The Meaning of 2 Samuel 14:1 Explained

2 Samuel 14:1

KJV: Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart was toward Absalom.

YLT: And Joab son of Zeruial knoweth that the heart of the king is on Absalom,

Darby: And Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart was toward Absalom.

ASV: Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart was toward Absalom.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Now Joab  the son  of Zeruiah  perceived  that the king's  heart  [was] toward Absalom. 

What does 2 Samuel 14:1 Mean?

Context Summary

2 Samuel 14:1-17 - Joab's Plea For The Fugitive
Joab had ends of his own to serve in securing the return of Absalom. Were the two sworn together to hatch a great plot? Or was Absalom shrewdly using Joab to advance his own selfish interests? David hesitated. If he recalled Absalom without punishment, the foundations of law and order would be shaken throughout the kingdom. Joab saw that in some way he must satisfy this natural conflict in the royal mind; and it was for this purpose that he summoned from Tekoa, a village twelve miles south of Jerusalem, this woman of unusual intelligence. By an apt parable she showed that on occasions even murder might be condoned.
In her discourse she dropped the golden sentence that even God devises means that His banished be not expelled. Yes, God has devised means, but how much they cost! In David's case there was no attempt to meet the demands of a broken law, but God's means include this. In the person of the Son of His love, He has satisfied the demands of law and honored them by Jesus' obedience unto the death of the Cross! He is just and the Justifier! Righteousness and peace kissed each other at the cross of Jesus. See Psalms 85:10. [source]

Chapter Summary: 2 Samuel 14

1  Joab, suborning a widow of Tekoah to incline the king's heart to fetch Absalom,
21  brings him home to Jerusalem
25  Absalom's beauty, hair, and children
28  After two years, Absalom is brought into the king's presence by Joab

What do the individual words in 2 Samuel 14:1 mean?

So perceived Joab son of Zeruiah that heart [was concerned] of the king about Absalom
וַיֵּ֖דַע יוֹאָ֣ב בֶּן־ צְרֻיָ֑ה כִּֽי־ לֵ֥ב הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ עַל־ אַבְשָׁלֽוֹם

וַיֵּ֖דַע  So  perceived 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: דָּעָה 
Sense: to know.
יוֹאָ֣ב  Joab 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄואָב  
Sense: son of David’s sister Zeruiah and general of David’s army.
בֶּן־  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
צְרֻיָ֑ה  of  Zeruiah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: צְרוּיָה  
Sense: sister of David and mother of the 3 leading heroes of David’s army—Abishai, Joab, and Asahel.
כִּֽי־  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
לֵ֥ב  heart  [was  concerned] 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: לֵב 
Sense: inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding.
הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ  of  the  king 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
עַל־  about 
Parse: Preposition
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.
אַבְשָׁלֽוֹם  Absalom 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲבִישָׁלֹום 
Sense: father-in-law of Rehoboam.