joab, and upon the head of his seed for ever: but upon David, and upon his seed, and upon his house, and upon his throne, shall there be peace for ever from the LORD.
- NKJV Their blood shall therefore return upon the head of Joab and upon the head of his descendants forever. But upon David and his descendants, upon his house and his throne, there shall be peace forever from the Lord.”
- NASB So their blood shall return on the head of Joab and on the head of his descendants forever; but for David and his descendants, and his house and his throne, may there be peace from the Lord forever.”
- NLT May their blood be on Joab and his descendants forever, and may the Lord grant peace forever to David, his descendants, his dynasty, and his throne.”
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
Joab's bloodguilt rests on him and his descendants, while David's house receives lasting peace from Yahweh. The contrast sets the guilty against the covenant blessing on David's line.
Overview
Solomon pronounces enduring consequence on Joab's offspring but everlasting peace upon David's throne, grounded in the LORD's covenant. The promise of peace 'forever from Yahweh' reaches beyond Solomon to the greater Son of David, the Prince of Peace whose reign has no end. Judgment on sin and blessing on the covenant line stand side by side.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Matt 27:25All the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!”
- 1 Kgs 2:32The LORD will bring his bloodshed back upon his own head, for without the knowledge of my father David he struck down two men more righteous and better than he when he put to the sword Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel’s army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army.
- Isa 9:6–7For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
- Prov 25:5Remove the wicked from the king’s presence, and his throne will be established in righteousness.
- Ps 109:6–15Set over him a wicked man; let an accuser stand at his right hand.
- Ps 132:12If your sons keep My covenant and the testimony I will teach them, then their sons will also sit on your throne forever and ever.”
- Ps 89:36–37his offspring shall endure forever, and his throne before Me like the sun,
- 2 Kgs 5:27Therefore, the leprosy of Naaman will cling to you and your descendants forever!” And as Gehazi left his presence, he was leprous—as white as snow.
- Ps 89:29I will establish his line forever, his throne as long as the heavens endure.
- Isa 11:1–9Then a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.
- Luke 2:14“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests!”
- 2 Sam 3:28–29Afterward, David heard about this and said, “I and my kingdom are forever guiltless before the LORD concerning the blood of Abner son of Ner.
- Ps 101:8Every morning I will remove all the wicked of the land, that I may cut off every evildoer from the city of the LORD.
- Luke 1:31–33Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 2:33 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.