1 Kings 11:21 Meaning and Explanation
“And when Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers, and that Joab the captain of the host was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, Let me depart, that I may go to mine own country.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Hearing that David and Joab had died, Hadad asked Pharaoh to let him return to his own land.
What Does 1 Kings 11:21 Mean?
News reaches Hadad in Egypt that both David and Joab, the men tied to Edom's defeat, have died. The death of his old enemies stirs him, and he asks Pharaoh for leave to return to his own country. The long exile is ending, and the adversary God had stirred up now begins to move toward Israel.
Hadad's request shows how deeply old grievances can lie buried, waiting for their season. He had a home and honor in Egypt, yet his heart turned back to his homeland and, with it, to opposition against Solomon. The timing is no accident, for the narrator has framed Hadad as an instrument of God's discipline against a king who turned from the Lord. Even the movements of foreign princes fall within the providence that governs Israel's story and ours.
Frequently Asked Questions About 1 Kings 11:21
What does 1 Kings 11:21 mean?
Hearing that David and Joab had died, Hadad asked Pharaoh to let him return to his own land.