1 Kings 2

Well, that lasted for one generation. After Solomon died, Israel split in two. David’s tribe of Judah lived in the south. And all the other tribes lived in the north and took the name of Israel with them. David’s descendants remained kings of Judah, but not of Israel in the north. David’s line of kings ended in 586 BC, when Babylonian invaders from what is now Iraq leveled Jerusalem and other cities in the region. They deported most of the population that survived the war. When Jews began returning a generation later, they were relegated to a province of the Persian empire. They weren’t a country, and they didn’t have a king.

Joab also murdered David’s son Absalom at the end of a battle for control of the kingdom (2 Samuel 18:14-15). David was Joab’s uncle. Joab’s mother was Zeruiah, David’s sister (1 Chronicles 2:15-16).

Location of Bahurim is uncertain. Scholars suggest several locations, most of which are a few miles or kilometers east of Jerusalem and along the trail down to Jericho, in the Jordan River Valley.

Shimei threw stones and dirt at David, too (2 Samuel 16:13).

Abishag was the beautiful, warm-blooded young woman officials found to help David deal with the chill of poor circulation in his old age. David did not marry her, add her to his harem as a concubine, or have sex with her. She belonged to Solomon now. It’s possible, perhaps even a good bet, that Solomon took this beautiful woman as more than a warm body on a cold night, and he married her. Some scholars speculate that the Song of Songs, also known as the Song of Solomon, is about this couple.

As the Queen Mother, part of Bathsheba’s responsibility was to manage the king’s women—the harem and the servants.

Benaiah was a skilled and famous warrior, and commander of the king’s royal bodyguards (2 Samuel 23:20-24).

Also known as the Ark of the Covenant. It was a wooden chest covered in gold. It held the stone tablets with the 10 laws written in some fashion. The Hebrew language didn’t seem to exist in the time of Moses.

Abiathar was a descendant of Eli (1 Samuel 22:20). God told Eli, the priest who raised Samuel, that his family of priests would “lose its influence in Israel” (1 Samuel 2:31). Eli had raised two sons who became incredibly corrupt priests who slept with the help and stole sacrificed meat reserved for God (1 Samuel 2:12-17).

The sacrificial altar at the first tent worship center included four corners, each shaped “like an animal horn” (Exodus 27:2). Archaeologists have uncovered many “horned altars” in Israel and Palestinian Territories. Bible writers never explained why altars were built with the corners turned up like animal horns. Perhaps the horns were a tribute to the livestock sacrificed on the altar. One more common guess is that the horns gave priests something to which they could tie the dead animal. This could help keep the sacrificed animal from rolling off the fire before it was burned. Psalm 118:27 seems to add credibility to that theory: “Go ahead and tie the festival sacrifice to the four corners of the altar.” Consider how it might feel for a worshiper to watch the sacrificed animal roll off the flaming altar before the animal had even caught fire. We might understand that the animal fell off because the burning wood pile shifted as wood disintegrated in the fire. But someone offering a sacrifice to seek forgiveness for sin might think God had just rejected the offering.

Roughly 30 miles (45 km) west of Jerusalem. It took about a day and a half to walk.