About Shimei
Shimei was a man from the same clan as Saul’s family, who is infamous for cursing King David and pelting rocks at him as he fled Jerusalem during Absalom’s insurrection.
Backstory
King Saul long feared that David would usurp his throne, though David repeatedly tried to convince him otherwise. After Saul’s death, his family nursed the belief that they were the rightful heirs.
David went to great lengths to build bridges with Saul’s family, including mourning his loss and punishing those who claimed to kill him and his son. He even brought Saul’s grandson Mephibosheth to live at his palace and eat from his table.
But that was not enough for Shimei, who continued to insist that his family was the one that belonged in power. When David fled from Jerusalem after Absalom’s insurrection, Shimei ran after him cursing and throwing rocks at him (2 Samuel 16:5-13).
Upon David’s re-entry to the city, Shimei begged for forgiveness (2 Samuel 19:16-23), but David never forgot the way he treated him when he was down. On his deathbed, David urged Solomon to deal with him (1 Kings 2:8-9).
Solomon put Shimei under strict orders not to leave the city (1 Kings 2:36-38). But when two of his slaves ran away, he chased after them, violating his terms of parole. Solomon then had him put to death (1 Kings 2:39-46).