The Meaning of 1 Chronicles 21:6 Explained

1 Chronicles 21:6

KJV: But Levi and Benjamin counted he not among them: for the king's word was abominable to Joab.

YLT: And Levi and Benjamin he hath not numbered in their midst, for the word of the king was abominable with Joab.

Darby: But Levi and Benjamin he did not count among them; for the king's word was abominable to Joab.

ASV: But Levi and Benjamin counted he not among them; for the king's word was abominable to Joab.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

But Levi  and Benjamin  counted  he not among  them: for the king's  word  was abominable  to Joab. 

What does 1 Chronicles 21:6 Mean?

Chapter Summary: 1 Chronicles 21

1  David, tempted by Satan, forces Joab to number the people
5  The number of the people being brought, David repents of it
9  David having three plagues proposed by God, chooses the pestilence
14  After the death of 70,000, David by repentance prevents the destruction of Jerusalem
18  David, by Gad's direction, purchases Ornan's threshing floor;
26  where having built an altar, God gives a sign of his favor by fire
28  David sacrifices there, being restrained from Gibeon by fear of the angel

What do the individual words in 1 Chronicles 21:6 mean?

But Levi and Benjamin not he did count among them for was abominable word of the king to Joab
וְלֵוִי֙ וּבִנְיָמִ֔ן לֹ֥א פָקַ֖ד בְּתוֹכָ֑ם כִּֽי־ נִתְעַ֥ב דְּבַר־ הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ אֶת־ יוֹאָֽב

וְלֵוִי֙  But  Levi 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: לֵוִי 
Sense: the 3rd son of Jacob by Leah and progenitor of tribe of Levites.
וּבִנְיָמִ֔ן  and  Benjamin 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: בִּנְיָמִין 
Sense: Jacob’s and Rachel’s youngest son, Joseph’s full brother.
פָקַ֖ד  he  did  count 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: פָּקַד 
Sense: to attend to, muster, number, reckon, visit, punish, appoint, look after, care for.
בְּתוֹכָ֑ם  among  them 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: תָּוֶךְ  
Sense: midst, middle.
נִתְעַ֥ב  was  abominable 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: תָּעַב  
Sense: to abhor, be abominable, do abominably.
דְּבַר־  word 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.
הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ  of  the  king 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
יוֹאָֽב  Joab 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄואָב  
Sense: son of David’s sister Zeruiah and general of David’s army.