The Meaning of 2 Samuel 11:14 Explained

2 Samuel 11:14

KJV: And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah.

YLT: And it cometh to pass in the morning, that David writeth a letter unto Joab, and sendeth by the hand of Uriah;

Darby: And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by Urijah.

ASV: And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And it came to pass in the morning,  that David  wrote  a letter  to Joab,  and sent  [it] by the hand  of Uriah. 

What does 2 Samuel 11:14 Mean?

Context Summary

2 Samuel 11:14-27 - Adding Blood-Guiltiness To Adultery
Joab must have smiled grimly to himself when he received his master's letter. "This king of ours can sing psalms with the best, but I have to do his dirty work. He wants to rid himself of Uriah-I wonder why? Well, I'll help him to it. At any rate, he will not be able to talk to me about Abner!" 2 Samuel 3:27. It is an awful thing when the servants of God give the enemy such occasion to blaspheme.
Uriah was set in the battle-line and left to die. The king was duly notified and, on hearing the news, must have given a sigh of relief. The child could be born under cover of lawful wedlock. There was, however, a fatal flaw in the whole arrangement: The thing that David had done displeased the Lord. David and the world would hear of it again. But, oh, the bitter sorrow, that he who had spoken of walking in his house with a perfect heart, who had so great a faculty for divine fellowship, should have fallen into this double sin! The psalmist, king, lover of God-all trampled in the mud by one passionate act of self-indulgence! [source]

Chapter Summary: 2 Samuel 11

1  While Joab besieges Rabbah, David commits adultery with Bathsheba
6  Uriah, sent for by David to cover the adultery, would not go home
14  He carries to Joab the letter of his death
18  Joab sends the news thereof to David
26  David takes Bathsheba as his wife

What do the individual words in 2 Samuel 11:14 mean?

And it came to pass in the morning that wrote David a letter to Joab and sent [it] by the hand of Uriah
וַיְהִ֣י בַבֹּ֔קֶר וַיִּכְתֹּ֥ב דָּוִ֛ד סֵ֖פֶר אֶל־ יוֹאָ֑ב וַיִּשְׁלַ֖ח בְּיַ֥ד אוּרִיָּֽה

וַיְהִ֣י  And  it  came  to  pass 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
בַבֹּ֔קֶר  in  the  morning 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: בֹּקֶר 
Sense: morning, break of day.
וַיִּכְתֹּ֥ב  that  wrote 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: כָּתַב  
Sense: to write, record, enrol.
דָּוִ֛ד  David 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּוִד  
Sense: youngest son of Jesse and second king of Israel.
סֵ֖פֶר  a  letter 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: סֵפֶר 
Sense: book.
יוֹאָ֑ב  Joab 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄואָב  
Sense: son of David’s sister Zeruiah and general of David’s army.
וַיִּשְׁלַ֖ח  and  sent  [it] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁלַח  
Sense: to send, send away, let go, stretch out.
בְּיַ֥ד  by  the  hand 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
אוּרִיָּֽה  of  Uriah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אוּרִיָּה 
Sense: Hittite husband of Bathsheba.