The king commanded Benaiah: The Hebrew does not say what Solomon ordered Benaiah to do, but the context makes it quite clear that he was instructed to kill Shimei.

As in verses 25, 29, 34, and 35, Good News Translation omits the words the son of Jehoiada.

Struck … down: See the comments on this verb in verse 25.

The kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon: The translator is not advised to render this expression literally. The meaning may be rendered “Solomon’s royal power was securely established” (Revised English Bible) or “Solomon was in full control of his kingdom” (New Century Version). New Living Translation retains some of the imagery of the Hebrew by saying “the kingdom was now firmly in Solomon’s grip.”

The function of the final sentence of this chapter is not clear. It may be understood as a summary of the preceding events (so Good News Translation), which seems to be the most natural reading of the Masoretic Text. Others, however, connect it closely with the beginning of chapter 3, in which Solomon marries a daughter of the Egyptian king and further strengthens his power. New American Bible (similarly Knox), for example, connects this sentence to the beginning of 3.1 as follows: “With the royal power firmly in his grasp, Solomon allied himself by marriage with Pharaoh, king of Egypt.” This interpretation dates back to the Latin Vulgate, which makes this sentence a part of chapter 3 rather than the last sentence in chapter 2.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .