1 Kings 2:30

Old Testament Historical ASV (1901)

What does 1 Kings 2:30 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And Benaiah came to the Tent of Jehovah, and said unto him, Thus saith the king, Come forth. And he said, Nay; but I will die here. And Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And Benaiah came to the Tent of Jehovah, and said unto him, Thus saith the king, Come forth. And he said, Nay; but I will die here. And Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me.
1 Kings 2:30 — American Standard Version

Context — 1 Kings 2

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
30And Benaiah came to the Tent of Jehovah, and said unto him, Thus saith the king, Come forth. And he said, Nay; but I will die here. And Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And Benaiah came to the tabernacle of the Lord, etc.] At Gibeon: and said unto him; that is, to Joab: thus saith the king, come forth; meaning, out of the tabernacle; which plainly shows that his orders were not to slay him in it: and he said, nay, but I will die here; since he must die, he chose to die there; but what was his reason for it is not so clear; the Jews, some of them, say, to save his goods, and that they might come to his heirs, which would have been forfeited to the crown if he had been tried and condemned in a court of judicature; others, that he might be buried with his ancestors, whereas, had he been sentenced to death by the court, he would have been buried in the common…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“He said, Nay, &c. - For he supposed, either, that Solomon would not defile that place with his blood, but would spare him for his respect to it, as he had done Adonijah: or, he had a superstitious conceit, that his dying there might give his guilty and miserable soul some advantage. 3 Kings (1 Kings) 2:31”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification