KJV King James Version
And Solomon said, If he will shew himself a worthy man, there shall not an hair of him fall to the earth: but if wickedness shall be found in him, he shall die.
VERSE STUDY • KJV
1 Kings 1:52
And Solomon said, If he will shew himself a worthy man, there shall not an hair of him fall to the earth: but if wickedness shall be found in him, he shall die.
Read it in 5 translations
BSB Berean Standard Bible
And Solomon replied, “If he is a man of character, not a single hair of his will fall to the ground. But if evil is found in him, he will die.”
WEB World English Bible
Solomon said, “If he shows himself a worthy man, not a hair of him shall fall to the earth; but if wickedness be found in him, he shall die.”
ASV American Standard Version
And Solomon said, If he shall show himself a worthy man, there shall not a hair of him fall to the earth; but if wickedness be found in him, he shall die.
YLT Young’s Literal Translation
And Solomon saith, ‘If he becometh a virtuous man—there doth not fall of his hair to the earth, and if evil is found in him—then he hath died.’
Surrounding context — 1 Kings 1
49 And all the guests that [were] with Adonijah were afraid, and rose up, and went every man his way.
50 And Adonijah feared because of Solomon, and arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar.
51 And it was told Solomon, saying, Behold, Adonijah feareth king Solomon: for, lo, he hath caught hold on the horns of the altar, saying, Let king Solomon swear unto me to day that he will not slay his servant with the sword.
52 And Solomon said, If he will shew himself a worthy man, there shall not an hair of him fall to the earth: but if wickedness shall be found in him, he shall die.
53 So king Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and bowed himself to king Solomon: and Solomon said unto him, Go to thine house.
Original-language word links
These Hebrew/Greek tokens are linked by Strong's number. Click one for its lexicon definition and other occurrences.
וַיֹּ֣אמֶרH559 · a.marto sayשְׁלֹמֹ֔הH8010 · she.lo.mohSolomonאִ֚םH518 · imifיִהְיֶ֣הH1961 · ha.yahto beלְבֶן־H1121 · benson: childחַ֔יִלH2428 · cha.yilstrength: soldiersלֹֽא־H3808 · lonotיִפֹּ֥לH5307 · na.phalto fall: fallמִשַּׂעֲרָת֖וֹH8185 · sa.a.rahhairאָ֑רְצָהH776 · e.retsland: country/planetוְאִם־H518 · imifרָעָ֥הH7451 · rabad: harmfulתִמָּצֵא־H4672 · ma.tsato findב֖וֹH9033 · ohimוָמֵֽת׃H4191 · mutto die
Cross-references
1 Samuel 14:45And the people said unto Saul, Shall Jonathan die, who hath wrought this great salvation in Israel? God forbid: [as] the LORD liveth, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground; for he hath wrought with God this day. So the people rescued Jonathan, that he died not.2 Samuel 14:11Then said she, I pray thee, let the king remember the LORD thy God, that thou wouldest not suffer the revengers of blood to destroy any more, lest they destroy my son. And he said, [As] the LORD liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth.Proverbs 13:6Righteousness keepeth [him that is] upright in the way: but wickedness overthroweth the sinner.Proverbs 21:12The righteous [man] wisely considereth the house of the wicked: [but God] overthroweth the wicked for [their] wickedness.1 Kings 2:21-25And she said, Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah thy brother to wife.Job 15:22He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, and he is waited for of the sword.Acts 27:34Wherefore I pray you to take [some] meat: for this is for your health: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you.Luke 21:18But there shall not an hair of your head perish.Matthew 10:30But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
HISTORICAL INTERPRETATION
Compare classic commentaries on 1 Kings 1:52
Put Matthew Henry, Adam Clarke, Calvin, Wesley, Barnes, Jamieson–Fausset–Brown, Aquinas’ Catena and other public-domain sources beside the passage.
Compare commentaries →