Shimei (son of Gera)
시므이 (게라의 아들)
Named at 2 Samuel 16:5: “When King David came to Bahurim, behold, a man of the family of Saul’s house came out, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera. He came out and cursed as he came.” At 16:6–8 he casts stones at David and at all the servants of King David, and says when he curses, “Be gone, be gone, you man of blood, and wicked fellow! The LORD has returned on you all the blood of Saul’s house, in whose place you have reigned! The LORD has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son! Behold, you are caught by your own mischief, because you are a man of blood!” At 16:9–13 Abishai the son of Zeruiah says to the king, “Please let me go over and take off his head”, but David says, “Leave him alone, and let him curse”, and Shimei goes along on the hillside and curses as he goes, throws stones, and throws dust. 2 Samuel 19:16–23 says that Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite, who was of Bahurim, hurried and came down with the men of Judah to meet King David; that he fell down before the king when he had come over the Jordan, and said, “Don’t let my lord impute iniquity to me, or remember that which your servant did perversely the day that my lord the king went out of Jerusalem, that the king should take it to his heart”; that Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered, “Shouldn’t Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the LORD’s anointed?”; and that the king said to Shimei, “You will not die”, and swore to him. 1 Kings 2:8–9 gives David’s words to Solomon, “Behold, there is with you Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite of Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim; but he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to him by the LORD, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’ Now therefore don’t hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man; and you will know what you ought to do to him, and you shall bring his gray head down to Sheol with blood”; 2:36–38 says that the king told Shimei to build a house in Jerusalem, live there and not go anywhere else, and that Shimei said to the king, “What you say is good. As my lord the king has said, so will your servant do”; and 2:39–46 that at the end of three years Shimei went to Gath to Achish to seek his two slaves and brought them from Gath, that the king said to Shimei, “Therefore the LORD will return your wickedness on your own head”, and that at the king’s command Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went out, and fell on him, so that he died.
Direct relationships 5
Open in the full graphCollected relationship evidence
Source-backed narrative relations; not independent historical verification. Legacy dates and coordinates are outside this review.
Collection & rightsSource evidence (5)
AI-assisted comparison with the cited narrative; not independent historical verification.
- 1KI 2:5–9, engwebp
5“Moreover you know also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, even what he did to the two captains of the armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner and to Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war on his sash that was around his waist and in his sandals that were on his feet.
6Do therefore according to your wisdom, and don’t let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace.
7But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table; for so they came to me when I fled from Absalom your brother.
8“Behold, there is with you Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite of Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim; but he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to him by the LORD, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’
9Now therefore don’t hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man; and you will know what you ought to do to him, and you shall bring his gray head down to Sheol with blood.”
- 1KI 2:36–38, engwebp
36The king sent and called for Shimei, and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem, and live there, and don’t go anywhere else.
37For on the day you go out and pass over the brook Kidron, know for certain that you will surely die. Your blood will be on your own head.”
38Shimei said to the king, “What you say is good. As my lord the king has said, so will your servant do.” Shimei lived in Jerusalem many days.
- 1KI 2:39–46, engwebp
39At the end of three years, two of Shimei’s slaves ran away to Achish, son of Maacah, king of Gath. They told Shimei, saying, “Behold, your slaves are in Gath.”
40Shimei arose, saddled his donkey, and went to Gath to Achish to seek his slaves; and Shimei went and brought his slaves from Gath.
41Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and had come again.
42The king sent and called for Shimei, and said to him, “Didn’t I adjure you by the LORD and warn you, saying, ‘Know for certain that on the day you go out and walk anywhere else, you shall surely die’? You said to me, ‘The saying that I have heard is good.’
43Why then have you not kept the oath of the LORD and the commandment that I have instructed you with?”
44The king said moreover to Shimei, “You know in your heart all the wickedness that you did to David my father. Therefore the LORD will return your wickedness on your own head.
45But King Solomon will be blessed, and David’s throne will be established before the LORD forever.”
46So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he went out, and fell on him, so that he died. The kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.
- 2SA 16:5–14, engwebp
5When King David came to Bahurim, behold, a man of the family of Saul’s house came out, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera. He came out and cursed as he came.
