2 Samuel 19:19 kjv
And said unto the king, Let not my lord impute iniquity unto me, neither do thou remember that which thy servant did perversely the day that my lord the king went out of Jerusalem, that the king should take it to his heart.
2 Samuel 19:19 nkjv
Then he said to the king, "Do not let my lord impute iniquity to me, or remember what wrong your servant did on the day that my lord the king left Jerusalem, that the king should take it to heart.
2 Samuel 19:19 niv
and said to him, "May my lord not hold me guilty. Do not remember how your servant did wrong on the day my lord the king left Jerusalem. May the king put it out of his mind.
2 Samuel 19:19 esv
and said to the king, "Let not my lord hold me guilty or remember how your servant did wrong on the day my lord the king left Jerusalem. Do not let the king take it to heart.
2 Samuel 19:19 nlt
"My lord the king, please forgive me," he pleaded. "Forget the terrible thing your servant did when you left Jerusalem. May the king put it out of his mind.
2 Samuel 19 19 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Rom 4:8 | Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. | Divine non-imputation of sin. |
| Psa 32:2 | Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity... | God's non-imputation of guilt. |
| 2 Cor 5:19 | ...not imputing their trespasses unto them... | God reconciling the world by not counting sins. |
| Psa 85:2 | Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. | God's act of forgiveness and covering sin. |
| Jer 31:34 | ...for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. | God's promise to forget forgiven sins. |
| Isa 43:25 | I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions...and will not remember thy sins. | God's complete removal and forgetfulness of sin. |
| Heb 8:12 | For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. | New Covenant promise of God's forgiveness. |
| Heb 10:17 | And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. | Emphatic divine forgetfulness of sin. |
| Mic 7:18-19 | Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity...He will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. | God's unique character of complete pardon. |
| Psa 51:1 | Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness... | A prayer for God's mercy based on His character. |
| Luk 23:34 | Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. | Christ's example of radical forgiveness. |
| Mat 6:14-15 | For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you... | Human forgiveness linked to divine forgiveness. |
| Eph 4:32 | And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. | Christian command to forgive others. |
| Col 3:13 | Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. | Mutual forgiveness among believers. |
| 2 Sam 16:5-8 | And when King David came to Bahurim, behold, thence came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei... | The original incident of Shimei's cursing. |
| Prov 16:6 | By mercy and truth iniquity is purged... | Principles of divine justice and grace. |
| Prov 28:13 | He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. | Confession leading to mercy. |
| Lam 3:22 | It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. | Reliance on God's unending compassion. |
| Jas 2:13 | ...and mercy rejoiceth against judgment. | Mercy's triumph over strict justice. |
| Exo 34:6-7 | The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin... | God's declaration of His merciful character. |
| Neh 9:17 | ...but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness... | God's willingness to pardon. |
| Acts 7:60 | And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. | Stephen's prayer echoing Shimei's plea, prefiguring Christ. |
2 Samuel 19 verses
2 Samuel 19 19 Meaning
Shimei humbly entreats King David, appealing for forgiveness and mercy. He pleads with David not to hold his past transgression—cursing and assaulting the king with stones and dust during his forced flight from Jerusalem due to Absalom’s rebellion—against him. He asks David to consciously choose not to remember or dwell on the perverse actions he committed at that critical, vulnerable moment for the king, acknowledging the deep hurt and consideration David felt because of his offense.
2 Samuel 19 19 Context
This verse occurs as King David returns to Jerusalem in triumph following the suppression of Absalom's rebellion and Absalom's death. David is crossing the Jordan River, and various individuals who had either supported him or previously opposed him now come to meet him. Among them is Shimei the Benjamite, from Bahurim (2 Sam 16:5-8), who had bitterly cursed and assaulted David as he fled Jerusalem from Absalom. Shimei, accompanied by a thousand men from Benjamin, rushes to be among the first to greet the king. His prompt appearance and abject submission, falling on his face before David, signify his desperate attempt to avert judgment for his serious disloyalty. This moment represents a critical juncture for David as he seeks to restore stability and unity to his kingdom, leading to a decision between retribution and reconciliation.
2 Samuel 19 19 Word analysis
- And said unto the king, Let not my lord impute iniquity unto me,
- Impute: Hebrew, חָשַׁב (chasav). To reckon, count, account, assign, or lay to one's charge. Here, the plea is for David not to reckon or consider Shimei's past actions as a sin for which he should be punished. This concept is foundational in understanding how God deals with human sin: He "imputes" righteousness to believers (Rom 4:8) and does not impute their sin to them through Christ's atonement (2 Cor 5:19).
