1 Kings 2:30
ESV
So Benaiah came to the tent of the Lord and said to him, "The king commands, ‘Come out.’" But he said, "No, I will die here." Then Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, "Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me."
NIV
So Benaiah entered the tent of the Lord and said to Joab, "The king says, ‘Come out!’ " But he answered, "No, I will die here." Benaiah reported to the king, "This is how Joab answered me."
NASB
So Benaiah came to the tent of the Lord and said to him, 'This is what the king has said: 'Come out.' But he said, 'No, for I will die here.' So Benaiah brought back word to the king, saying, 'This is what Joab spoke, and so he answered me.'
CSB
So Benaiah went to the tabernacle and said to Joab, "This is what the king says: ‘Come out!’" But Joab said, "No, for I will die here." So Benaiah took a message back to the king, "This is what Joab said, and this is how he answered me."
NLT
Benaiah went to the sacred tent of the Lord and said to Joab, 'The king orders you to come out!' But Joab answered, 'No, I will die here.' So Benaiah returned to the king and told him what Joab had said.
KJV
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.
NKJV
So Benaiah went to the tabernacle of the Lord, and said to him, “Thus says the king, ‘Come out!’ ” And he said, “No, but I will die here.” And Benaiah brought back word to the king, saying, “Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me.”
What does 1 Kings 2:30 mean?
Benaiah is in a tough spot. He is the captain of the royal bodyguard. King Solomon has sent him to execute Joab, the commander of the Israelite army. Benaiah protects the king; Joab protects the nation. But Joab has conspired against Solomon with Solomon's brother Adonijah. The general must die (1 Kings 2:22).Joab received word that this was coming and ran to the tabernacle. He came through the outer curtains and grabbed hold of the horns on the corners of the great altar (1 Kings 2:28).
Taking the horns of the altar seems to be a way of begging for mercy and requesting a fair trial. Adonijah took hold of the altar after his first attempt to assume the crown, and Solomon did have mercy (1 Kings 1:50–53).
But rescue isn't coming for Joab. So, Joab refuses to move, and Benaiah doesn't know what to do. The guard captain sends word back to the king, requesting clarification. Joab killed two honorable men in cold blood, Solomon says. Strike him where he stands (1 Kings 2:31–33).
Benaiah does so, and Solomon makes him the army commander (1 Kings 2:34–35).
Joab's decision to go to the altar is interesting and appropriate. We aren't told if he gave a sin offering for murdering Abner or Amasa. It seems unlikely. He felt justified in his decisions to kill former military foes in peacetime. By holding on to the altar as Benaiah strikes, Joab is being sacrificed for his sin. About a thousand years later, Jesus' sacrifice would cover his sin—if he only repented.
