1 Kings 2 Bible study: The way of all the earth

"Now the days of David came near that he should die; and he commanded Solomon his son" (2:1). He begins, "I am going the way of all the earth. You be strong therefore, and show yourself a man" (2:2) (tap be strong), and goes on, "keep the instruction of the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, his commandments, his ordinances, and his testimonies, according to that which is written in the law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn yourself" (2:3) (tap instruction and keep). Its words echo what the LORD said to Joshua after the death of Moses (Joshua 1:1): "Only be strong and very courageous. Be careful to observe to do according to all the law which Moses my servant commanded you" (Joshua 1:7), "that you may have good success wherever you go" (Joshua 1:7). In Hebrew, be strong is the same verb in both, chazaq; David's keep and Joshua 1:7's be careful to observe are both shamar; and "that you may prosper" (2:3) and "that you may have good success" (Joshua 1:7) are the same two words, lema'an taskil. The Law had said that a king should write himself a copy of the law (Deuteronomy 17:18), and "he shall read from it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them" (Deuteronomy 17:19). David's charge begins with the LORD's ways; Joab, Barzillai and Shimei come after (2:5-9).

1 Kings 2:10→leads toActs 13:37

"David slept with his fathers, and was buried in David’s city" (2:10). In the synagogue at Antioch of Pisidia (Acts 13:14), Paul (Acts 13:16) spoke of David's death: "For David, after he had in his own generation served the counsel of God, fell asleep, was laid with his fathers, and saw decay" (Acts 13:36). "But he whom God raised up saw no decay" (Acts 13:37). Acts doesn't quote 1 Kings; it speaks of the death this chapter tells, and sets it beside Jesus, whom God raised "now no more to return to corruption" (Acts 13:34).

כּוּןkunsay KOON

Strong's: "properly, to be erect (i.e. stand perpendicular); hence (causatively) to set up". Brown-Driver-Briggs gives, among its uses, "be set up, established" and "establish". The chapter uses it four times, at its turning points: "his kingdom was firmly established" (2:12); Solomon swears by the LORD "who has established me" (2:24); he tells Shimei, "David’s throne will be established before the LORD forever" (2:45); and "The kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon" (2:46). It is the verb of Nathan's promise: "I will establish his kingdom" (2 Samuel 7:12), "I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever" (2 Samuel 7:13), and "Your throne will be established forever" (2 Samuel 7:16). The establish of 2:4, "the LORD may establish his word", is a different verb, qum.