1 Kings 2:25
New International Version
So King Solomon gave orders to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he struck down Adonijah and he died.

New Living Translation
So King Solomon ordered Benaiah son of Jehoiada to execute him, and Adonijah was put to death.

English Standard Version
So King Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he struck him down, and he died.

Berean Standard Bible
So King Solomon sent the order to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who struck down Adonijah, and he died.

King James Bible
And king Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him that he died.

New King James Version
So King Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he struck him down, and he died.

New American Standard Bible
Then King Solomon sent the order by Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he struck him so that he died.

NASB 1995
So King Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him so that he died.

NASB 1977
So King Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him so that he died.

Legacy Standard Bible
So King Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him so that he died.

Amplified Bible
So King Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he struck Adonijah and he died.

Christian Standard Bible
Then King Solomon dispatched Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who struck down Adonijah, and he died.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then King Solomon gave the order to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who struck down Adonijah, and he died.

American Standard Version
And king Solomon sent by Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him, so that he died.

Contemporary English Version
"Benaiah," Solomon shouted, "go kill Adonijah." So Adonijah died.

English Revised Version
And king Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him, that he died.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
King Solomon gave this task to Benaiah, son of Jehoiada. Benaiah attacked and killed Adonijah.

Good News Translation
So King Solomon gave orders to Benaiah, who went out and killed Adonijah.

International Standard Version
So King Solomon sent for Jehoiada's son Benaiah, who attacked and killed Adonijah.

Majority Standard Bible
So King Solomon sent the order to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who struck down Adonijah, and he died.

NET Bible
King Solomon then sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he killed Adonijah.

New Heart English Bible
King Solomon sent by Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell on him, so that he died.

Webster's Bible Translation
And king Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him that he died.

World English Bible
King Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell on him, so that he died.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And King Solomon sends by the hand of Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he falls on him, and he dies.

Young's Literal Translation
And king Solomon sendeth by the hand of Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he falleth upon him, and he dieth.

Smith's Literal Translation
And king Solomon will send by the hand of Benaiah, son of Jehoida, and he will strike upon him and he will die.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And king Solomon sent by the hand of Banaias the son of Joiada, who slew him, and he died.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And king Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, who put him to death, and so he died.

New American Bible
Then King Solomon sent Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, who struck him dead.

New Revised Standard Version
So King Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he struck him down, and he died.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And King Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he attacked him and slew him.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And King Solomon sent Benaiah, son of Yawida and he met with him and he killed him.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And king Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him, so that he died.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
So king Solomon sent by the hand of Banaeas the son of Jodae, and he slew him, and Adonias died in that day.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Execution of Adonijah
24And now, as surely as the LORD lives—the One who established me, who set me on the throne of my father David, and who founded for me a dynasty as He promised—surely Adonijah shall be put to death today!” 25So King Solomon sent the order to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who struck down Adonijah, and he died. 26Then the king said to Abiathar the priest, “Go back to your fields in Anathoth. Even though you deserve to die, I will not put you to death at this time, since you carried the ark of the Lord GOD before my father David, and you suffered through all that my father suffered.”…

Cross References
2 Samuel 12:9
Why then have you despised the command of the LORD by doing evil in His sight? You put Uriah the Hittite to the sword and took his wife as your own. You have slain him with the sword of the Ammonites.

2 Samuel 1:14-16
So David asked him, “Why were you not afraid to lift your hand to destroy the LORD’s anointed?” / Then David summoned one of the young men and said, “Go, execute him!” So the young man struck him down, and he died. / For David had said to the Amalekite, “Your blood be on your own head because your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I killed the LORD’s anointed.’”

1 Kings 1:52-53
And Solomon replied, “If he is a man of character, not a single hair of his will fall to the ground. But if evil is found in him, he will die.” / So King Solomon summoned Adonijah down from the altar, and he came and bowed down before King Solomon, who said to him, “Go to your home.”

1 Kings 2:46
Then the king commanded Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck Shimei down, and he died. Thus the kingdom was firmly established in the hand of Solomon.

2 Samuel 3:27
When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab pulled him aside into the gateway, as if to speak to him privately, and there Joab stabbed him in the stomach. So Abner died on account of the blood of Joab’s brother Asahel.

