מלכים א ב׳

את אשר עשה לי. שהראה הספר ששלח דוד ביד אוריה, (במדרש רבי תנחומא שם):

[What] was done to me. By showing them the letter which Dovid had sent through Uryah,¹Uryah was one of Dovid’s generals. Dovid wanted Uryah killed so that he could marry Bas Sheva, Uryah’s wife. With Yoav’s assistance, he arranged to have Uryah placed in the front lines of the battle. When Uryah was killed, everyone blamed Yoav. Instead of protecting Dovid, Yoav betrayed him by disclosing that it was Dovid’s plan to place Uryah in the thick of the battle in order that he be killed. [according to] the Midrash Rabbi Tanchuma.

דמי מלחמה בשלום. שהיה להם שלום עמו, ולא היו נשמרים ממנו:

[And shed] the blood of war at a time of peace. Since they were at peace with him, they were not on guard against him.

בחגורתו אשר במתניו. שחגר חרבו מצומדת על מתניו, שלא כדרך החוגרים, בצאתו לקראת עמשא, ופיה למטה כדי שתפול, כמה שנאמר (שמואל ב כ ח): והוא יצא ותפול, וכשנפלה ונטלה, כסבור עמשא שלא נטלה אלא להגביהה מן הארץ, ולא נשמר מהחרב אשר ביד יואב:

On his belt which was on his loins. He had girded his sword, attached to his loins, not in the customary manner of those girding swords, when he went out to meet Amasa. [He placed the sword’s] opening downward so that it would fall out, as it is stated, “and he went out and it fell out.”²II Shmuel 20:8. Once it fell, he [Yo’av] retrieved it. Amasa presumed that he retrieved it only to pick it up from the ground, and he did not guard himself from the sword which was in Yo’av’s hand.

ובנעלו אשר ברגליו. את אבנר הרג בערמה, ששאלו גידמת היאך חולצת, כמה שנאמר (שם ג כז): ויטהו יואב אל תוך השער לדבר אתו 'בשלי', לשון 'של' נעלך:

And in his shoe that was on his feet. He killed Avner cunningly by asking him, “How does a woman who has no hands remove the shoes?”³During חליצה, the widow must remove the shoe of her deceased husband’s brother who does not want to marry her. as it is stated, “And Yo’av caused him to turn aside at the gate to speak with him בשלי.”⁴II Shmuel 3:27. [בשלי is] an expression of “remove [של] your shoes.”⁵Shemos 3:5.

ולא תורד שיבתו בשלום שאול. אל תניחהו למות מיתת עצמו וליפול בגיהנם:

And do not let his greying head go down to the grave in peace. Do not let him die a natural death [causing him] to fall into Gehinnom.⁶Dovid had Yoav’s ultimate welfare in mind.

קללה נמרצת. מפורשת, כמו (איוב טז ג): מה ימריצך, (שם ו כה): ומה נמרצו כמו מה נמלצו:

An explicit curse. [נמרצת⁷נמרצת is an acronym for the five ways that Shim’i cursed Dovid. He called Dovid an adulterer [=נואף], a Moavi [=מואבי], murderer [=רוצח], oppressor [=צורר], and an abomination [=תועבה]. See Maseches Shabbos105a. means] concise, as in, “what will bring clarity [ימריצך] to you,”⁸Iyov 16:3. [and as in,] “and how clear [נמרצו are right words],”⁹Ibid. 6:25. the same as an interpretation [נמלצו]¹⁰נמלצו is the equivalent of נמרצו because the ‘ר’ and the ‘ל’ are interchangeable..

כי איש חכם אתה. תן לבך למצוא לו עון מות בשביל דבר אחר, וזהו וידעת את אשר תעשה לו:

For you are a wise man. Turn your attention to find for him a capital iniquity on account of another matter. This is [what it means by], “You will know how to deal with him.”

ותכון מלכותו מאד. אף על העליונים:

And his kingdom was firmly established. [He was] also [ruler] over the heavenly creatures.

לדבר לו. לדבר בשבילו, בשביל אדוניהו:

To speak to him. To speak on his behalf, on behalf of Adoniyahu.¹¹Alternatively, on behalf of Shlomo, because she felt that Shlomo’s kingdom would be strengthened by granting Adoniyahu’s request.—Malbim.

לאם המלך. אמרו רבותינו (בבא בתרא צא ב): לאמה של מלכות, היא רות:

For the mother of the king. Our Rabbis said [this refers] to Rus the matriarch of kingship.¹²See Maseches Bava Basra 91b and Rashi there. Rus was the great great grandmother of Shlomo who was still alive when Shlomo ascended the throne.

ושאלי לו את המלוכה. משישתמש בשרביטו של מלך, הוא תחלת השררה:

Ask that the kingdom be given to him. From the moment the scepter of the king is used, that is the beginning of authority.