6He cast stones at David and at all the servants of King David, and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left.
7Shimei said when he cursed, “Be gone, be gone, you man of blood, and wicked fellow!
8The LORD has returned on you all the blood of Saul’s house, in whose place you have reigned! The LORD has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son! Behold, you are caught by your own mischief, because you are a man of blood!”
9Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Please let me go over and take off his head.”
10The king said, “What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? Because he curses, and because the LORD has said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who then shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’”
11David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “Behold, my son, who came out of my bowels, seeks my life. How much more this Benjamite, now? Leave him alone, and let him curse; for the LORD has invited him.
12It may be that the LORD will look on the wrong done to me, and that the LORD will repay me good for the cursing of me today.”
13So David and his men went by the way; and Shimei went along on the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went, threw stones at him, and threw dust.
14The king and all the people who were with him arrived weary; and he refreshed himself there.
- 2SA 19:16–23, engwebp
16Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite, who was of Bahurim, hurried and came down with the men of Judah to meet King David.
17There were a thousand men of Benjamin with him, and Ziba the servant of Saul’s house, and his fifteen sons and his twenty servants with him; and they went through the Jordan in the presence of the king.
18A ferry boat went to bring over the king’s household, and to do what he thought good. Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king when he had come over the Jordan.
19He said to the king, “Don’t let my lord impute iniquity to me, or remember that which your servant did perversely the day that my lord the king went out of Jerusalem, that the king should take it to his heart.
20For your servant knows that I have sinned. Therefore behold, I have come today as the first of all the house of Joseph to go down to meet my lord the king.”
21But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered, “Shouldn’t Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the LORD’s anointed?”
22David said, “What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah, that you should be adversaries to me today? Shall any man be put to death today in Israel? For don’t I know that I am king over Israel today?”
23The king said to Shimei, “You will not die.” The king swore to him.
AI-assisted, human review pending, 2026-09-26
Machine comparison on 2026-10-07: the wording raised none of the 3 rules against the passages this entry cites. No person has read it.
Unresolved interpretation: Shimei of 1 Kings 1:8 and Shimei the son of Gera
- 1 Kings 1:8 says, “But Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and the mighty men who belonged to David, were not with Adonijah.” The verse gives Shimei no father, title or town.
Source evidence (1)
AI-assisted comparison with the cited narrative; not independent historical verification.
- 1KI 1:5–10, engwebp
5Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king.” Then he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.
6His father had not displeased him at any time in saying, “Why have you done so?” and he was also a very handsome man; and he was born after Absalom.
7He conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest; and they followed Adonijah and helped him.
8But Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and the mighty men who belonged to David, were not with Adonijah.
9Adonijah killed sheep, cattle, and fatlings by the stone of Zoheleth, which is beside En Rogel; and he called all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah, the king’s servants;
10but he didn’t call Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and Solomon his brother.
- 1KI 1:5–10, engwebp
- 1 Kings 2:8 gives David’s words to Solomon, “Behold, there is with you Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite of Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim”.
Source evidence (1)
AI-assisted comparison with the cited narrative; not independent historical verification.
- 1KI 2:5–9, engwebp
5“Moreover you know also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, even what he did to the two captains of the armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner and to Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war on his sash that was around his waist and in his sandals that were on his feet.
6Do therefore according to your wisdom, and don’t let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace.
7But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table; for so they came to me when I fled from Absalom your brother.
8“Behold, there is with you Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite of Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim; but he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to him by the LORD, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’
9Now therefore don’t hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man; and you will know what you ought to do to him, and you shall bring his gray head down to Sheol with blood.”
- 1KI 2:5–9, engwebp
1 Kings 1:8 names “Shimei, Rei” with Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and Nathan the prophet among those who were not with Adonijah, and gives this Shimei no father, title or town; 2:8, in David’s words, names “Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite of Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim”. The text does not say whether the Shimei of 1:8 is the son of Gera. This collection records the Shimei of 1:8 apart, and does not decide whether the two are one man.
