2 Samuel 24:17
ESV
Then David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, "Behold, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand be against me and against my father 's house."
NIV
When David saw the angel who was striking down the people, he said to the Lord, "I have sinned; I, the shepherd, have done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Let your hand fall on me and my family."
NASB
Then David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel who was striking down the people, and said, 'Behold, it is I who have sinned, and it is I who have done wrong; but these sheep, what have they done? Please let Your hand be against me and against my father’s house!'
CSB
When David saw the angel striking the people, he said to the Lord, "Look, I am the one who has sinned; I am the one who has done wrong. But these sheep, what have they done? Please, let your hand be against me and my father’s family."
NLT
When David saw the angel, he said to the Lord, 'I am the one who has sinned and done wrong! But these people are as innocent as sheep — what have they done? Let your anger fall against me and my family.'
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.
NKJV
Then David spoke to the Lord 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? Let Your hand, I pray, be against me and against my father’s house.”
What does 2 Samuel 24:17 mean?
David ordered a census of the fighting men of Israel. Joab and the generals tried to convince him this was a sin against God. David insisted, and the regular military commanders traveled across the nation for almost ten months, counting those who were qualified to fight (2 Samuel 24:1–8).As soon as the commanders returned and gave David the results, David realized his sin. The text refers to this by saying his heart "struck" him. He repented and asked God to take away his iniquity. God gave him a choice between famine, war, or pestilence; David rejected war because God would be more merciful (2 Samuel 24:10–14).
God chooses three days of a supernatural pestilence brought by an angel. The angel has travelled through the kingdom, his actions echoing the "striking" which came on David's heart. This angel arrived at the mountain above Jerusalem. In the moment, David can't know how many people are dead or that God has already decided to spare Jerusalem. He just knows people have suffered and he is at fault. He repents again, offering himself and his family as substitution for the innocent in Israel.
The story doesn't provide a clear picture of what's going on. Israel as a nation sinned first. God used Satan to incite David to take the census so God could judge Israel (1 Chronicles 21:1). The text doesn't explain why the census is a sin or why David doesn't realize it. But it does show how the sin of a king affects his kingdom. Whatever sin Israel committed, it doesn't appear David addressed it. He was good at war, but not always at holding people to account (2 Samuel 3:27–28; 13:21; 20:10). When David sins, God punishes the people: David's "sheep." A leader's sin will always affect those whom he or she leads.
