Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Samuel 14:9
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.
9. the iniquity be on me, &c.] If there is any guilt in thus leaving bloodshed unavenged, may I and my family bear the punishment. She wishes to lead the king up to a more definite promise, before she applies her parable to the case of Absalom.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The iniquity be on me … – Compare the principle in Gen 9:5-6; Num 35:30-34. The woman therefore says, if there is any such guilt in sparing my son, may it rest upon me and my house, not on David and his throne. Compare 2Sa 3:28. The cunning speech of the woman extracted a more direct promise of protection from the king 2Sa 14:1.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 9. The iniquity be on me] She intimates that, if the king should suppose that the not bringing the offender to the assigned punishment might reflect on the administration of justice in the land, she was willing that all blame should attach to her and her family, and the king and his throne be guiltless.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The sense is, either, first, this, If I do not inform thee aright, and thou thereby be drawn to give an unrighteous sentence on my behalf, I am willing to bear the whole blame of it before God, and men; I acknowledge thou art wholly innocent in the case. Compare Gen 27:13. Or, secondly, this, If through thy forgetfulness or neglect of this my just cause, my adversaries prevail and destroy my son, my desire is, that God would not lay it to the kings charge, but rather to me and mine, so the king may be exempted thereby. Whereby she both insinuates her great esteem of and affection for the king, thereby winning upon him to compass her design; and withal implies that such an omission of the kings will bring guilt upon him; and yet most prudently and decently orders her phrase so as not to seem to blame or threaten the king. Compare Exo 5:16; 2Sa 20:16. This sense seems best to agree with Davids answer, which shows that she desired some further assurance of the kings care and justice in her concern.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
9. the woman said . . . O king, theiniquity be on methat is, the iniquity of arresting the courseof justice and pardoning a homicide, whom the Goel was bound to slaywherever he might find him, unless in a city of refuge. This wasexceeding the royal prerogative, and acting in the character of anabsolute monarch. The woman’s language refers to a common precautiontaken by the Hebrew judges and magistrates, solemnly to transfer fromthemselves the responsibility of the blood they doomed to be shed,either to the accusers or the criminals (2Sa 1:16;2Sa 3:28); and sometimes theaccusers took it upon themselves (Mt27:25).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And the woman of Tekoah said unto the king, my lord and king,…. With much vehemence, and yet with great respect, fearing an inquisition into her case; which it would not bear, being a fable, and being very desirous of having sentence on it immediately pronounced:
the iniquity [be] on me and on my father’s house; let the crime be imputed to me and my family, and punishment inflicted on us for it, if I have misrepresented the case, told lies, and deceived the king:
and the king and his throne [be] guiltless; let neither he nor his kingdom be charged with any sin, or suffer any damage on that account: or else the sense is, supposing that the king through much business should forget and neglect this affair; and her son should be put to death, through the violence and rage of the family; then she wishes that the fault and punishment of such neglect might not fall upon the king and his kingdom, but upon her and her family: in this form she put it, for the honour of the king, and because she would not be thought to wish ill to him and his kingdom; yet tacitly suggests, that should this be the case, he and his kingdom must expect to answer and suffer for it.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(9) The iniquity be on mei.e., if there be any wrong in thus condoning blood-guiltiness, let the responsibility rest on me. Although the king has granted her request, the woman seeks to prolong the interview that she may lead him to commit himself more completely.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
2Sa 14:9-11. My lord, O king, the iniquity be on me, &c. The king having told the woman that she might return to her house, and leave the care of her business to him, she adds, with great address, that if she had pressed his majesty to any thing in itself unjust, or any way misinformed him, or misrepresented the state of the case, she wished all the iniquity of that guilt, or misrepresentation, might fall upon her own head, and upon her family: My lord, O king, &c. The king then bade her, 2Sa 14:10 if any molested her further, to bring them before him, and he would take care to stop any further proceedings against her. She then begged, 2Sa 14:11 that, in making that promise to stay the avenger of blood from causing any further destruction in her family, he would remember the Lord his God; i.e. remember that he made that promise in the presence of God; drawing him thus distantly and insensibly into the obligation of an oath; and her address had its effect: as the Lord liveth, said he, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth. Houbigant thinks that the woman in the ninth verse insinuates, that she is less concerned for her own son and her family, than for the son and the family of the king.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
2Sa 14:9 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.
Ver. 9. The iniquity be on me, ] q.d., I am so confident of my surviving son’s innocency, that I doubt not to take the blame upon myself, and dare be bold to say, that you and yours shall sustain no prejudice by favouring my cause, and protecting my child. See the like expressions in Gen 27:13 Mat 27:25 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
iniquity. Hebrew. ` avah. See App-44.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
the iniquity: Gen 27:13, 1Sa 25:24, Mat 27:25
and the king: 2Sa 3:28, 2Sa 3:29, Num 35:33, Deu 21:1-9, 1Ki 2:33
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
14:9 And the woman of Tekoah said unto the king, My lord, O king, the {e} iniquity [be] on me, and on my father’s house: and the king and his throne [be] guiltless.
(e) Concerning the breach of the Law which punishes blood, let me bear the blame.