עשה לי בית. בית המלוכה, כאשר דבר ביד נתן:

And Who has made me a [royal] house. A house of royalty as he had spoken through Noson.

ענתות לך. משם היה:

Go to Anosos. He was from there.

כי איש מות אתה. שמרדת במלכות אבי בהיותך עם אדוניהו, להמליכו שלא מדעתו:

For you are deserving of death. Because you rebelled against the kingdom of my father when you were with Adoniyahu, to appoint him king without his [i.e., my father’s] knowledge.

כי נשאת את ארון. בברוח אבי מפני אבשלום:

Because you carried the Ark. When my father was escaping from Avsholom.

וכי התענית. עמו באותה הצרה, שנאמר (שמואל ב יז כט): כי אמרו העם רעב ועיף וצמא במדבר:

And because you suffered. With him in that very same affliction, as it is stated, “for they said, ‘the people are hungry and weary and thirsty; in the wilderness.’”¹³II Shmuel 17:29.

את אשר דבר על בית עלי. (שמואל א ב לה) והקימותי לי כהן נאמן וגו'. (שם פסוק לב): והבטת צר מעון וגו', ומשחרבה שילה, לא היה בית חשוב לעבודה להקב"ה, ועתה כשיבנה בית הבחירה, מלא הקב"ה את דברו לגרש את בני עלי:

That He had spoken concerning the house of Eili. [As it is stated,] “And I will appoint for Myself a faithful kohein,”¹⁴I Shmuel 2:35. [and] “and you will see a rival in My dwelling place, etc.”¹⁵Ibid. 2:32. Once [the Tabernacle at] Shilo was destroyed, there was no house worthy of service to the Holy One Blessed Is He, but now that the Beis Hamikdosh will be built, the Holy One Blessed Is He, fulfilled His word to banish Eili’s descendants.¹⁶Evyosor was Eili’s great great grandson. See I Shmuel 14:3, 22:20.

והשמועה באה עד יואב. שמועת מצות דוד שצוה להורגו, וידע ששלמה שונאו:

And the report reached Yoav. The report of Dovid’s charge, that he had commanded to kill him, and he knew that Shlomo hated him.¹⁷That is why Yoav feared for his life. Alternatively, he heard of Adoniyahu’s death and of Evyosor’s banishment.—Radak

כי יואב נטה אחרי אדוניה ואחרי אבשלום לא נטה. סוף דבר, אבל בקש לנטות, אלא נתיירא שעדיין לחלוחית של דוד קיימת:

For Yoav had sided with Adoniyah, but he had not sided with Avsholom. At the end of the matter; however, he did seek to turn after him, but he was fearful that trace of Dovid[’s might] was still present.

ויאמר לא. שתים לא אקבל עלי, קללות שקללני דוד אביך במיתת אבנר (שמואל ב ג כט): יחולו על ראש יואב יקבלם שלמה עליו, ואחר כך אצא:

And he said, “No.” Two [punishments] I will not accept upon myself. The curses that your father Dovid cursed me at the death of Avner, as it is stated, “They shall fall upon the head of Yo’av.”¹⁸II Shmuel 3:29. let Shlomo accept them upon himself, and afterward I will go.

עשה כאשר דבר. אני מקבלם עלי, לכך נדבקו כל אלה בזרע דוד, עוזיה היה מצורע, אסא מחזיק בפלך, יהויקים נפל בחרב, וחסר לחם צדקיהו:

Do as he said. I accept them [i.e., the curses] upon myself. Therefore, all these became attached to Dovid’s offspring. Uziyah became [a] leper,¹⁹II Divrei Hayomim 26:19. Assa leaned on a staff,²⁰See II Shmuel 3:29 and I Melochim 15:23. Yehoyakim died by the sword,²¹See Yirmiyahu 22:19. and Tzidkiyahu lacked bread.²²See II Melochim 25:30.

בביתו במדבר. שהיה ביתו הפקר כמדבר, לעניים:

In his own house in the wilderness. For his home was unrestricted as a wilderness, to [help] the needy.²³See Rashi in Maseches Sanhedrin 49a. Alternatively, Yoav had a house in the wilderness where his shepherds stayed when they were out with the sheep, or Yoav house was free of stolen property just like the wilderness.—Radak.

ולא תצא משם. כדי שיהא מצוי לו, ולמצוא לו חטא מות:

You must never go out from there. In order that he be accessible to him and that he might find him guilty of a capital sin.

ואעד בך. לשון התראה:

And forewarned you. An expression referring to a [legal] warning.²⁴A warning given to an offender before he or she commits the offense.

את שבועת ה'. אשר השבעתיך בה':

The oath of Adonoy. Which I made you swear in the name of God.

והממלכה נכונה וגו'. כלומר, לא נענש על כל אלה:

The kingdom was thus established, etc. I.e., he was not punished for all these [actions].