The Meaning of 1 Kings 14:6 Explained

1 Kings 14:6

KJV: And it was so, when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet, as she came in at the door, that he said, Come in, thou wife of Jeroboam; why feignest thou thyself to be another? for I am sent to thee with heavy tidings.

YLT: And it cometh to pass, at Ahijah's hearing the sound of her feet as she came in to the opening, that he saith, 'Come in, wife of Jeroboam, why is this -- thou art making thyself strange? and I am sent unto thee with a sharp thing:

Darby: And it was so, when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet, as she came in at the door, that he said, Come in, thou wife of Jeroboam; why feignest thou to be another? But I am sent to thee with a hard message.

ASV: And it was so, when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet, as she came in at the door, that he said, Come in, thou wife of Jeroboam; why feignest thou thyself to be another? for I am sent to thee with heavy tidings.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And it was [so], when Ahijah  heard  the sound  of her feet,  as she came in  at the door,  that he said,  Come in,  thou wife  of Jeroboam;  why feignest thou thyself [to be] another?  for I [am] sent  to thee [with] heavy  [tidings]. 

What does 1 Kings 14:6 Mean?

Context Summary

1Kings 14:1-16 - The Blind Prophet Sees Jeroboam's Doom
How blind we become when we sin against our conscience! Each act of willful sin puts another shade on the window of the soul. "Their foolish heart was darkened," Romans 1:21. Surely if the prophet were able to predict the issue of this sickness, he would be able to penetrate the mother's disguise, although she brought only the gifts of a poor peasant woman. Jeroboam had devised this ruse, partly, because he did not wish the nation to know that he was consulting a prophet of Jehovah-an act which might invalidate his new temple and the calves, and also because he wanted to get a more favorable answer than that which he anticipated in case the prophet recognized the inquirer. We may disguise ourselves as we will, but we cannot cheat God, and no dissembling can ever turn away the arrow that speeds straight to the guilty heart.
Jewish historians say that the exception was made in Abijah's case, 1 Kings 14:13, because he interceded with his father that all Israelites who wished might be allowed to go to the feasts at Jerusalem, without being penalized. There is always discrimination in the divine judgments. How often God has brought beautiful lives out of foul surroundings, as the pure lily-cup out of a muddy pond! [source]

Chapter Summary: 1Kings 14

1  Abijah being sick,
2  Jeroboam sends his wife, disguised, with presents to the prophet Ahijah
5  Ahijah forewarned by God, denounces God's judgment
17  Abijah dies, and is buried
19  Nadab succeeds Jeroboam
21  Rehoboam's wicked reign,
25  Shishak raids Jerusalem
29  Abijam succeeds Rehoboam

What do the individual words in 1 Kings 14:6 mean?

And so it was when heard Ahijah - the sound of her footsteps as she came through the door and he said come in wife of Jeroboam why [is] this [that] you pretend [to be] another [person] for I [have been] sent to you [with] bad [news]
וַיְהִי֩ כִשְׁמֹ֨עַ אֲחִיָּ֜הוּ אֶת־ ק֤וֹל רַגְלֶ֙יהָ֙ בָּאָ֣ה בַפֶּ֔תַח וַיֹּ֕אמֶר בֹּ֖אִי אֵ֣שֶׁת יָרָבְעָ֑ם לָ֣מָּה זֶּ֗ה אַ֚תְּ ؟ מִתְנַכֵּרָ֔ה וְאָ֣נֹכִ֔י שָׁל֥וּחַ אֵלַ֖יִךְ קָשָֽׁה

וַיְהִי֩  And  so  it  was 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
כִשְׁמֹ֨עַ  when  heard 
Parse: Preposition-k, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: שָׁמַע 
Sense: to hear, listen to, obey.
אֲחִיָּ֜הוּ  Ahijah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲחִיָּה 
Sense: grandson of Phinehas.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
ק֤וֹל  the  sound 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: קֹול 
Sense: voice, sound, noise.
רַגְלֶ֙יהָ֙  of  her  footsteps 
Parse: Noun, fdc, third person feminine singular
Root: רֶגֶל  
Sense: foot.
בָּאָ֣ה  as  she  came 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, feminine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
בַפֶּ֔תַח  through  the  door 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: פֶּתַח  
Sense: opening, doorway, entrance.
וַיֹּ֕אמֶר  and  he  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
בֹּ֖אִי  come  in 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, feminine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
אֵ֣שֶׁת  wife 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
יָרָבְעָ֑ם  of  Jeroboam 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יָרָבְעָם  
Sense: the first king of the northern kingdom of Israel when the kingdom split at the death of Solomon and the 0 tribes split off from Judah and Benjamin and the kingdom under Solomon’s son Rehoboam; idolatry was introduced at the beginning of his reign.
לָ֣מָּה  why 
Parse: Interrogative
Root: לָמָּה 
Sense: what, how, of what kind.
זֶּ֗ה  [is]  this  [that] 
Parse: Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
؟ מִתְנַכֵּרָ֔ה  pretend  [to  be]  another  [person] 
Parse: Verb, Hitpael, Participle, feminine singular
Root: נָכַר 
Sense: to recognise, acknowledge, know, respect, discern, regard.
וְאָ֣נֹכִ֔י  for  I 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, first person common singular
Root: אָנׄכִי  
Sense: I (first pers.
שָׁל֥וּחַ  [have  been]  sent 
Parse: Verb, Qal, QalPassParticiple, masculine singular
Root: שָׁלַח  
Sense: to send, send away, let go, stretch out.
אֵלַ֖יִךְ  to  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person feminine singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
קָשָֽׁה  [with]  bad  [news] 
Parse: Adjective, feminine singular
Root: קָשֶׁה  
Sense: hard, cruel, severe, obstinate.