1 Kings 2:28 - Printer Friendly

ESV: When the news came to Joab — for Joab had supported Adonijah although he had not supported Absalom — Joab fled to the tent of the Lord and caught hold of the horns of the altar.

NIV: When the news reached Joab, who had conspired with Adonijah though not with Absalom, he fled to the tent of the Lord and took hold of the horns of the altar.

NASB: Now the news came to Joab because Joab had followed Adonijah, though he had not followed Absalom. So Joab fled to the tent of the Lord and took hold of the horns of the altar.

CSB: The news reached Joab. Since he had supported Adonijah but not Absalom, Joab fled to the Lord’s tabernacle and took hold of the horns of the altar.

NLT: Joab had not joined Absalom’s earlier rebellion, but he had joined Adonijah’s rebellion. So when Joab heard about Adonijah’s death, he ran to the sacred tent of the Lord and grabbed on to the horns of the altar.

KJV: Then tidings came to Joab: for Joab had turned after Adonijah, though he turned not after Absalom. And Joab fled unto the tabernacle of the Lord, and caught hold on the horns of the altar.

NKJV: Then news came to Joab, for Joab had defected to Adonijah, though he had not defected to Absalom. So Joab fled to the tabernacle of the Lord, and took hold of the horns of the altar.

Before David officially named his heir, his son Adonijah tried to take the crown (1 Kings 1). After Solomon became king and David died, Adonijah tried again. Solomon had him executed (1 Kings 2:19–25). Now, Solomon needs to remove the influence of Adonijah's most powerful supporters. He started with the priest Abiathar. Because Abiathar had been faithful to David and had carried the ark of the covenant, Solomon sent him home to retire (1 Kings 2:16–27).

Joab is different. Before he died, David told Solomon to execute Joab for murdering Abner and Amasa (1 Kings 2:5–6). Now that Joab has proven resistant to Solomon's reign, Solomon feels he has the right to execute the old army general.

Joab knows what's coming. As Adonijah did on the day Solomon became king, Joab ran for his life to the tabernacle. He also takes hold of the horns of the altar. The thinking for both men seems to be that this is the place where God gives his mercy to Israel for their sins. Perhaps Solomon will acknowledge it as a sanctuary and be persuaded to show mercy to another mere mortal. It worked for Adonijah (1 Kings 1:49–53). It won't work for Joab.

First Kings 2:28–35 describes the unfortunate end of one of David's greatest allies. David had told Solomon that to have a secure kingdom, he needed to kill Joab, the military commander who had murdered two good men (1 Kings 2:5–6). Solomon waits until Joab commits a crime against him: supporting Solomon's brother Adonijah's coup attempt after Solomon is already king. When Joab hears that Solomon executed Adonijah, he runs to the tabernacle for sanctuary. Solomon has him killed, anyway. Solomon only has one more person to deal with: Shimei, the man from Benjamin who cursed David when David fled from Absalom's coup (1 Kings 2:36–46).

In 1 Kings 2, Solomon establishes his kingdom. David tells Solomon to follow God and to deal justly with his officials. After David dies, Solomon executes his rival Adonijah and the murderer Joab. He sends the conspiring priest Abiathar to house arrest and deals with the Benjamite Shimei, who cursed David. Benaiah becomes the military commander, and Zadok the lead priest. Next, Solomon will offer his famous prayer for wisdom (1 Kings 3:6–9).

David's reign ends as his health begins to fail. Watchful rivals try to take advantage of this, attempting to install their preferred heir to the throne (1 Kings 1). This fails, and Solomon is crowned. In 1 Kings 2, Solomon begins the work of inheriting God's covenant with David. Before David dies, he advises Solomon on how to follow God, respond to conspirators, and build the temple (1 Chronicles 22:6–19; 28:9–21). David also throws a more formal coronation ceremony (1 Chronicles 29:22–25). After dealing with the men who would take his crown, Solomon asks God for wisdom; God promises to add honor and wealth (1 Kings 3:6–14).

This was originally the first half of a combined text. First Kings records the end of David's reign and the rule of Solomon. After this, the kingdom is split in two. The northern nation of Israel no longer submits to the king of the southern nation, called Judah. The prophet Elijah first appears in this book. The kings mostly fail to honor the Lord. They participate in idolatry and other sins. This will eventually result in their conquest and exile, as depicted throughout the books of Chronicles.