Bible Strands
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.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The woman of Tekoa addresses King David immediately after he has ordered her to return home and promised to issue a royal decree on her behalf. She speaks directly to him to voluntarily accept personal and familial liability so that the king and his dynasty remain unblamed.
The words — The phrase עָלַ֞/י ('a.La/i) translates literally as “on me,” establishing the woman’s willingness to bear the full weight of potential judgment. This legal declaration isolates her household from royal retribution while placing the king and his throne beyond reproach.
The thread — This plea for personal blame mirrors Abigail’s words in 1 Samuel 25:24 and echoes the crowd’s demand in Matthew 27:25 that guilt fall upon them rather than the righteous. It also contrasts with the reversed liability pattern in 1 Kings 2:33, where David ensures his house remains blameless while Joab’s line bears the bloodguilt.
Why it lands — The text demands a reader recognize the strategic transfer of liability as a mechanism for securing royal protection. It requires acknowledging that accepting blame can function as a legal shield that preserves the authority and safety of the ruling house.
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
King James Version
And the woman of Tekoah said unto the king, My lord, O king, the iniquity be on me, and on my father’s house: and the king and his throne be guiltless.
Cross-references
- 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.
- 1 Kings 2:33 Their blood will come back upon the heads of Joab and his descendants forever; but for David, his descendants, his house, and his throne, there shall be peace from the LORD forever.”
- Matthew 27:25 All the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!”
- Genesis 27:13 His mother replied, “Your curse be on me, my son. Just obey my voice and go get them for me.”
- Numbers 35:33 Do not pollute the land where you live, for bloodshed pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land on which the blood is shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it.
- Deuteronomy 21:1 If one is found slain, lying in a field in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess, and it is not known who killed him,
- 2 Samuel 3:28 Afterward, David heard about this and said, “I and my kingdom are forever guiltless before the LORD concerning the blood of Abner son of Ner.