2 Samuel 24:17 Meaning and Explanation
“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.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Seeing the angel strike the people, David pleads that the punishment fall on him and his house, not on the innocent.
What Does 2 Samuel 24:17 Mean?
Beholding the angel striking the people, David cries out in anguished confession: I have sinned, I have done wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? He begs that the LORD's hand fall instead upon himself and his father's house, shielding the people from the cost of his fault.
This is the heart of a true shepherd. David calls the people sheep and longs to take their suffering upon himself, pleading to bear the judgment alone. In this self-offering love he foreshadows the greater Shepherd who would say of His own flock, let these go their way, and who truly bore in His own body the punishment that others deserved. Love that steps between the guilty and the blow is the very shape of redemption.
Frequently Asked Questions About 2 Samuel 24:17
What does 2 Samuel 24:17 mean?
Seeing the angel strike the people, David pleads that the punishment fall on him and his house, not on the innocent.