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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Kings 2:1-11

David, that great and good man, is here a dying man (1 Kgs. 2:1), and a dead man, 1 Kgs. 2:10. It is well there is another life after this, for death stains all the glory of this, and lays it in the dust. We have here, I. The charge and instructions which David, when he was dying, gave to Solomon, his son and declared successor. He feels himself declining, and is not backward to own it, nor afraid to hear or speak of dying: I go the way of all the earth, 1 Kgs. 2:2. Heb. I am walking in it.... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 2:1

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 Genesis 47:29 . Abarbinel observes, that he is called only David, not King David; because Solomon his son was now anointed king, and reigned in his stead;... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 2:1

EXPOSITION THE LAST WORDS AND DEATH OF DAVID .—The death of David, and of course the charge which preceded it, did not follow immediately (as the casual reader might be tempted to suppose) on the events related in 1 Kings 1:1-53 . We find from 1 Chronicles 23-29:23, that the aged king recovered sufficient strength to leave his sick room, to gather round him the princes of Israel ( 1 Chronicles 23:9 ), to make a number of fresh arrangements respecting the priests and... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 2:1-4

A royal father's last words. David's eventful life is drawing to a close. He has proved himself to be "a man after God's own heart." Not perfect man, for he had grievous defects. But, in the main, he recognized the grandeur of his position as "the Lord's anointed." He lived by the inspiration of a Divine purpose. He "served his own generation by the will of God" ( Acts 13:36 ). His very faults bore witness to the native force of his character. The height of the precipice measures the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 2:1-11

A Jewish deathbed. A brilliant poet and essayist once summoned his stepson, the young Earl of Warwick, to his bedside, and with perfect dignity and composure bade him mark "how a Christian man can die." In this section, one far greater, and yet in one sense far less, than Addison,—greater as a poet, as a statesman, as a patriot; less, inasmuch as "he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he,"—beckons us to the chamber of death, and bids us witness the departure of a pious... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 2:1-11

Eikon Basilike. The king, the close of whose chequered and romantic career is narrated in this section, was the pattern king of the Hebrew people, and is in many respects a model for all kings. The portrait drawn here and in the Psalms is a veritable Eikon Basilike, both truer and worthier of regard than that "Portraiture of his sacred Majesty," so famous and so influential in the history of our own country. We see him gathered to his fathers. Let us honestly frame his eulogium. I. ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 2:1-11

Holy Scripture gives us many a touching and pathetic description of the death of the father of a family, showing how it at once sanctions and sanctifies natural affection. The farewells of David remind us of those of Jacob. Death sometimes seems to fill the men of God of the old covenant with the spirit of prophecy, as if the summit of the earthly life was illuminated with a purer radiance falling upon it from a higher sphere. Death is indeed to all the messenger of God to reveal to us great... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 1 Kings 2:1

The events related in 1 Chr. 28–29 had occurred in the interval which separates the last and this present chapter. read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - 1 Kings 2:1-2

1 Kings 2:1-2. The days of David drew nigh, that he must die As he himself was sensible. And he charged Solomon his son After the example of Abraham, the father of the faithful, Genesis 18:19. I go the way of all the earth Even the sons and heirs of heaven must go the way of all the earth, of all who dwell thereon. But they walk with pleasure in this way, through the valley of the shadow of death. Prophets, yea, kings, must go this way to brighter light and honour than prophecy or... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 2:1-46

Opponents of Solomon executed (2:1-46)As he saw his death approaching, David passed on to Solomon advice aimed at ensuring stability to his reign and good government for God’s people. The first and most important point was a reminder to be faithful to God. God’s promises of a prosperous kingdom and a lasting dynasty required David and his successors to be obedient to God’s will. Without obedience, there was no guarantee of blessing (2:1-4; 1 Chronicles 22:6-16).David’s second piece of advice to... read more

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