1 Kings 2 Footnotes

2:6 “Sheol” in Hebrew thought was the abode of the dead, both good and evil. Though the overall picture of Sheol is grim, the OT nevertheless affirms that God is there (Ps 139:8; Pr 15:11) or that it is impossible to hide from God in Sheol (Jb 26:6; Am 9:2). The OT also affirms that God has power over Sheol and is capable of ransoming souls from its depths (Jb 33:18,28-30; Ps 16:10; 30:3; 49:15; 86:13).

2:22 Abishag was the last of David’s harem. Control of the harem was a politically important claim to rulership (2Sm 16:20-22), and Solomon feared that such a marriage could reunify his political opponents.

2:37 Literally “the wadi Kidron.” A “wadi” is a river bed which flows with water only part of the year, and is especially dangerous as the path of flash floods. The deep valley formed by the Kidron River (meaning “dark, turbid”) served as the eastern boundary of Jerusalem, separating it from the Mount of Olives.

2:46 This statement is a conclusion for all of chap. 2: the ruthless and systematic elimination of all possible troublemakers by the hand of the Solomon—not by the hand of the Lord.