The Meaning of 1 Kings 14:13 Explained

1 Kings 14:13

KJV: And all Israel shall mourn for him, and bury him: for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave, because in him there is found some good thing toward the LORD God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam.

YLT: and all Israel have mourned for him, and buried him, for this one -- by himself -- cometh of Jeroboam unto a grave, because there hath been found in him a good thing towards Jehovah, God of Israel, in the house of Jeroboam.

Darby: And all Israel shall mourn for him, and they shall bury him; for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave, because in him there is found something good toward Jehovah the God of Israel, in the house of Jeroboam.

ASV: And all Israel shall mourn for him, and bury him; for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave, because in him there is found some good thing toward Jehovah, the God of Israel, in the house of Jeroboam.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And all Israel  shall mourn  for him, and bury  him: for he only of Jeroboam  shall come  to the grave,  because in him there is found  [some] good  thing  toward the LORD  God  of Israel  in the house  of Jeroboam. 

What does 1 Kings 14:13 Mean?

Context Summary

1 Kings 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: 1 Kings 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 14:13 mean?

And shall mourn for him all Israel and bury him for this [is] the only one who shall come of Jeroboam to the grave because there is found in him something good toward Yahweh God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam
וְסָֽפְדוּ־ ל֤וֹ כָל־ יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ וְקָבְר֣וּ אֹת֔וֹ כִּֽי־ זֶ֣ה לְבַדּ֔וֹ יָבֹ֥א לְיָרָבְעָ֖ם אֶל־ קָ֑בֶר יַ֣עַן נִמְצָא־ ב֞וֹ דָּבָ֣ר ט֗וֹב אֶל־ יְהוָ֛ה אֱלֹהֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל בְּבֵ֥ית יָרָבְעָֽם

וְסָֽפְדוּ־  And  shall  mourn 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: סָפַד  
Sense: to wail, lament, mourn.
ל֤וֹ  for  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
יִשְׂרָאֵל֙  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
וְקָבְר֣וּ  and  bury 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: קָבַר  
Sense: to bury.
זֶ֣ה  this  [is] 
Parse: Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
לְבַדּ֔וֹ  the  only  one 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: בַּד 
Sense: alone, by itself, besides, a part, separation, being alone.
יָבֹ֥א  who  shall  come 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
לְיָרָבְעָ֖ם  of  Jeroboam 
Parse: Preposition-l, 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.
קָ֑בֶר  the  grave 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: קֶבֶר  
Sense: grave, sepulchre, tomb.
יַ֣עַן  because 
Parse: Adverb
Root: יַעַן  
Sense: because, therefore, because that, on account of prep.
נִמְצָא־  there  is  found 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: מָצָא  
Sense: to find, attain to.
ב֞וֹ  in  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
דָּבָ֣ר  something 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.
ט֗וֹב  good 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: טָבַב 
Sense: good, pleasant, agreeable.
אֶל־  toward 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
יְהוָ֛ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
אֱלֹהֵ֥י  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
בְּבֵ֥ית  in  the  house 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
יָרָבְעָֽם  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.