1 Samuel 25:24

She fell at his feet and said, “My lord, may the blame be on me alone, but please let your servant speak to you; hear the words of your servant.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Abigail addresses David immediately after dismounting her donkey and bowing before him. She speaks as a servant requesting audience to intervene on behalf of her household.

The words — The Hebrew אֲדֹנִי (adoni) means "my lord," and הֶעָוֹן (ha'avon) translates literally to "the iniquity" or "blame." The warning note corrects the common rendering to בִּי אֲנִי הֶעָוֹן (bi ani ha'avon), placing the blame specifically on her rather than a general prepositional phrase.

The thread — This plea for personal blame appears in 2 Samuel 14:9 with the woman of Tekoa and parallels Esther 8:3, where both women fall at the monarch's feet to avert disaster. 1 Samuel 25:28 later echoes the request by asking David to forgive the servant's offense.

Why it lands — The text requires a listener to recognize the speaker's deliberate self-identification as the sole responsible party to secure a hearing. It demonstrates how ancient petitioners used formal submission and explicit blame-taking to bypass hostility and demand attention.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וַתִּפֹּל֙va./ti.Poland/ she fell עַל־'al-at רַגְלָ֔יוrag.La/vfeet/ his וַתֹּ֕אמֶרva./To.merand/ she saidבִּי־bi/-[be] on <the>/ meאֲנִ֥י'a.NiI אֲדֹנִ֖י'a.do.N/iO lord/ my הֶֽעָוֹ֑ןhe./'a.Vonthe/ iniquity וּֽתְדַבֶּר־u./te.da.ber-and/ let her speak נָ֤אna'please אֲמָֽתְךָ֙'a.ma.te./Khamaidservant/ your בְּאָזְנֶ֔יךָbe./'a.ze.Nei./khain/ ears/ your וּשְׁמַ֕עu./she.Ma'and/ hear אֵ֖ת'et<obj.>דִּבְרֵ֥יdiv.Rei[the] words of אֲמָתֶֽךָ׃'a.ma.Te./khamaidservant/ your

King James Version

And fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, upon me let this iniquity be: and let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine audience, and hear the words of thine handmaid.

Cross-references

1 Samuel 25:28 Please forgive your servant’s offense, for the LORD will surely make a lasting dynasty for my lord, because he fights the LORD’s battles. May no evil be found in you as long as you live.
2 Samuel 14:9 But the woman of Tekoa said to the king, “My lord the king, may any blame be on me and on my father’s house, and may the king and his throne be guiltless.”
Esther 8:3 And once again, Esther addressed the king. She fell at his feet weeping and begged him to revoke the evil scheme of Haman the Agagite, which he had devised against the Jews.
2 Kings 4:37 She came in, fell at his feet, and bowed to the ground. Then she picked up her son and went out.
Philemon 1:18 But if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge it to my account.
Genesis 44:18 Then Judah approached Joseph and said, “Sir, please let your servant speak personally to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, for you are equal to Pharaoh himself.
Genesis 44:33 Now please let your servant stay here as my lord’s slave in place of the boy. Let him return with his brothers.
2 Samuel 14:12 Then the woman said, “Please, may your servant speak a word to my lord the king?” “Speak,” he replied.
Matthew 18:29 So his fellow servant fell down and begged him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you back.’