Unresolved interpretation: Kish and Shimei of Esther 2:5
- 1 Samuel 9:1–2 says, “Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah, the son of a Benjamite, a mighty man of valor. He had a son whose name was Saul”.
Source evidence (1)
AI-assisted comparison with the cited narrative; not independent historical verification.
- 1SA 9:1–2, engwebp
1Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah, the son of a Benjamite, a mighty man of valor.
2He had a son whose name was Saul, an impressive young man; and there was not among the children of Israel a more handsome person than he. From his shoulders and upward he was taller than any of the people.
- 1SA 9:1–2, engwebp
- 2 Samuel 16:5 says, “When King David came to Bahurim, behold, a man of the family of Saul’s house came out, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera.”
Source evidence (1)
AI-assisted comparison with the cited narrative; not independent historical verification.
- 2SA 16:5–14, engwebp
5When King David came to Bahurim, behold, a man of the family of Saul’s house came out, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera. He came out and cursed as he came.
6He cast stones at David and at all the servants of King David, and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left.
7Shimei said when he cursed, “Be gone, be gone, you man of blood, and wicked fellow!
8The LORD has returned on you all the blood of Saul’s house, in whose place you have reigned! The LORD has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son! Behold, you are caught by your own mischief, because you are a man of blood!”
9Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Please let me go over and take off his head.”
10The king said, “What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? Because he curses, and because the LORD has said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who then shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’”
11David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “Behold, my son, who came out of my bowels, seeks my life. How much more this Benjamite, now? Leave him alone, and let him curse; for the LORD has invited him.
12It may be that the LORD will look on the wrong done to me, and that the LORD will repay me good for the cursing of me today.”
13So David and his men went by the way; and Shimei went along on the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went, threw stones at him, and threw dust.
14The king and all the people who were with him arrived weary; and he refreshed himself there.
- 2SA 16:5–14, engwebp
- Esther 2:5 says, “There was a certain Jew in the citadel of Susa whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite”. The Korean Revised Version makes Mordecai the Benjamite (저는 베냐민 자손이니) and gives the line from Kish down (기스의 증손이요 시므이의 손자요 야일의 아들이라).
Source evidence (1)
AI-assisted comparison with the cited narrative; not independent historical verification.
- EST 2:5–7, engwebp
5There was a certain Jew in the citadel of Susa whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite,
6who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captives who had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away.
7He brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter; for she had neither father nor mother. The maiden was fair and beautiful; and when her father and mother were dead, Mordecai took her for his own daughter.
- EST 2:5–7, engwebp
1 Samuel 9:1–2 names Kish, a man of Benjamin, the son of Abiel and the father of Saul, and 2 Samuel 16:5 names Shimei, the son of Gera, a man of the family of Saul’s house. Esther 2:5 names Jair, Shimei and Kish in the line of Mordecai: WEB makes Shimei the son of Kish, and the Korean Revised Version makes Mordecai of the children of Benjamin, the great-grandson of Kish and the grandson of Shimei. The names are the same, and 1 Samuel 9:1 and Esther 2:5 both name Benjamin, but the text gives the line of Esther 2:5 no further than Kish, and does not say whether the Kish and Shimei of Esther 2:5 are Kish the father of Saul and Shimei the son of Gera. This collection records the Kish and Shimei of Esther 2:5 apart, and does not decide whether they are the same men.
All 5 relationships: AI-assisted, human review pending
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Gera (father of Shimei) — Father of — Shimei (son of Gera)
Evidence: 1 Kings 2:5–9, 2 Samuel 16:5–14, 2 Samuel 19:16–23
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Took part in (4) — Shimei the son of Gera comes out at Bahurim, curses David, and casts stones at him, Shimei the son of Gera falls down before the king, and the king swears to him, The king tells Shimei to build a house in Jerusalem and live there, Shimei goes to Gath and brings back his slaves, Benaiah falls on him, and the kingdom is established in the hand of Solomon
A relationship with an event rests on the passages the event cites: each event’s page has them.
Verses tagged with this entry
Names in the World English Bible text that carry this entry’s tag. They are carried over from the tags on the Korean Revised Version, which are matched by name inside chapters that already have collected evidence, and a verse where the English says “he” carries none. All await human review. They are a separate list from the source passages above. An empty list does not mean the entry is absent from the text.
