The Meaning of 2 Samuel 24:17 Explained

2 Samuel 24:17

KJV: And David spake unto the LORD when he saw the angel that smote the people, and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly: but these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father's house.

YLT: And David speaketh unto Jehovah, when he seeth the messenger who is smiting among the people, and saith, 'Lo, I have sinned, yea, I have done perversely; and these -- the flock -- what have they done? Let, I pray Thee, Thy hand be on me, and on the house of my father.'

Darby: And David spoke to Jehovah when he saw the angel that smote among the people, and said, Behold, it is I that have sinned, and it is I that have committed iniquity; but these sheep, what have they done? let thy hand, I pray thee, be on me, and on my father's house!

ASV: And David spake unto Jehovah when he saw the angel that smote the people, and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I have done perversely; but these sheep, what have they done? let thy hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father's house.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And David  spake  unto the LORD  when he saw  the angel  that smote  the people,  and said,  Lo, I have sinned,  and I have done wickedly:  but these sheep,  what have they done?  let thine hand,  I pray thee, be against me, and against my father's  house. 

What does 2 Samuel 24:17 Mean?

Context Summary

2 Samuel 24:15-25 - Judgment Stayed By Sacrifice
The pestilence swept through the land like cholera or the black death in modern times. At last it approached the Holy City. It seemed as if the angel of the Lord were hovering over it, sword in hand, awaiting the final order. All this is spoken after the manner of men. It is clear, however, that, in answer to David's penitent faith, a great change came over the scene. If the same faith had been exercised before the plague reached Jerusalem, may we not believe that an arrest would have come previously? As soon as David was prepared, as in 2 Samuel 24:17, to suffer instead of his people, his love and contrition and faith were accepted on their behalf.
Then, on Mount Moriah, where centuries before Abraham's uplifted knife was stayed, the angel now stayed his act of judgment. The threshing floor of Araunah became the site of an altar, while afterward on that spot stood the Temple, the center of national worship and the scene of the manifestation of the Son of man. The lesson for us is that, when we take the true attitude toward God, we can exercise, by our faith, prayer and self-sacrifice, a wonderful influence in behalf of cities and nations.
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Chapter Summary: 2 Samuel 24

1  David, tempted by Satan, forces Joab to number the people
5  The captains, in nine months and twenty days, gather 1,300,000 fighting men
10  David repents, and having three plagues proposed by God, chooses pestilence
15  After the death of 70,000, David by prayer prevents the destruction of Jerusalem
18  David, by God's direction, purchases Araunah's threshing floor;
25  and the plague stops

What do the individual words in 2 Samuel 24:17 mean?

And spoke David to Yahweh when he saw - the angel who was striking the people and said surely I have sinned and I have done wickedly but these sheep what have they done be I pray let Your hand against me and against house my father's -
וַיֹּאמֶר֩ דָּוִ֨ד אֶל־ יְהוָ֜ה בִּרְאֹת֣וֹ ׀ אֶֽת־ הַמַּלְאָ֣ךְ ׀ הַמַּכֶּ֣ה בָעָ֗ם וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ הִנֵּ֨ה אָנֹכִ֤י חָטָ֙אתִי֙ וְאָנֹכִ֣י הֶעֱוֵ֔יתִי וְאֵ֥לֶּה הַצֹּ֖אן מֶ֣ה ؟ עָשׂ֑וּ תְּהִ֨י נָ֥א יָדְךָ֛ בִּ֖י וּבְבֵ֥ית אָבִֽי פ

וַיֹּאמֶר֩  And  spoke 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
דָּוִ֨ד  David 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּוִד  
Sense: youngest son of Jesse and second king of Israel.
יְהוָ֜ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
בִּרְאֹת֣וֹ ׀  when  he  saw 
Parse: Preposition-b, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct, third person masculine singular
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
אֶֽת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
הַמַּלְאָ֣ךְ ׀  the  angel 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מַלְאָךְ  
Sense: messenger, representative.
הַמַּכֶּ֣ה  who  was  striking 
Parse: Article, Verb, Hifil, Participle, masculine singular
Root: נָכָה  
Sense: to strike, smite, hit, beat, slay, kill.
בָעָ֗ם  the  people 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙  and  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
הִנֵּ֨ה  surely 
Parse: Interjection
Root: הִנֵּה  
Sense: behold, lo, see, if.
חָטָ֙אתִי֙  have  sinned 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: חָטָא 
Sense: to sin, miss, miss the way, go wrong, incur guilt, forfeit, purify from uncleanness.
וְאָנֹכִ֣י  and  I 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, first person common singular
Root: אָנׄכִי  
Sense: I (first pers.
הֶעֱוֵ֔יתִי  have  done  wickedly 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: עָוָה 
Sense: to bend, twist, distort.
וְאֵ֥לֶּה  but  these 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, common plural
Root: אֵהֶל 
Sense: these.
הַצֹּ֖אן  sheep 
Parse: Article, Noun, common singular
Root: צֹאן  
Sense: small cattle, sheep, sheep and goats, flock, flocks.
؟ עָשׂ֑וּ  have  they  done 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
נָ֥א  I  pray 
Parse: Interjection
Root: נָא  
Sense: I (we) pray, now, please.
יָדְךָ֛  let  Your  hand 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
בִּ֖י  against  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
וּבְבֵ֥ית  and  against  house 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
אָבִֽי  my  father's 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation