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1 Kings 2:40

in 1 Kings 2

So Shimei saddled his donkey and set out to Achish at Gath in search of his slaves, and he brought them back from Gath.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And Shimei arose, and saddled his ass, and went to Gath to Achish, to seek his servants; and Shimei went, and brought his servants from Gath.

KJV

And Shimei arose, and saddled his ass, and went to Gath to Achish to seek his servants: and Shimei went, and brought his servants from Gath.

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This verse in 1 Kings 2

Commentary

6 notes on this verse

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

For the keeping of it private he saddled his ass himself, probably went in the night, and came home he thought undiscovered. "Seeking his servants," says bishop Hall, "he lost himself; those earthly things either are, or should be, our servants. How commonly do we see men run out of the bounds set by God's law, to hunt after them, till their souls incur a fearful judgment!" 4.

This site's exposition

two of the servants of Shimei ran away

on 1 Kings 2:39-40

Shimei's own servants flee to Achish king of Gath, a vassal ruler with no real power to shelter them against Solomon, and Shimei crosses the very boundary his oath forbade in order to fetch them back himself. The distance mattered to the commentators, some thirty miles each way, an errand no emergency required and a bound he could have sent another man to cross.

This site's exposition

Shimei saddled his donkey

Matthew Henry notes that Shimei saddled his donkey himself, as a man who hoped to go and return unseen. Henry quotes Bishop Hall, who said that in seeking his servants Shimei lost himself. Adam Clarke marvels that he ran open-eyed into death.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

5 Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two captains of the hosts of Israel, unto Abner the son of Ner, and unto Amasa the son of Jether, whom he slew, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loins, and in his shoes that were on his feet.

quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-scripture

And Shimei arose, and saddled his ass, and went to Gath to Achish to seek his servants,....

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

proposed

And Shimei - went to Gath - It is astonishing that with his eyes wide open he would thus run into the jaws of death.

The words behind it

18 Hebrew words

Every 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.

  • וַיָּ֣קָםand he arose

    vaiyakomH6965 →628 times

  • שִׁמְעִ֗יShimei

    shimiH8096 →43 times

  • וַֽיַּחֲבֹשׁ֙and he saddled

    vaiyachavoshH2280 →33 times

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • חֲמֹר֔וֹdonkey his

    chamoroH2543 →96 times

  • וַיֵּ֤לֶךְand he went

    vaiyelekhH1980 →1546 times

  • גַּ֙תָה֙Gath towards

    gatahH1661 →32 times

  • אֶל־to

    ʾel-H413 →5510 times

  • אָכִ֔ישׁAchish

    ʾakhishH397 →

  • לְבַקֵּ֖שׁto seek

    levakeshH1245 →225 times

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • עֲבָדָ֑יוservants his

    ʾavadavH5650 →799 times

  • וַיֵּ֣לֶךְand he went

    vaiyelekhH1980 →1546 times

  • שִׁמְעִ֔יShimei

    shimiH8096 →43 times

  • וַיָּבֵ֥אand he brought

    vaiyave'H935 →2568 times

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • עֲבָדָ֖יוservants his

    ʾavadavH5650 →799 times

  • מִגַּֽת׃from Gath

    migatH1661 →32 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

3 in all, six open

The walk

8 stops

Each 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

    1 Timothy 6:10

    For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

    it leads to

    • Proverbs 1:19

      Such is the fate of all who are greedy, whose unjust gain takes the lives of its possessors.

      Reached by 2 separate paths from here.

    • 1 Timothy 6:9

      Those who want to be rich, however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.

    • Psalms 32:10

      Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but loving devotion surrounds him who trusts in the LORD.

  • Through

    Luke 12:15

    And He said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourselves against every form of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

    it leads to

    • Hebrews 13:5

      Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”

    • 1 Timothy 6:6–10

      Of course, godliness with contentment is great gain.

    • Psalms 119:36–37

      Turn my heart to Your testimonies and not to covetous gain.

    • Proverbs 15:16

      Better a little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure with turmoil.

    • Proverbs 16:16

      How much better to acquire wisdom than gold! To gain understanding is more desirable than silver.

About 1 Kings

The Judgment of Solomon, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
The Judgment of Solomon, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
1 Kings: the study guide →Read 1 Kings 2 →

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in 1 Kings 2 →