When King David came to Bahurim, behold, a man of the family of Saul’s house came out, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera. He came out and cursed as he came.
Shimei said when he cursed, “Be gone, be gone, you man of blood, and wicked fellow!
So David and his men went by the way; and Shimei went along on the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went, threw stones at him, and threw dust.
Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite, who was of Bahurim, hurried and came down with the men of Judah to meet King David.
A ferry boat went to bring over the king’s household, and to do what he thought good. Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king when he had come over the Jordan.
But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered, “Shouldn’t Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the LORD’s anointed?”
The king said to Shimei, “You will not die.” The king swore to him.
“Behold, there is with you Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite of Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim; but he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to him by the LORD, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’
The king sent and called for Shimei, and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem, and live there, and don’t go anywhere else.
Shimei said to the king, “What you say is good. As my lord the king has said, so will your servant do.” Shimei lived in Jerusalem many days.
At the end of three years, two of Shimei’s slaves ran away to Achish, son of Maacah, king of Gath. They told Shimei, saying, “Behold, your slaves are in Gath.”
Shimei arose, saddled his donkey, and went to Gath to Achish to seek his slaves; and Shimei went and brought his slaves from Gath.
Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and had come again.
The king sent and called for Shimei, and said to him, “Didn’t I adjure you by the LORD and warn you, saying, ‘Know for certain that on the day you go out and walk anywhere else, you shall surely die’? You said to me, ‘The saying that I have heard is good.’
The king said moreover to Shimei, “You know in your heart all the wickedness that you did to David my father. Therefore the LORD will return your wickedness on your own head.
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[Bibliadatum entry report] Entry: Shimei (son of Gera) (person-shimei-gera) Address: https://bibliadatum.org/en/wiki/person/shimei-gera Current wording: Named at 2 Samuel 16:5: “When King David came to Bahurim, behold, a man of the family of Saul’s house came out, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera. He came out and cursed as he came.” At 16:6–8 he casts stones at David and at all the servants of King David, and says when he curses, “Be gone, be gone, you man of blood, and wicked fellow! The LORD has returned on you all the blood of Saul’s house, in whose place you have reigned! The LORD has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son! Behold, you are caught by your own mischief, because you are a man of blood!” At 16:9–13 Abishai the son of Zeruiah says to the king, “Please let me go over and take off his head”, but David says, “Leave him alone, and let him curse”, and Shimei goes along on the hillside and curses as he goes, throws stones, and throws dust. 2 Samuel 19:16–23 says that Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite, who was of Bahurim, hurried and came down with the men of Judah to meet King David; that he fell down before the king when he had come over the Jordan, and said, “Don’t let my lord impute iniquity to me, or remember that which your servant did perversely the day that my lord the king went out of Jerusalem, that the king should take it to his heart”; that Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered, “Shouldn’t Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the LORD’s anointed?”; and that the king said to Shimei, “You will not die”, and swore to him. 1 Kings 2:8–9 gives David’s words to Solomon, “Behold, there is with you Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite of Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim; but he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to him by the LORD, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’ Now therefore don’t hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man; and you will know what you ought to do to him, and you shall bring his gray head down to Sheol with blood”; 2:36–38 says that the king told Shimei to build a house in Jerusalem, live there and not go anywhere else, and that Shimei said to the king, “What you say is good. As my lord the king has said, so will your servant do”; and 2:39–46 that at the end of three years Shimei went to Gath to Achish to seek his two slaves and brought them from Gath, that the king said to Shimei, “Therefore the LORD will return your wickedness on your own head”, and that at the king’s command Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went out, and fell on him, so that he died. Cited evidence: 1KI 2:5–9, engwebp / 1KI 2:36–38, engwebp / 1KI 2:39–46, engwebp / 2SA 16:5–14, engwebp / 2SA 19:16–23, engwebp Review state: ai-assisted / human-review-pending What looks wrong: (not written yet) --- This collection records what the text says and does not settle interpretation. A report about a reading that divides opinion may be registered as an unresolved issue rather than corrected.