Then the woman said, Let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak one word unto my lord the king. And he said, Say on.
Parallel translations
- WEB Then the woman said, “Please let your servant speak a word to my lord the king.” He said, “Say on.”
- BSB Then the woman said, “Please, may your servant speak a word to my lord the king?” “Speak,” he replied.
- NKJV Therefore the woman said, “Please, let your maidservant speak another word to my lord the king.” And he said, “Say on.”
- NASB Then the woman said, “Please let your servant speak a word to my lord the king.” And he said, “Speak.”
- NLT “Please allow me to ask one more thing of my lord the king,” she said. “Go ahead and speak,” he responded.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Having secured David's oath, the woman asks permission to speak a further word, and the king grants it. She now turns to apply the case directly to him.
Overview
With David's commitment obtained, the woman seeks to draw the lesson home to the king himself. Her respectful request to speak again signals the pivot from parable to application. The moment recalls Nathan's 'You are the man,' as the staged plea prepares to confront David with his own conduct.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Gen 18:32And he said, Oh let not the LORD be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake.
- 1 Sam 25:24And fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, upon me let this iniquity be: and let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine audience, and hear the words of thine handmaid.
- Jer 12:1Righteous art thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?
- Acts 26:1Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth the hand, and answered for himself:
- Gen 44:18Then Judah came near unto him, and said, Oh my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord’s ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant: for thou art even as Pharaoh.
- Gen 18:27And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the LORD, which am but dust and ashes:
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
God's covenant with David — a son whose throne and kingdom would last forever (7:12–16) — finds its yes in Jesus, the Son of David who reigns without end.
How 2 Samuel 14:12 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.