Texts in Conversation
The Hebrew version of 1 Kings ends Solomon’s purge with one line saying the kingdom was secure in his hand. The Greek Septuagint adds a summary of his wisdom, wealth, officials and horses, collecting details the Hebrew spreads across later chapters.
Share:
2500 BCE
1000+ CE
1 Kings 2:46
Hebrew Bible
44 Then the king said to Shimei, “You are well aware of the way you mistreated my father David. The Lord will punish you for what you did. 45 But King Solomon will be empowered, and David’s dynasty will endure permanently before the Lord.” 46 The king then gave the order to Benaiah son of Jehoiada who went and executed Shimei. So Solomon took firm control of the kingdom.
LXX 1 Kings 2:46
Septuagint
43 Why is it that you did not guard the oath of the Lord and the command that I commanded to you?” 44 The king said to Shimei, “You see all your evil that your heart has known that you did to David my father. The Lord repaid your evil on your head. 45 King Solomon will be blessed and the throne of David will be established before the Lord for eternity.” 46 King Solomon commanded Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went out and killed him. Solomon’s Greatness 46a And King Solomon was very prudent and wise, and Judah and Israel were very many, like the sand that is by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking and rejoicing. 46b And Solomon was ruler over all the kingdoms, and they were bringing gifts and serving Solomon all the days of his life. 46c And Solomon began to opena the natural resources of the frankincense tree, 46d and he built Thermai in the desert.
Search:
Notes and References
... The miscellanies in 3 Reigns 2:35a–o and 46a–l form a unique case among other substantial differences between the Septuagint and the Masoretic Text versions of the book of Kings. There is hardly any comparable phenomenon in the transmission of the Hebrew Bible as we know it. While in their present form and context the miscellanies obviously constitute a result of later redactional intervention, the question remains whether they may be a genuine vestige of the composition process of the book of Kings. ...
Talshir, Zipora
"The Miscellanies in 3 Reigns 2:35a–o, 46a–l and the Composition of the Books of Kings/Reigns" in Peters, Melvin K. H. (ed.) XIV Congress of the IOSCS, Helsinki, 2010
(p. 155) Society of Biblical Literature, 2013
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
Your Feedback:
Leave a Comment
Anonymous comments are welcome. All comments are subject to moderation.