1 Kings 2:28, commentary and pictures

This verse belongs to the account of Solomon carrying out the measures David gave him to secure the throne after David's death. Joab had turned after Adonijah in his attempt to take the throne in rebellion against Solomon, though he had not turned after Absalom in his earlier rebellion and revolt against David. When tidings came of Adonijah's overthrow and defeat, and of Adonijah and others being put to death, Joab fled to the tabernacle of the Lord and seized the horns of the altar for refuge. He fled after learning that Solomon was checking Adonijah's ambitions.

He fled fearing death after supporting Adonijah and seeking refuge from the avenger, and the horns of the brazen altar served as a place of refuge for those who feared death. The word translated caught hold expresses strength and force, meaning to hold fast, cling firmly, or seize. His choice of the altar as his place of death showed that he believed in Jehovah. His flight to the tabernacle and taking hold of the horns before his death was the final outcome of his jealousy, which developed into and exposed a regrettable weakness of character that led at last to his death. His fate is included among the later troubles and deaths in David's family, presented as part of the continuing consequences of David's sin concerning Uriah.

He was later taken from the altar, showing that seeking sanctuary does not protect someone from punishment for serious wrongdoing, and that appealing to conscience does not make harmful religious beliefs or practices immune from public authority. Like a fugitive grasping the altar in desperation, the spirit of slavery seeks shelter in the Bible when driven by conscience and reason.