The Meaning of 1 Kings 2:34 Explained

1 Kings 2:34

KJV: So Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up, and fell upon him, and slew him: and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness.

YLT: And Benaiah son of Jehoiada goeth up and falleth upon him, and putteth him to death, and he is buried in his own house in the wilderness,

Darby: And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and fell upon him, and put him to death; and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness.

ASV: Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up, and fell upon him, and slew him; and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

So Benaiah  the son  of Jehoiada  went up,  and fell  upon him, and slew  him: and he was buried  in his own house  in the wilderness. 

What does 1 Kings 2:34 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 Leviticus 25:23; 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 Revelation 6:9-10. [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 2:34 mean?

So went up Benaiah son of Jehoiada and struck in and killed him and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness
וַיַּ֗עַל בְּנָיָ֙הוּ֙ בֶּן־ יְה֣וֹיָדָ֔ע וַיִּפְגַּע־ בּ֖וֹ וַיְמִתֵ֑הוּ וַיִּקָּבֵ֥ר בְּבֵית֖וֹ בַּמִּדְבָּֽר

וַיַּ֗עַל  So  went  up 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
בְּנָיָ֙הוּ֙  Benaiah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: בְּנָיָה 
Sense: one of David’s mighty warriors, son of Jehoiada the chief priest, a Levite, set by David over his bodyguard, later having remained faithful to Solomon during Adonijah’s attempt on the crown, was raised into the place of Joab as commander-in-chief of the army.
בֶּן־  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
יְה֣וֹיָדָ֔ע  of  Jehoiada 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהֹויָדָע  
Sense: father of Benaiah, David’s mighty warrior.
וַיִּפְגַּע־  and  struck 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: פָּגַע  
Sense: to encounter, meet, reach, entreat, make intercession.
וַיְמִתֵ֑הוּ  and  killed  him 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular, third person masculine singular
Root: מוּת  
Sense: to die, kill, have one executed.
וַיִּקָּבֵ֥ר  and  he  was  buried 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Nifal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: קָבַר  
Sense: to bury.
בְּבֵית֖וֹ  in  his  own  house 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
בַּמִּדְבָּֽר  in  the  wilderness 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִדְבָּר 
Sense: wilderness.