1 Kings 2:1
in 1 Kings 2As the time drew near for David to die, he charged his son Solomon,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying,
KJV
Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying,
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This verse in 1 Kings 2
Commentary
4 notes on this verseA commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
David . . . charged Solomon his son--The charge recorded here was given to Solomon just before his death and is different from the farewell address delivered in public some time before (1Ch 28:2-9). It is introduced with great solemnity.
This site's exposition
As the time drew near for David to die
on 1 Kings 2:1-2
David's charge to Solomon opens with the verb Moses used to commission Joshua at Deuteronomy 31:23. The public farewell stands in 1 Chronicles 28 to 29. The command to “be strong and prove yourself a man” echoes Deuteronomy 31:6-7 and Joshua 1:6-9, where strength is tied to keeping the law.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die,.... The number of his days fixed and determined by the Lord, Job 14:5; and which might be perceived as drawing nigh, both by himself and others, through the growing infirmities of old age, decline of nature, and various symptoms of an approaching dissolution which were upon him; see Gen 47:
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
The events related in 1 Chr. 28–29 had occurred in the interval which separates the last and this present chapter.
The words behind it
9 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּקְרְב֥וּ | vaiyikrevu | and they drew near | H7126 → | 280 times |
| יְמֵֽי־ | yemei- | [the] days of | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| דָוִ֖ד | david | David | H1732 → | 999 times |
| לָמ֑וּת | lamut | to die | H4191 → | 839 times |
| וַיְצַ֛ו | vaytzav | and he commanded | H6680 → | 494 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| שְׁלֹמֹ֥ה | shelomoh | Solomon | H8010 → | 291 times |
| בְנ֖וֹ | veno | son his | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| לֵאמֹֽר׃ | lemor | <to> saying | H559 → | 5305 times |
וַיִּקְרְב֥וּand they drew near
vaiyikrevuH7126 →280 times
יְמֵֽי־[the] days of
yemei-H3117 →2304 times
דָוִ֖דDavid
davidH1732 →999 times
לָמ֑וּתto die
lamutH4191 →839 times
וַיְצַ֛וand he commanded
vaytzavH6680 →494 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
שְׁלֹמֹ֥הSolomon
shelomohH8010 →291 times
בְנ֖וֹson his
venoH1121 →4930 times
לֵאמֹֽר׃<to> saying
lemorH559 →5305 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
2 Timothy 4:1I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of His appearing and His kingdom:
it leads to
- Acts 10:42
And He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that He is the One appointed by God to judge the living and the dead.
- 2 Timothy 4:8
From now on there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but to all who…
- 1 Timothy 5:21
I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels to maintain these principles without bias, and to do nothing out of partiality.
- Matthew 16:27
For the Son of Man will come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will repay each one according to what he has done.
- 2 Timothy 2:14
Remind the believers of these things, charging them before God to avoid quarreling over words, which succeeds only in leading the listeners to ruin.
- Acts 10:42
Through
Deuteronomy 31:14Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, the time of your death is near. Call Joshua and present yourselves at the Tent of Meeting, so that I may commission him.” So Moses and Joshua…
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 31:23
Then the LORD commissioned Joshua son of Nun and said, “Be strong and courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the land that I swore to give them, and I will be with…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Numbers 27:13
After you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was;
- Deuteronomy 31:23
Through
Genesis 47:29When the time drew near for Israel to die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes, put your hand under my thigh and promise…
it leads to
- Genesis 24:2
So Abraham instructed the chief servant of his household, who managed all he owned, “Place your hand under my thigh,
- Genesis 24:2
Where this verse is studied
About 1 Kings

Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
