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.

1 KINGS 2:37KJV
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1 Kings 2:37 (KJV)

What does 1 Kings 2:37 mean?

1 Kings 2:37 states that if the person addressed crosses the brook Kidron and leaves the area, they will certainly die, and the responsibility for their death will be their own. This is a clear warning that breaking the set boundary will have fatal consequences, and any resulting punishment will be self-inflicted.

In this verse, King Solomon is speaking to Shimei, setting a strict condition for his safety: Shimei must not leave Jerusalem or cross the brook Kidron. The brook Kidron (Hebrew: קִדְרוֹן, Qidron) marked a physical boundary. Solomon warns that if Shimei disobeys and crosses this line, he will be held fully accountable for his own death, making the consequences clear and unavoidable.

The Hebrew behind 1 Kings 2:37

  • קִדְרוֹן (Qidron, "Kidron"): This word names the brook east of Jerusalem, which served as a natural border. Mentioning Kidron emphasizes the seriousness of the boundary—crossing it is not just leaving the city, but breaking a direct royal command.
  • דָּם (dam, "blood") and רֹאשׁ (rosh, "head"): The phrase "thy blood shall be upon thine own head" uses these words to stress personal responsibility. In Hebrew thought, this means the blame and consequence rest solely on the one who disobeys, not on the king or anyone else.
  • יָצָא (yatsa, "go out") and עָבַר (avar, "pass over"): These verbs highlight the action that triggers the penalty—leaving and crossing over the boundary. The language is direct, leaving no room for misunderstanding about what is forbidden.

Why 1 Kings 2:37 matters

  • This verse clarifies that Solomon is not seeking Shimei’s death, but is giving him a fair warning and a chance to live peacefully if he obeys.
  • The specific mention of the brook Kidron as a boundary shows the seriousness of the king’s command and makes the terms of the warning unmistakable.
  • The verse connects to the larger narrative of Solomon establishing his rule and dealing with those who had opposed his father, David, showing both mercy and firmness in enforcing justice.

Where else these words appear

“Kidron” Hebrew H6939 · used in 10 verses

  • 2 Samuel 15:23 And all the country wept with a loud voice, and all the people passed over: the king also himself passed over the brook Kidron, and all the people passed over, toward the way of the wilderness.
  • 2 Kings 23:6 And he brought out the grove from the house of the LORD, without Jerusalem, unto the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron, and stamped it small to powder, and cast the powder thereof upon the graves of the children of the people.
  • 2 Chronicles 29:16 And the priests went into the inner part of the house of the LORD, to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the LORD into the court of the house of the LORD. And the Levites took it, to carry it out abroad into the brook Kidron.

“brook” Hebrew H5158 · used in 123 verses

  • Genesis 26:17 And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.
  • Judges 4:13 And Sisera gathered together all his chariots, even nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people that were with him, from Harosheth of the Gentiles unto the river of Kishon.
  • Job 28:4 The flood breaketh out from the inhabitant; even the waters forgotten of the foot: they are dried up, they are gone away from men.