Then the king summoned Shimei and said to him, “Build a house for yourself in Jerusalem and live there, but do not go anywhere else.
Parallel translations
- WEB The king sent and called for Shimei, and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem, and live there, and don’t go anywhere else.
- KJV And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him, Build thee an house in Jerusalem, and dwell there, and go not forth thence any whither.
- NKJV Then the king sent and called for Shimei, and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and dwell there, and do not go out from there anywhere.
- NASB Now the king sent men and summoned Shimei, and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, and do not leave there for any other place.
- NLT The king then sent for Shimei and told him, “Build a house here in Jerusalem and live there. But don’t step outside the city to go anywhere else.
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 confines Shimei to Jerusalem, forbidding him to leave. The restriction is a gracious probation for a man who had cursed David.
Overview
Shimei had cursed David during Absalom's revolt and deserved death, but David had sworn not to kill him. Solomon places him under house arrest in Jerusalem rather than executing him outright, granting conditional clemency. The arrangement tests Shimei's obedience and shows mercy bounded by clear terms, much as God's patience sets limits on the unrepentant.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- 2 Sam 16:5–9As King David approached Bahurim, a man from the family of the house of Saul was just coming out. His name was Shimei son of Gera, and as he approached, he kept yelling out curses.
- 1 Kgs 2:8–9Keep an eye on Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim who is with you. He called down bitter curses against me on the day I went to Mahanaim, but when he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the LORD: ‘I will never put you to the sword.’
- Prov 20:8A king who sits on a throne to judge sifts out all evil with his eyes.
- 2 Sam 14:24But the king added, “He may return to his house, but he must not see my face.” So Absalom returned to his own house, but he did not see the king.
- 1 Kgs 1:53So King Solomon summoned Adonijah down from the altar, and he came and bowed down before King Solomon, who said to him, “Go to your home.”
- Prov 20:26A wise king separates out the wicked and drives the threshing wheel over them.
- 2 Sam 14:28Now Absalom lived in Jerusalem two years without seeing the face of the king.
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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 2:36 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
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