2 Samuel 4:12
So David commanded his young men, and they killed Rechab and Baanah. They cut off their hands and feet and hung their bodies by the pool in Hebron, but they took the head of Ish-bosheth and buried it in Abner’s tomb in Hebron.

1 Kings 2:31-34
And the king replied, “Do just as he says. Strike him down and bury him, and so remove from me and from the house of my father the innocent blood that Joab shed. / The LORD will bring his bloodshed back upon his own head, for without the knowledge of my father David he struck down two men more righteous and better than he when he put to the sword Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel’s army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army. / Their blood will come back upon the heads of Joab and his descendants forever; but for David, his descendants, his house, and his throne, there shall be peace from the LORD forever.” ...

1 Kings 2:44-45
The king also said, “You know in your heart all the evil that you did to my father David. Therefore the LORD will bring your evil back upon your head. / But King Solomon will be blessed and David’s throne will remain secure before the LORD forever.”

1 Kings 2:8-9
Keep an eye on Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim who is with you. He called down bitter curses against me on the day I went to Mahanaim, but when he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the LORD: ‘I will never put you to the sword.’ / Now therefore, do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man. You know what you ought to do to him to bring his gray head down to Sheol in blood.”

1 Kings 2:13-14
Now Adonijah son of Haggith went to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, and she asked, “Do you come in peace?” “Yes, in peace,” he replied. / Then he said, “I have something to tell you.” “Say it,” she answered.

Matthew 26:52
“Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him. “For all who draw the sword will die by the sword.

Romans 13:4
For he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not carry the sword in vain. He is God’s servant, an agent of retribution to the wrongdoer.

Acts 5:1-11
Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. / With his wife’s full knowledge, he kept back some of the proceeds for himself, but brought a portion and laid it at the apostles’ feet. / Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and withhold some of the proceeds from the land? ...

Acts 12:1-2
About that time, King Herod reached out to harm some who belonged to the church. / He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword.

Acts 12:23
Immediately, because Herod did not give glory to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.


Treasury of Scripture

And king Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell on him that he died.

he fell

1 Kings 2:31,34,46
And the king said unto him, Do as he hath said, and fall upon him, and bury him; that thou mayest take away the innocent blood, which Joab shed, from me, and from the house of my father…

Judges 8:20,21
And he said unto Jether his firstborn, Up, and slay them. But the youth drew not his sword: for he feared, because he was yet a youth…

1 Samuel 15:33
And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.

Jump to Previous
Adonijah Attack Benaiah Benai'ah Death Died Dieth Falleth Fell Hand Jehoiada Jehoi'ada Orders Solomon Struck
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Adonijah Attack Benaiah Benai'ah Death Died Dieth Falleth Fell Hand Jehoiada Jehoi'ada Orders Solomon Struck
1 Kings 2
1. David, having given a charge to Solomon
3. of Reverence
5. of Joab
7. of Barzillai
8. of Shimei
10. Solomon succeeds
12. Adonijah, moving Bathsheba to ask unto Solomon for Abishag,
13. is put to death
26. Abiathar, having his life given him, is deprived of the priesthood
28. Joab fleeing to the horns of the altar, is there slain
35. Benaiah is put in Joab's room, and Zadfok in Abiathar's
36. Shimei, confined to Jerusalem, by occasion of going to Gath, is put to death.














So King Solomon sent the order
This phrase marks a decisive action by Solomon, the newly established king of Israel. The Hebrew root for "sent" (שָׁלַח, shalach) implies a deliberate and authoritative dispatching of a command. Solomon's decision reflects his wisdom and understanding of the need to secure his throne, as Adonijah had previously attempted to usurp it. This action underscores the importance of divine order and the fulfillment of God's promise to David regarding Solomon's kingship.

to Benaiah son of Jehoiada
Benaiah, a loyal and valiant warrior, is a key figure in Solomon's administration. His lineage, "son of Jehoiada," highlights his priestly heritage, as Jehoiada was a prominent priest. Benaiah's role as an executor of justice aligns with his reputation as a man of integrity and strength, trusted by both David and Solomon. His involvement signifies the merging of religious and royal authority, emphasizing the theocratic nature of Israel's monarchy.

who struck down Adonijah
The phrase "struck down" (נָכָה, nakah) conveys a sense of judicial execution rather than mere murder. Adonijah's death was a legal and necessary act to prevent further rebellion and to uphold the stability of Solomon's reign. This action serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of defying God's anointed king and the seriousness with which God views the preservation of His chosen leadership.

and he died
The finality of Adonijah's death is captured in this phrase. It marks the end of a potential threat to Solomon's rule and the fulfillment of divine justice. In the broader biblical narrative, this moment reflects the theme of God's sovereignty and the establishment of His will through His chosen leaders. It also serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of ambition and the importance of aligning oneself with God's purposes.

