Now therefore hold him not guiltless: for thou art a wise man, and knowest what thou oughtest to do unto him; but his hoar head bring thou down to the grave with blood.
Parallel translations
- WEB Now therefore don’t hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man; and you will know what you ought to do to him, and you shall bring his gray head down to Sheol with blood.”
- BSB Now therefore, do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man. You know what you ought to do to him to bring his gray head down to Sheol in blood.”
- NKJV Now therefore, do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man and know what you ought to do to him; but bring his gray hair down to the grave with blood.”
- NASB But now do not leave him unpunished, for you are a wise man; and you will know what to do to him, and you will bring his gray hair down to Sheol with blood.”
- NLT But that oath does not make him innocent. You are a wise man, and you will know how to arrange a bloody death for him.”
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
David tells Solomon not to hold Shimei guiltless but to deal with him wisely. Bound by his own oath, David leaves the matter to Solomon's discretion.
Overview
Because David personally swore not to kill Shimei, he entrusts the unresolved guilt to his wise son to handle. Solomon later gives Shimei terms that, when broken, justly bring about his end. Interpreters differ on how much grace versus vengeance is in view; the narrative presents it as securing the kingdom and upholding justice while honoring David's oath.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- 1 Kgs 2:6Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoar head go down to the grave in peace.
- Gen 44:31It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die: and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave.
- Gen 42:38And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.
- Exod 20:7Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
- Exod 22:28Thou shalt not revile the gods, nor curse the ruler of thy people.
- Job 9:28I am afraid of all my sorrows, I know that thou wilt not hold me innocent.
- Num 32:23But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.
- 1 Kgs 3:12Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.
- 1 Kgs 3:28And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment.
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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 2:9 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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