מלכים א, פרק ב׳, פסוק ל״ט

After three years of strictly observing the royal ban confining him to Jerusalem, a seemingly random event seals Shimei's fate. Two of his slaves escape across the city borders to the king of Gath. Upon hearing of their whereabouts, Shimei makes the fateful decision to pursue them. This departure is not merely a practical effort to recover lost property. Rather, it represents a deep disrespect for King Solomon's explicit decree [אברבנאל]. While the slaves' escape was an accident of circumstance, Shimei's choice to leave the city is a severe violation of his conditional pardon, an act that carries the penalty of death.

When Solomon eventually summons Shimei to answer for his actions, the king accuses him of violating an oath made to God. Although the original narrative does not explicitly mention an oath being sworn, the king's harsh rebuke indicates that Shimei was indeed made to swear before witnesses that he would not leave Jerusalem. Another perspective suggests that an explicit oath was not strictly necessary. In this view, any command issued by a king is automatically treated as a sworn obligation, meaning that violating a royal decree is inherently the same as breaking an oath to God [רד"ק בשם אביו].

Faced with these accusations, Shimei offers no denial. He fully acknowledges the existence of the oath and admits that the original command to remain in Jerusalem was a fair arrangement. Ultimately, Solomon's condemnation does not focus on whether the confinement was beneficial or practical for Shimei. Instead, the king centers his judgment entirely on the extreme severity of breaking a divine oath and defying a royal command [אברבנאל].