- Iniquity: Hebrew, עָווֹן (`awon). Denotes a deviation from the right path, moral evil, perversity, guilt, or punishment for iniquity. Shimei is admitting to grievous wrongdoing and the guilt associated with it.
- neither do thou remember that which thy servant did perversely
- Remember: Hebrew, זָכַר (zakar). To recall, bring to mind, to keep in mind, to meditate upon. The request is for the king to actively choose not to dwell on the offense, not to hold it against him in his mind. In biblical theology, God's promise to "remember their sin no more" (Jer 31:34) implies a divine act of putting the offense away, never to bring it up again. Shimei desires this same profound forgetfulness from David.
- Thy servant: A deferential term of humility and submission to the king, marking Shimei's change from contempt to desperate subservience.
- Perversely: Hebrew, הֶעֱוָה (he
evah), from the rootavah, similar to `awon. It means to bend, twist, make crooked, distort, or act wickedly and maliciously. This signifies that Shimei's action was not an accident or a simple error, but a deliberate, hostile act against the king.
- the day that my lord the king went out of Jerusalem,
- This specifies the precise, well-known, and deeply traumatic event to which Shimei is referring: David's hasty and humiliating departure from Jerusalem (2 Sam 15-16) when Absalom usurped his throne. Shimei's choice to insult David at his weakest moment was particularly cruel.
- that the king did take it to his heart.
- Take it to his heart: An idiom meaning to take seriously, to lay to heart, to consider deeply, or to dwell upon. Shimei knows his actions had a profound and painful impact on David, affecting him emotionally and personally. By acknowledging this, Shimei hopes to soften David's resolve for vengeance and emphasize his repentance.
Words-group by words-group analysis
- "Let not my lord impute iniquity unto me": This phrase embodies Shimei's core plea for a declarative pardon. He understands that for his offense to be truly put aside, it must not be "accounted" against him. It's a request for the king's mercy to nullify the legal or punitive consequence of his grave offense. This aligns with the concept of judicial and forensic forgiveness where guilt is no longer charged.
- "neither do thou remember that which thy servant did perversely": This is a plea for emotional and intellectual forgiveness, going beyond merely withholding punishment. It asks David to actively expunge the painful memory and resentment associated with Shimei's deliberate wickedness. This deep form of "forgetting" implies a complete letting go of the grudge, which for God signifies the perfection of His forgiveness, making the iniquity non-existent in His reckoning.
- "the day that my lord the king went out of Jerusalem": This phrase highlights Shimei's direct acknowledgment of the specific egregious offense. By referencing the particular day David was most vulnerable and disgraced, Shimei not only demonstrates genuine awareness of his specific wrongdoing but also subtly appeals to the king's magnanimity to rise above the personal humiliation inflicted on him.
- "that the king did take it to his heart": This reveals Shimei's perception of the gravity of his sin from David's perspective. He recognizes the emotional pain and distress his actions caused, emphasizing that it was a deeply personal affront. This acknowledgment demonstrates a degree of empathy and sorrow for David's suffering, making his plea for forgiveness more compelling as it shows he understood the king's true grievance.
2 Samuel 19 19 Bonus section
Shimei's hurried attempt to be the "first of all the house of Joseph" to greet David (2 Sam 19:20) alongside a considerable delegation of a thousand Benjamites was a highly strategic maneuver. As a relative of King Saul's household, Shimei's initial defiance of David during his flight might have signaled an alignment with factions hoping for the collapse of David's dynasty and the resurgence of a Benjamite king. His swift public repentance, therefore, served not only personal self-preservation but also sought to restore his tribal standing and alleviate any collective punishment on the house of Benjamin from David's returning monarchy. This complex scene illuminates the interplay between personal responsibility, tribal allegiance, and political opportunism within the ancient Near Eastern court.
2 Samuel 19 19 Commentary
2 Samuel 19:19 captures Shimei's desperate plea for absolution from King David, who had suffered great indignity at Shimei's hands. His petition is twofold: for David not to "impute iniquity" (not to reckon him guilty) and not to "remember" his "perverse" act. This reflects a profound understanding of true forgiveness—it requires both a legal/judicial clearing of charges and an active choosing to let go of the grudge. David's later actions of temporary grace followed by instructions to Solomon (1 Kgs 2:8-9) suggest a practical human forgiveness that acknowledges sin but prioritizes present reconciliation, distinct from God's ultimate and complete forgetfulness of sin. Shimei's vulnerability and quick plea illustrate the profound power of a king to mete out life or death, but also highlight David's capacity for mercy, albeit with wisdom about persistent treachery. This human exchange offers a glimpse into divine principles of forgiveness where repentance, though imperfect, seeks comprehensive pardon from an offended authority.