“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.’

World English Bible · Public Domain

Parallel Translations

  • WEB World English Bible

    “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.’

  • KJV King James Version

    And, behold, thou hast with thee Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite of Bahurim, which cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim: but he came down to meet me at Jordan, and I sware to him by the LORD, saying, I will not put thee to death with the sword.

  • JPS JPS Tanakh (1917)

    And, behold, there is with thee 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 the LORD, saying: I will not put thee to death with the sword.

View more translations →

Examined in Scripture Analysis

Contradictions (1)

Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.

  • What were David's last words?

Explore Contradictions →

Cross-references (4)

Passages linked to 1 Kings 2:8 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.

  • 2 Samuel 16:5-8 When king David came to Bahurim, behold, a man of the family of Saul’s house came out, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera. He came out and cursed as he came. He cast stones at David, and at all the servants of king David, and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. Shimei said when he cursed, “Be gone, be gone, you man of blood, and wicked fellow! Yahweh has returned on you all the blood of Saul’s house, in whose place you have reigned! Yahweh has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son! Behold, you are caught by your own mischief, because you are a man of blood!”
  • 1 Kings 2:36-46 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. For 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.” Shimei said to the king, “What you say is good. As my lord the king has said, so will your servant do.” Shimei lived in Jerusalem many days. At the end of three years, two of Shimei’s slaves ran away to Achish, son of Maacah, king of Gath. They told Shimei, saying, “Behold, your slaves are in Gath.” Shimei arose, saddled his donkey, and went to Gath to Achish, to seek his slaves; and Shimei went, and brought his slaves from Gath. Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and had come again. The king sent and called for Shimei, and said to him, “Didn’t I adjure you by Yahweh, and warn you, saying, ‘Know for certain, that on the day you go out, and walk anywhere else, you shall surely die?’ You said to me, ‘The saying that I have heard is good.’ Why then have you not kept the oath of Yahweh, and the commandment that I have instructed you with?” The king said moreover to Shimei, “You know in your heart all the wickedness that you did to David my father. Therefore Yahweh will return your wickedness on your own head. But king Solomon will be blessed, and David’s throne will be established before Yahweh forever.” So 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.
  • Jeremiah 4:2 and you will swear, ‘As Yahweh lives,’ in truth, in justice, and in righteousness. The nations will bless themselves in him, and they will glory in him.”
  • 2 Samuel 19:16-23 Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite, who was of Bahurim, hurried and came down with the men of Judah to meet king David. There were a thousand men of Benjamin with him, and Ziba the servant of Saul’s house, and his fifteen sons and his twenty servants with him; and they went through the Jordan in the presence of the king. A ferry boat went to bring over the king’s household, and to do what he thought good. Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king, when he had come over the Jordan. He said to the king, “Don’t let my lord impute iniquity to me, or remember that which your servant did perversely the day that my lord the king went out of Jerusalem, that the king should take it to his heart. For your servant knows that I have sinned. Therefore behold, I have come today as the first of all the house of Joseph to go down to meet my lord the king.” But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered, “Shouldn’t Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed Yahweh’s anointed?” David said, “What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah, that you should be adversaries to me today? Shall any man be put to death today in Israel? For don’t I know that I am king over Israel today?” The king said to Shimei, “You will not die.” The king swore to him.

Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)

↑ Top

Explain this verse (15 sources)

Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.

John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 1Ki 2:8 And, behold, [thou hast] with thee Shimei…

1Ki 2:8 And, behold, [thou hast] with thee Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite of Bahurim, which cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim: but he came down to meet me at Jordan, and I sware to him by the LORD, saying, I will not put thee to death with the sword.

Ver. 8. Thou hast with thee Shimei the son of Gerah.] Some think that, moved by David’s favour in forgiving him, {2Sa 19:23} he would not take part with Adonijah. {1Ki 1:8} But if it were the same Shimei, and not rather another and better of his name, {1Ki 4:18} yet now he must answer for his old faults. So that deferring payment is no breach of bond: there will come a time wherein the Lord will have a full blow at the impenitent person, be the pretences of impunity what they will.

Read full note →

Which cursed me with a grievous curse.] Heb., Strong; Gr., Dolorous; Chald., Bitter. Indeed his mouth was "full of cursing and bitterness," as if he had been as far as hell to fetch every word. {2Sa 16:5-13}

And I sware to him.] See on 2Sa 19:23.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain With thee, i.e. in thy power, as that phrase…
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And behold thou hast with thee Shimei the son…
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain I will not, &c. - The words are, The…
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 8. Thou hast with thee Shimei] See on…
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain 1Ki 2:8. Behold thou hast with thee Shimei, &c.,…
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Curse. Saying, Go out, &c., 2 Kings xvi. 5.…
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain thou hast with thee Shimei--Though David promised him a…
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 8. Shimei the son of Gera — The same…
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 8. thou hast with thee Shimei] Shimei was not…
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (8) Thou hast with thee Shimei.—The most ungenerous charge…
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain And, behold, thou hast with thee Bahr understands by…
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain And, behold, thou hast with thee Shimei, the son…
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 General Information:
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 2:8 Mahanaim was David’s refuge during Absalom’s rebellion (2…

↑ Top

Share