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1 Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying, 2 I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man; 3 And keep the charge of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself: 4 That the LORD may continue his word which he spake concerning me, saying, If thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee (said he) a man on the throne of Israel. 5 Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two captains of the hosts of Israel, unto Abner the son of Ner, and unto Amasa the son of Jether, whom he slew, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loins, and in his shoes that were on his feet. 6 Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoar head go down to the grave in peace. 7 But shew kindness unto the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be of those that eat at thy table: for so they came to me when I fled because of Absalom thy brother. 8 And, behold, thou hast with thee Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite of Bahurim, which cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim: but he came down to meet me at Jordan, and I sware to him by the LORD, saying, I will not put thee to death with the sword. 9 Now therefore hold him not guiltless: for thou art a wise man, and knowest what thou oughtest to do unto him; but his hoar head bring thou down to the grave with blood. 10 So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David. 11 And the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: seven years reigned he in Hebron, and thirty and three years reigned he in Jerusalem. 12 Then sat Solomon upon the throne of David his father; and his kingdom was established greatly. 13 And Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bath-sheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, Comest thou peaceably? And he said, Peaceably. 14 He said moreover, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And she said, Say on. 15 And he said, Thou knowest that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign: howbeit the kingdom is turned about, and is become my brother's: for it was his from the LORD. 16 And now I ask one petition of thee, deny me not. And she said unto him, Say on. 17 And he said, Speak, I pray thee, unto Solomon the king, (for he will not say thee nay,) that he give me Abishag the Shunammite to wife. 18 And Bath-sheba said, Well; I will speak for thee unto the king. 19 Bath-sheba therefore went unto king Solomon, to speak unto him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her, and bowed himself unto her, and sat down on his throne, and caused a seat to be set for the king's mother; and she sat on his right hand. 20 Then she said, I desire one small petition of thee; I pray thee, say me not nay. And the king said unto her, Ask on, my mother: for I will not say thee nay. 21 And she said, Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah thy brother to wife. 22 And king Solomon answered and said unto his mother, And why dost thou ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? ask for him the kingdom also; for he is mine elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah. 23 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. 24 Now therefore, as the LORD liveth, which hath established me, and set me on the throne of David my father, and who hath made me an house, as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death this day. 25 And king Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him that he died. 26 And unto Abiathar the priest said the king, Get thee to Anathoth, unto thine own fields; for thou art worthy of death: but I will not at this time put thee to death, because thou barest the ark of the Lord GOD before David my father, and because thou hast been afflicted in all wherein my father was afflicted. 27 So Solomon thrust out Abiathar from being priest unto the LORD; that he might fulfil the word of the LORD, which he spake concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh. 28 Then tidings came to Joab: for Joab had turned after Adonijah, though he turned not after Absalom. And Joab fled unto the tabernacle of the LORD, and caught hold on the horns of the altar. 29 And it was told king Solomon that Joab was fled unto the tabernacle of the LORD; and, behold, he is by the altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, Go, fall upon him. 30 And Benaiah came to the tabernacle of the LORD, and said unto him, Thus saith the king, Come forth. And he said, Nay; but I will die here. And Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me. 31 And the king said unto him, Do as he hath said, and fall upon him, and bury him; that thou mayest take away the innocent blood, which Joab shed, from me, and from the house of my father. 32 And the LORD shall return his blood upon his own head, who fell upon two men more righteous and better than he, and slew them with the sword, my father David not knowing thereof, to wit, Abner the son of Ner, captain of the host of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, captain of the host of Judah. 33 Their blood shall therefore return 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 the LORD. 34 So Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up, and fell upon him, and slew him: and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness. 35 And the king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his room over the host: and Zadok the priest did the king put in the room of Abiathar. 36 And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him, Build thee an house in Jerusalem, and dwell there, and go not forth thence any whither. 37 For it shall be, that on the day thou goest out, and passest over the brook Kidron, thou shalt know for certain that thou shalt surely die: thy blood shall be upon thine own head. 38 And Shimei said unto the king, The saying is good: as my lord the king hath said, so will thy servant do. And Shimei dwelt in Jerusalem many days. 39 And it came to pass at the end of three years, that two of the servants of Shimei ran away unto Achish son of Maachah king of Gath. And they told Shimei, saying, Behold, thy servants be in Gath. 40 And Shimei arose, and saddled his ass, and went to Gath to Achish to seek his servants: and Shimei went, and brought his servants from Gath. 41 And it was told Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and was come again. 42 And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him, Did I not make thee to swear by the LORD, and protested unto thee, saying, Know for a certain, on the day thou goest out, and walkest abroad any wither, that thou shalt surely die? and thou saidst unto me, The word that I have heard is good. 43 Why then hast thou not kept the oath of the LORD, and the commandment that I have charged thee with? 44 The king said moreover to Shimei, Thou knowest all the wickedness which thine heart is privy to, that thou didst to David my father: therefore the LORD shall return thy wickedness upon thine own head; 45 And king Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the LORD for ever. 46 So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; which went out, and fell upon him, that he died. And the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.
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[AD 850] Ishodad of Merv on 1 Kings 2:5-6
[David] orders Solomon to punish [Joab], not out of viciousness or hatred for him but because he knew that he was wicked and that, if he had acted with hostility against him who was a mature man, he would act even worse against a young man, so that the kingdom would become unstable, and the house would not be firmly established. Therefore he entrusts his son with the revenge against him who had offended him, in order that, after the killing of that evil man by the hand of the new king, he might be feared by everyone, and no revolt might ever occur.

