Then the woman said, “Please let your servant speak a word to my lord the king.” And he said, “Speak.”
Parallel translations
- WEB Then the woman said, “Please let your servant speak a word to my lord the king.” He said, “Say on.”
- KJV Then the woman said, Let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak one word unto my lord the king. And 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.”
- 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 18:32He said, “Oh don’t let the Lord be angry, and I will speak just once more. What if ten are found there?” He said, “I will not destroy it for the ten’s sake.”
- 1 Sam 25:24She fell at his feet, and said, “On me, my lord, on me be the blame! Please let your servant speak in your ears. Hear the words of your servant.
- Jer 12:1You are righteous, Yahweh, when I contend with you; yet I would reason the cause with you: why does the way of the wicked prosper? why are all they at ease who deal very treacherously?
- Acts 26:1Agrippa said to Paul, “You may speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand, and made his defense.
- Gen 44:18Then Judah came near to him, and said, “Oh, my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord’s ears, and don’t let your anger burn against your servant; for you are even as Pharaoh.
- Gen 18:27Abraham answered, “See now, I have taken it on myself to speak to the Lord, although I am dust and ashes.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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.