Therefore the king said to Shimei, “You shall not die.” And the king swore to him.
Parallel translations
- WEB The king said to Shimei, “You will not die.” The king swore to him.
- KJV Therefore the king said unto Shimei, Thou shalt not die. And the king sware unto him.
- BSB So the king said to Shimei, “You shall not die.” And the king swore an oath to him.
- NASB So the king said to Shimei, “You shall not die.” The king also swore to him.
- NLT Then, turning to Shimei, David vowed, “Your life will be spared.”
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 swore to Shimei that he would not die. It matters because the king extended a solemn pledge of mercy to a man who had grievously wronged him.
Overview
David sealed his pardon with an oath, sparing Shimei's life despite his earlier cursing. The act displayed grace and a desire to begin his renewed reign in peace. Yet it remained a personal oath; David would later charge Solomon regarding Shimei, showing mercy and justice held in tension.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- 1 Kgs 2:8–9“Behold, there is with you Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite, of Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim; but he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to him by Yahweh, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’
- 1 Kgs 2:46So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he went out, and fell on him, so that he died. The kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.
- 1 Kgs 2:37For on the day you go out and pass over the brook Kidron, know for certain that you will surely die. Your blood will be on your own head.”
- 1 Sam 28:10Saul swore to her by Yahweh, saying, “As Yahweh lives, no punishment will happen to you for this thing.”
- 1 Sam 30:15David said to him, “Will you bring me down to this troop?” He said, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me and not deliver me up into the hands of my master, and I will bring you down to this troop.”
- Heb 6:16For men indeed swear by a greater one, and in every dispute of theirs the oath is final for confirmation.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
God's covenant with David — a son whose throne and kingdom would last forever (7:12–16) — finds its yes in Jesus, the Son of David who reigns without end.
How 2 Samuel 19:23 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.