(25) Sent by the hand of Benaiah.--The chief of the body-guard is the chief of "the executioners" (see 1Kings 1:38), apparently, in the case of great criminals, carrying out the sentence of condemnation with his own hand. (Comp. Judges 8:20-21.)

Verse 25. - And King Solomon sent by the hand [i.e., the instrumentality; not necessarily eigenhandig, as Thenius. Cf. Exodus 4:13; 1 Samuel 16:20, Hebrews; 1 Kings 12:15; 1 Kings 14:18; Jeremiah 37:2 ("which he spake by the hand of Jeremiah"), etc. The same expression is found in ver. 46 of this chapter] of Benaiah [in the East the captain of the king's bodyguard has always been the "chief of the executioners," the title given to Potiphar, Genesis 37:36, Hebrews; in 2 Kings 25:8 to Nebuzar-Adan; and in Daniel 2:14 to Arioch "the captain of the king's guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men, etc.] and he fell upon him so that he died. [Solomon has been accused of "a coldblooded vengeance" and of "that jealous cruelty so common in Oriental despots," in ordering the execution of his brother. But unjustly. It is to be remembered that on the occasion of Adonijah's first rebellion the young monarch had displayed the greatest magnanimity towards him. He might then have justly decreed against him the death which no doubt the conspirators had designed against him (1 Kings 1:12.) Adonijah, by fleeing to the altar, showed that he had good grounds for fearing the avenging sword. He was clearly conscious that he had merited the death of the traitor. But Solomon spared him, during good behaviour. He warned him that "if wickedness were found in him" he should die (1 Kings 1:52.) His first treason, consequently, was not to be lost sight of, in case he were guilty of a fresh offence. And now that he is found conspiring again; now that he abuses the royal clemency, and seeks by chicanery and intrigue to snatch his brother's crown, the sentence of death takes effect. This renewed attempt, after failure and forgiveness, must have convinced the king that Adonijah's pretensions would be a standing menace to the peace and prosperity of his empire, and therefore he owed it to himself, to his subjects, and above all to God, who had entrusted him with the crown, to put this restless and dangerous plotter out of the way. To pass over a second offence would be a virtual encouragement of sedition, for it would show that the king was weak and might be trifled with. Adonijah therefore must die, not only in expiation of his treason, but as an example to the subjects of Solomon, that the disaffected, including all Adonijah's partizans, might be awed into obedience.

CHAPTER 2:26-35. THE DEPOSITION OF ABIATHAR AND THE DEATH OF JOAB.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
So King
הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ (ham·me·leḵ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428: A king

Solomon
שְׁלֹמֹ֔ה (šə·lō·mōh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 8010: Solomon -- David's son and successor to his throne

sent the order
וַיִּשְׁלַח֙ (way·yiš·laḥ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7971: To send away, for, out

to
בְּיַ֖ד (bə·yaḏ)
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 3027: A hand

Benaiah
בְּנָיָ֣הוּ (bə·nā·yā·hū)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1141: Benaiah -- 'Yah has built up', the name of several Israelites

son
בֶן־ (ḇen-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1121: A son

of Jehoiada,
יְהוֹיָדָ֑ע (yə·hō·w·yā·ḏā‘)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3077: Jehoiada -- 'the LORD knows', the name of several Israelites

who struck down
וַיִּפְגַּע־ (way·yip̄·ga‘-)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6293: To impinge, by accident, violence, by importunity

Adonijah,
בּ֖וֹ (bōw)
Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew

and he died.
וַיָּמֹֽת׃ (way·yā·mōṯ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 4191: To die, to kill


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OT History: 1 Kings 2:25 King Solomon sent by Benaiah the son (1Ki iKi i Ki 1 Kg 1kg)
1 Kings 2:24
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