Source: BOOKS OF SESSIONS 1 KINGS 2:5-6
[AD 1781] Richard Challoner on 1 Kings 2:5
Joab: These instructions given by David to his son, with relation to Joab and Semei, proceeded not from any rancour of heart, or private pique; but from a zeal for justice, that crimes so public and heinous might not pass unpunished.
[AD 1781] Richard Challoner on 1 Kings 2:6
To hell: This word hell doth not here signify the place or state of damnation; but the place and state of the dead.
[AD 373] Ephrem the Syrian on 1 Kings 2:9
After expounding the crimes of Joab and Shimei, David entrusts Solomon with their punishment, but only gives him few details about the manner and quality of the punishment: “You will do,” he says, “according to your wisdom.” It is as if he said, Since both Joab and Shimei committed such [terrible] actions, it is unlawful that they are left unpunished. Therefore, solve this matter with the help of your wisdom so that your equity may catch them in their iniquity: may your severity, with the revelation of new crimes, find out the sins that your father’s indulgence had hidden.

Source: ON THE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS 2:8-9
[AD 397] Ambrose of Milan on 1 Kings 2:10
By Abel we understand the Christian who cleaves to God, as David says: “It is good for me to adhere to my God,” that is, to attach oneself to heavenly things and to shun the earthly. Elsewhere he says, “My soul has fainted in your word,” thus indicating his rule of life was directed toward reflections on the Word and not on the pleasures of this world. Wherefore we realize that what we read concerning David in the book of Kings is not an idle statement but is said with due weight and reflection: “And he was laid with his fathers.” We are given to understand that his faith was like that of his father’s. It is clear, then, that there is reference here to participation in life and not to the burial of a body.

Source: CAIN AND ABEL 1.5
[AD 458] Theodoret of Cyrus on 1 Kings 2:25
Some people blame Solomon because he killed his brother. Now the ways of life of people are different. Some of them certainly practice the highest form of philosophy; others pursue that virtue which is called political or civil; others manage the kingdom or hold power militarily. It is necessary to judge each of them according to the way of life that they follow. Therefore an apostolic or prophetic perfection cannot be expected from Solomon, but only those actions that are appropriate to kings. He knew that Adonijah desired to gain supreme command. In fact, he had tried to take hold of the kingdom. When he attacked him the first time openly, he still forgave him and promised him that he would be safe if he behaved with modesty. But after he asked for the partner of his father, he did not grant this to him because Adonijah was opening the way to tyranny. Therefore Solomon ordered him to be killed, as he was concerned for the tranquility of his kingdom.

Source: QUESTIONS 7, ON 1 KINGS
[AD 850] Ishodad of Merv on 1 Kings 2:28
Joab runs to the tent for two reasons: first of all, in order to escape his death, if possible; second, because he imagined that, if he were killed in that place, the tent of God would become polluted as a consequence of his death, and the people would rise up against Solomon, so that, since he had not been able to harm him during his life, he conspired to cause a rebellion at his death. This can be compared with what the demons who entered the swine did in order that the owners of the herd might become enraged and might kill our Lord; but it did not happen as they had planned. That is why Solomon, in the same manner, acting in accordance with the commandment of the law, “Take him, who has sinned, from my altar for execution,” forcing Joab to get out so that the innocent blood which he had shed without reason was avenged.

Source: BOOKS OF SESSIONS 1 KINGS 2:28
[AD 373] Ephrem the Syrian on 1 Kings 2:44
You can see here four people who were condemned by Solomon because they were guilty of treason: they all foreshadowed the Jewish nation’s ruin, which would derive from Christ’s unjust killing. Adonijah, who was appointed as king and was killed shortly later, was the first to presage the fall of the Jewish kingdom; then, after the abrogation of the priesthood of Aaron, Abiathar was expelled from his office; and Joab, who had the dignity of captain of the army, was deprived of his life by the leaders of the people and all his military force was destroyed. Finally, Shimei expressed in an even more evident and definitive manner the sin and punishment of the Jews, especially of the inhabitants of Jerusalem who blasphemed Christ and demanded his crucifixion. And that last prayer of Christ, like a supreme commandment, was postponed for four more decades and was not inflicted until the Jews were caught in a new crime when they persecuted the apostles and the other disciples of Christ.

Source: ON THE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS 2:39