1 Kings 2 · Verse 30

1 Kings 2:30

And Benaiah came to the tabernacle of the Lord, 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, King James Version

1 Kings 2:30 in other translations

BSBAnd Benaiah entered the tent of the LORD and said to Joab, “The king says, ‘Come out!’” But Joab replied, “No, I will die here.” So Benaiah relayed the message to the king, saying, “This is how Joab answered me.”
WEBBenaiah came to the LORD’s Tent, and said to him, “The king says, ‘Come out!’” He said, “No; but I will die here.” Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, “This is what Joab said, and this is how he answered me.”
ASVAnd 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.
YLTAnd Benaiah cometh in unto the tent of Jehovah, and saith unto him, ‘Thus said the king, Come out;' and he saith, ‘Nay, but here I die.' And Benaiah bringeth back the king word, saying, ‘Thus spake Joab, yea, thus he answered me.'
DARBYAnd Benaiah came to the tent of Jehovah and said to him, Thus saith the king: Come forth. And he said, No; for I will die here. And Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me.
BBEAnd Benaiah came to the Tent of the Lord and said to him, The king says, Come out. And he said, No; but let death come to me here. And Benaiah went back to the king and gave him word of the answer which Joab had given.
WebsterAnd Benaiah came to the tabernacle of the LORD, and said to him, Thus saith the king, Come forth. And he said, No; but I will die here. And Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me.

What does 1 Kings 2:30 mean?

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 30 Nay; but I will die here - The altars were so sacred among all the people, that, in general, even the vilest wretch found safety, if he once reached the altar. This led to many abuses, and the perversion of public justice; and at last it became a maxim that the guilty should be punished, should they even have taken refuge at the altars. God decreed that the presumptuous murderer who had taken refuge at the altar should be dragged thence, and put to death; see Exo 21:14. The heathens had the same kind of ordinance; hence Euripides: - Εγω γαρ ὁστις μη δικαιος ων ανηρ Βωμον προσιζει, τον νομον χαιρειν εων, Προς την δικην αγοιμ' αν, αυ τρεσας θεους· Κακον γαρ ανδρα χρη κακως πασχειν αει. Euripid. Frag. 42. Edit. Musg. "If an unrighteous man, availing himself of the law, should claim the protection of the altar, I would drag him to justice, nor fear the wrath of the gods; for it is necessary that every wicked man should suffer for his crimes."

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 Kings 2:26-34

Solomon's words to Abiathar, and his silence, imply that some recent conspiracies had been entered into. Those that show kindness to God's people shall have it remembered to their advantage. For this reason Solomon spares Abiathar's life, but dismisses him from his offices. In case of such sins as the blood of beasts would atone for, the altar was a refuge, but not in Joab's case. Solomon looks upward to God as the…

Read the full comment on 1 Kings 2:26-34 →

1 Kings 2:30 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיָּבֹ֨אvai.ya.Vo'and he wentH935
בְנָיָ֜הוּve.na.Ya.huBenaiahH1141
אֶל\־'el-toH413
אֹ֣הֶל'O.hel[the] tent ofH168
יְהוָ֗הYah.wehYahwehH3068
וַיֹּ֨אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559
אֵלָ֜יו'e.Lavto himH413
כֹּֽה\־koh-thusH3541
אָמַ֤ר'a.Marhe saysH559
הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ha.Me.lekhthe kingH4428
צֵ֔אTze'come outH3318
וַיֹּ֥אמֶר\׀vai.Yo.merand he saidH559
לֹ֖אlo'In-H3808
כִּ֣יkideedH3588
פֹ֣הfohhereH6311
אָמ֑וּת'a.MutI will dieH4191
וַיָּ֨שֶׁבvai.Ya.shevand he brought backH7725
בְּנָיָ֤הוּbe.na.Ya.huBenaiahH1141
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ha.Me.lekhthe kingH4428
דָּבָ֣רda.VarwordH1697
לֵאמֹ֔רle.Mor<to> sayingH559
כֹּֽה\־koh-thusH3541
דִבֶּ֥רdi.Berhe spokeH1696
יוֹאָ֖בyo.'AvJoabH3097
וְכֹ֥הve.Khohand thusH3541
עָנָֽנִי\׃'a.Na.nihe answered meH6030

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Context

  • 1 Kings 2:29

    And it was told king Solomon that Joab was fled unto the tabernacle of the Lord; and, behold, he is by the altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, Go, fall upon him.

  • 1 Kings 2:30

    And Benaiah came to the tabernacle of the Lord, 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 2:31

    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.

Read all of 1 Kings 2

1 Kings 2:30 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y entró Benaía al tabernáculo de Jehová, y díjole: El rey ha dicho que salgas. Y él dijo: No, sino aquí moriré. Y Benaía volvió con esta respuesta al rey, diciendo: Así habló Joab, y así me respondió.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et Benaïa se rendit à la tente de l’ Éternel, et dit à Joab: Ainsi dit le roi: Sors! Et il dit: Non, car je mourrai ici. Et Benaïa rapporta la chose au roi, disant: Ainsi a dit Joab, et ainsi il m’a répondu.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Und Benaja kam zum Zelte Jehovas und sprach zu Joab: So spricht der König: Gehe hinaus! Und er sprach: Nein, sondern hier will ich sterben. Und Benaja brachte dem König Antwort und sprach: So hat Joab geredet, und so hat er mir geantwortet.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Et venit Banaias ad tabernaculum Domini, et dixit ei: Hæc dicit rex: Egredere. Qui ait: Non egrediar, sed hic moriar. Renuntiavit Banaias regi sermonem, dicens: Hæc locutus est Joab, et hæc respondit mihi.