Shimei son of Gera שִׁמְעִי בֶּן־גֵּרָא
the man who cursed the king on the road—and was executed thirty years later for going out after a slave
Of the house of Saul, of the tribe of Benjamin. When David was leaving Jerusalem before Absalom, Shimei walked along the hillside opposite, throwing stones and shouting: "Out, out, man of blood and worthless man! The Lord has returned upon you all the blood of the house of Saul" (II Samuel 16:7–8).
Abishai asked to take off his head. David would not allow it: "Let him curse, for the Lord has said to him, Curse David… It may be that the Lord will look upon my affliction" (16:10–12). It is one of the hardest passages in the book: the king receives the reviling as part of what is given him.
When David returned, Shimei was first to come across the Jordan to meet him and fell down before him. The king swore to him that he would not put him to death (19:24).
But the oath was his own, not his son's. Dying, David said to Solomon: "You are a wise man and know what you ought to do to him" (I Kings 2:9). Solomon bound him by his word not to leave Jerusalem—and three years later Shimei went out to Gath after two runaway slaves. On his return he was put to death (2:36–46).
On the timeline
Related
Sources
Tanakh
- Shmuel II 16:5–13 — the cursing on the road and David's refusal to touch him
- Shmuel II 19:17–24 — the meeting at the Jordan and the king's oath
- Melachim I 2:36–46 — Solomon's condition, the journey to Gath, and the execution
Basis: stated in the Tanakh.