The Meaning of 1 Kings 2:31 Explained

1 Kings 2:31

KJV: And the king said unto him, Do as he hath said, and fall upon him, and bury him; that thou mayest take away the innocent blood, which Joab shed, from me, and from the house of my father.

YLT: And the king saith to him, 'Do as he hath spoken, and fall upon him, and thou hast buried him, and turned aside the causeless blood which Joab shed, from off me, and from off the house of my father;

Darby: And the king said to him, Do as he has said, and fall upon him, and bury him; and take away the innocent blood, which Joab shed, from me and from the house of my father.

ASV: And the king said unto him, Do as he hath said, and fall upon him, and bury him; that thou mayest take away the blood, which Joab shed without cause, from me and from my father's house.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And the king  said  unto him, Do  as he hath said,  and fall  upon him, and bury  him; that thou mayest take away  the innocent  blood,  which Joab  shed,  from me, and from the house  of my father. 

What does 1 Kings 2:31 Mean?

Context Summary

1 Kings 2:26-35 - Paying Penalty For Bloody Deeds
The removal of Abiathar from the office of high priest and the execution of Joab quenched the last faint hopes of the house of Saul. In the case of Abiathar, note the remarkable fulfillment of the divine prediction, 1 Samuel 2:31-35. God does not fail to keep His word, whether of threatening or of promise.
Joab fled to the altar. Men who, throughout their life, have disregarded or despised religion will often turn to it in their extremity. Those who blaspheme when the seas are smooth, will be the first to cry for mercy when the storm-winds lash the waters into foam.
Joab's attempt to find mercy through the altar was futile; but no sinner ever flees to the Cross in vain. If he fulfills the conditions of repentance and faith, the sword of the avenger cannot touch him there. If we confess and forsake our sins, and humbly trust in the mercy of the Redeemer, no weapon that is formed against us can prosper, and every tongue that rises in judgment is condemned. "This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord," Isaiah 54:17.
1 Kings 2:1-46 - Breaking Three Commandments
From a worldly point of view Naboth might have done a good stroke of business by selling his estate to. Ahab. A royal price and assured favor might have been his-but he had a conscience! Above the persuasive tones of the monarch's offer sounded the voice of God: "The land shall not be sold for ever, for the land is mine." See Revelation 6:9-10; Numbers 36:7; Ezekiel 46:18.
Ahab knew perfectly well that Jezebel could not give him the property of another except by foul means, but he took pains not to inquire. Though the direct orders for Naboth's death did not come from him, yet, by his silence, he was an accomplice and an accessory; and divine justice penetrates all such specious excuses. God holds us responsible for wrongs which we do not arrest, though we have the power. The crime was blacker because of the pretext of religion, as suggested by a fast. See also 2 Kings 9:26. The blood of murdered innocence cries to God, and his requital, though delayed, is inevitable. See Leviticus 25:23. [source]

Chapter Summary: 1 Kings 2

1  David, having given a charge to Solomon
3  of Reverence
5  of Joab
7  of Barzillai
8  of Shimei
10  Solomon succeeds
12  Adonijah, moving Bathsheba to ask unto Solomon for Abishag,
13  is put to death
26  Abiathar, having his life given him, is deprived of the priesthood
28  Joab fleeing to the horns of the altar, is there slain
35  Benaiah is put in Joab's room, and Zadfok in Abiathar's
36  Shimei, confined to Jerusalem, by occasion of going to Gath, is put to death

What do the individual words in 1 Kings 2:31 mean?

And said to him the king do as he has said and strike down him and bury him that you may take away the blood innocent which shed Joab from me and from the house of my father
וַיֹּ֧אמֶר ל֣וֹ הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ עֲשֵׂה֙ כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר דִּבֶּ֔ר וּפְגַע־ בּ֖וֹ וּקְבַרְתּ֑וֹ וַהֲסִירֹ֣תָ ׀ דְּמֵ֣י חִנָּ֗ם אֲשֶׁר֙ שָׁפַ֣ךְ יוֹאָ֔ב מֵעָלַ֕י וּמֵעַ֖ל בֵּ֥ית אָבִֽי

וַיֹּ֧אמֶר  And  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
ל֣וֹ  to  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ  the  king 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
דִּבֶּ֔ר  he  has  said 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: דָּבַר 
Sense: to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing.
וּפְגַע־  and  strike  down 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: פָּגַע  
Sense: to encounter, meet, reach, entreat, make intercession.
וּקְבַרְתּ֑וֹ  and  bury  him 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine singular, third person masculine singular
Root: קָבַר  
Sense: to bury.
וַהֲסִירֹ֣תָ ׀  that  you  may  take  away 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: סוּר 
Sense: to turn aside, depart.
דְּמֵ֣י  the  blood 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: דָּם  
Sense: blood.
חִנָּ֗ם  innocent 
Parse: Adverb
Root: חִנָּם  
Sense: freely, for nothing, without cause.
שָׁפַ֣ךְ  shed 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שֶׂפֶק 
Sense: to pour, pour out, spill.
יוֹאָ֔ב  Joab 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄואָב  
Sense: son of David’s sister Zeruiah and general of David’s army.
מֵעָלַ֕י  from  me 
Parse: Preposition-m, first person common singular
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
וּמֵעַ֖ל  and  from 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-m
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
בֵּ֥ית  the  house 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
אָבִֽי  of  my  father 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.