The Transition of Power from David to Solomon (2:1–12)

Let them be among those who eat at your table (2:7). In the ancient Near East, as in the modern Middle East, eating together was a symbol of friendship and cooperation that carried with it the obligation to protect one other and provide hospitality. In addition to these cultural expectations, those who sat at the king’s table were considered special friends to be provided for, protected, and housed near the king’s palace.51 A lively depiction of the king’s banquet table is preserved on a wall relief from Ashurnasirpal’s palace in Nineveh.52

Mahanaim (2:8). This city was situated in Transjordan in the Jabbok Valley near a tributary of the Jordan River. Because it had all the natural conditions of a strategic city and was defensible, Pharaoh Shishak destroyed this administrative center in 927 B.C.

A Leader’s Final Instructions

David’s instructions to Solomon in 1 Kings 2:1–9 conform to a familiar pattern of final testaments in the Hebrew Bible. Transitions of leadership in ancient Israel were often accompanied by a final statement, as evidenced by the speeches by Moses (Deut. 31:1–8), Joshua (Josh. 23:1–6), Samuel (1 Sam. 12:1–25), and David (1 Kings 2:1–9). David’s admonition to Solomon is based on the requirements of Deuteronomy 11:1 and 17:18–20.

While the most illuminating background to David’s words is found in the covenant language of Deuteronomy, Joshua, and 1-2 Samuel, a remarkably similar set of concerns is found in a treatise on kingship delivered by an aging Egyptian pharaoh during the late third millennium B.C. Besides a summary of King Merikare’s reign, this text “lays down all the laws of kingship.”A-2 It advises the successor on methods of ethically suppressing rebellion, maintaining good relations with the aristocracy and commoners alike, and dealing justly in all situations. Comparative compositions such as this one can increase our appreciation for the pressing issues that David and Solomon faced during their reigns and the judicious manner in which they responded.

Then David rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David (2:10). The royal tombs of David and his progeny were the only burials to be located within the confines of Jerusalem. Nineteenth-century explorers claimed to have found the tombs in carved bedrock that was later found to be a Roman quarry. Many beautiful tombs are preserved on the slopes opposite David’s city. Kings from Macedonia to Egypt built lavish tombs, but Israelite burials were more modest, rock-cut chambers whose features emulated the foyers, doorways, and cornices of contemporary palaces.

Area near the southern tip of the City of David where royal tombs were probably located. Site of later Roman quarry.

Kim Walton

The expression “rested with his fathers” implies not only a peaceful death but a continuation of a communal existence in death as in life. The tomb was known as late as the first century A.D. (Acts 2:29), but the modern day “David’s tomb” is a much later construction on a nearby hill erroneously ascribed to David by Crusader pilgrims.

He had reigned forty years over Israel (2:11). The author of the so-called Deuteronomistic History (Joshua through 2 Kings) summarizes the reign of most kings with a concluding formula such as occurs here (cf. 1 Kings 11:43). The length of reign, a statement of contemporary events or leaders, and an evaluation of the king are usually included. The retelling of this story in 1-2 Chronicles adds material such as construction and military achievements, used as a barometer of each king’s success, based on fidelity to Yahweh (e.g., 2 Chron. 27:1–4). The most widely accepted chronology dates David’s reign to the years 1010 through 970 B.C.