Bible Strands
1 Kings 2:23
Then King Solomon swore by the LORD: “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if Adonijah has not made this request at the expense of his life.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — King Solomon addresses his mother Bathsheba immediately after interpreting her request for Abishag as a political claim to the throne. He delivers this oath at the moment of judicial sentencing, directly preceding the execution order recorded in 1 Kings 2:24.
The words — The Hebrew verb וַיִּשָּׁבַע (va-yi-shava) records Solomon’s formal swearing of an oath, while כֹה יַעֲשֶׂה־ אֱלֹהִים (koh ya'aseh- Elohim) translates literally as "thus may God do." These phrases introduce the conditional curse that follows his invocation of Yahweh.
The thread — Solomon’s oath formula mirrors the covenant loyalty pledge in Ruth 1:17, while the conditional judgment structure parallels the divine retribution imagery in Psalms 64:8 and 140:9. The witness formula "as surely as the LORD lives" in 1 Kings 2:24 reinforces the same legal standard.
Why it lands — The text records Solomon invoking divine punishment to validate his factual claim that Adonijah’s request justifies death. It asks the reader to treat the oath as a binding legal declaration of certainty rather than a rhetorical threat.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Then king Solomon sware by the Lord, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah have not spoken this word against his own life.
Cross-references
- Ruth 1:17 Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD punish me, and ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.”
- Psalms 64:8 They will be made to stumble, their own tongues turned against them. All who see will shake their heads.
- Psalms 140:9 May the heads of those who surround me be covered in the trouble their lips have caused.
- 1 Samuel 14:44 And Saul declared, “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if you, Jonathan, do not surely die!”
- 2 Samuel 3:9 May God punish Abner, and ever so severely, if I do not do for David what the LORD has sworn to him:
- 2 Samuel 3:35 Then all the people came and urged David to eat something while it was still day, but David took an oath, saying, “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun sets!”
- 2 Samuel 19:13 And say to Amasa, ‘Aren’t you my flesh and blood? May God punish me, and ever so severely, if from now on you are not the commander of my army in place of Joab!’”
- 1 Kings 20:10 Then Ben-hadad sent another message to Ahab: “May the gods deal with me, and ever so severely, if enough dust remains of Samaria for each of my men to have a handful.”
- 2 Kings 6:31 He announced, “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders through this day!”
- Proverbs 18:6 A fool’s lips bring him strife, and his mouth invites a beating.