And their blood shall be requited upon the head of Joab, and upon the head of his seed for ever; but upon David, and upon his seed, and upon his house, and upon his throne, shall there be peace for ever from Jehovah.
Solomon's last word about Joab points two ways at once: blood lands forever on one house, peace rests forever on another. Why should the death of one old soldier settle anything, and why must a kingdom of peace begin with it?
Joab killed Abner and Amasa years before this, and for years nothing happened to him. One writer looks at what Joab thought of himself, and at what God did not forget.
He thought that he had served his lord, the king, faithfully; in fact, he had always sought his own advancement. God did not forget his crimes. The blood he shed came back on his head and on his descendants.
The second half of the verse explains the first. The blood had to come off David's house before that house could have peace, and the verse traces that peace to the LORD.
Vengeance must be carried out on him so that "for David and for his descendants and for his house and for his throne there shall be peace from the LORD forevermore" (v. 33). Without that vengeance, blood would have stayed on the house of David. Judgment was needed for his glory.
Joab died holding the horns of the altar. One writer explains who the altar was built to shelter, and why Joab had no claim on it.
The horns of the altar became a place of refuge. They were a sanctuary no one could touch, for all who had a right to their protection on the ground of the sprinkled blood. Joab sought this protection when he fled from Solomon (1 Kings 2:28); but since he had no claim on it, for he was a murderer, he was killed. This is like the sinner in desperation. He would gladly claim the benefits of the death of Christ to escape judgment, while his heart is still far from Him. But wherever there is trust in the value of the sacrifice offered to God on the altar, that soul is safe. No power on earth or in hell can touch it as it rests under that shelter and protection.
The verse gives peace to David's house and none to Joab. One writer traces that back to what Joab did in peacetime.
In time of peace Joab's "belt and sandals," his service and his walk, had been stained with the blood of war. This was a defilement. War must overtake him in turn. He must learn that there could be no peace for him, because peace is kept for those who make peace (James 3:18). Neither Solomon's reign of peace nor his reign of righteousness could tolerate such elements.
Note: the ESV of 1 Kings 2:5 speaks of "the belt around his waist" and "the sandals on his feet." Older translations read "girdle and shoes."
Judgment came first, and the kingdom stood after it. One writer also reads the scene forward, to a greater reign.
For Solomon's kingdom to be established, the innocent blood of Abner and Amasa had to be avenged on Joab. Joab had shed that blood without David's knowledge (vs. 32-33)… Joab's execution pictures how the millennial kingdom of the Lord Jesus will be established in righteousness, which brings peace.
Another writer links the same lesson to Solomon's own proverbs about a king's throne.
We can learn Solomon's views from his book of Proverbs: "A king who sits on the throne of judgment winnows all evil with his eyes" (Prov. 20:8). "Take away the wicked from the presence of the king, and his throne will be established in righteousness" (Prov. 25:5). Solomon carried out judgment on Joab and others. Then the Holy Spirit says, "So the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon" (1 Kings 2:46).
- Blood — Joab shed the blood of Abner and Amasa in peacetime. That blood came back on his own head and on his descendants.
- Delay — years without punishment were not a pardon. God did not forget, and the sentence landed under the new king.
- Altar — the altar sheltered those who came on the ground of the sacrifice. It gave a murderer nothing. It is still unbreakable shelter for anyone who truly trusts that sacrifice.
- Peace — Joab could have no peace, because peace is kept for those who make peace. It rests instead on David, his descendants, his house and his throne, and it comes "from the LORD."
- Throne — righteousness clears the ground first, and then the kingdom stands. Commentators see the same pattern completed in the reign of Christ, where righteousness brings lasting peace.
And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and fell upon him, and put him to death; and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness.
Joab had led David's armies for a lifetime, yet he died at the altar he had grabbed for safety, and was buried in his own house out in the wilderness. The verse raises two hard questions. Why did holding the altar not save him? And why did Solomon's peaceful reign begin with a sword?
Joab had murdered men years before this. Nothing happened at the time — and that silence was not acquittal.
When Joab heard that Adonijah's cause had failed, he saw his danger, fled to the tabernacle, and caught hold of the horns of the altar. He refused to leave when they summoned him, so they put him to death at the altar. So punishment for the murders he had committed, though long delayed, now fell on him in righteous judgment.
His career looked like loyal service. God and David valued it differently:
For many long years he led David's armies. He was honoured among the people of God and victorious over their enemies. But all this activity was without value, either in the eyes of God or of David. He was not given a place among David's mighty men, an honour that was given to his armour-bearer. In the end he received his due under the government of God, and perished miserably by the sword in the very house of God where he thought he had found a refuge. He thought he had served his lord the king faithfully; in fact, he had always sought his own advancement.
The altar did not fail him. God's law had already ruled out shelter for a man like him.
Joab flees to the tabernacle and takes hold of the horns of the altar. That cannot save him. The Word of God is against him: "But if a man willfully attacks another to kill him by cunning, you shall take him from my altar, that he may die." Solomon remembers this. Once Joab's judgment is settled, it is too late for the altar to shelter him. Vengeance had to be carried out on him. Only then could it be true that "for David and for his descendants and for his house and for his throne there shall be peace from the LORD forevermore." Without that vengeance, blood would have stayed on the house of David. Judgment was necessary for his glory.
The altar really was a refuge — but only for those with a right to it:
The horn is a symbol of strength. When the blood was sprinkled on the horns, the whole strength of the altar, once against the sinner, is now used on his behalf. So the horns of the altar became a place of refuge, a sanctuary no one could violate, for all who were rightfully under their protection on the ground of the sprinkled blood. Joab sought this protection when he fled from Solomon; but since he had no claim on it, for he was a murderer, he was slain. This is like the sinner who is desperate to escape the judgment. He would gladly claim the benefits of the death of Christ, while his heart is still far from Him. But wherever there is trust in the value of the sacrifice offered to God on the altar, no power on earth or in hell can touch that soul. It shelters under the altar's protection.
Joab's ruin began with a calculation.
Adonijah confers with Joab, the man who had constantly used David for his own purpose. Joab reckoned that David would be of very little use to him any longer. The opportunity seemed good; he took it. Policy is always ruinous work in the end, at any rate among God's people. There was no faith in Joab. He was a wise man after the flesh; he was an extremely political individual.
Solomon had written the rule his reign then carried out:
Solomon's own views can be learned from his book of Proverbs: "Take away the wicked from the presence of the king, and his throne will be established in righteousness." When Solomon had carried out judgment on Joab and others, the Holy Spirit says, "So the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon."
One writer sees the same order in the coming kingdom of Christ:
Joab's execution pictures the way the millennial kingdom of the Lord Jesus will be established in righteousness, which brings peace.
David tolerated these men for years. Solomon did not. That change of administration is the warning in the chapter.
All through David's reign these men were tolerated. Grace was shown to them. But Solomon is charged to kill them. No mercy is to be shown to them once David's reign of grace is over. David's throne, like God's at present, is a "throne of grace." Judgment was carried out on these enemies at the opening of Solomon's glorious reign. If you refuse God's grace and stay unreconciled, you must have judgment. In grace God lets you live, as David let his enemies live.
- Delay. Joab's murders went unpunished for years; the verse shows that delay was patience, not pardon.
- Refuge. He reached the altar but had no claim on it — the sacrifice shelters faith, never mere fear.
- Motive. A lifetime of visible service collapsed the moment his own advantage pointed away from the king.
- Order. The kingdom could not stand in peace until the blood was dealt with; righteousness comes first, peace follows.
- Deadline. David's throne let enemies live; Solomon's did not. Grace has a reign, and reigns end.