Then said she, I pray thee, let the king remember the Lord
thy
God
Who is a God gracious and merciful, and imitate him in showing
mercy to the distressed; pitying their case, having compassion
upon them, and relieving them, as she hoped he would commiserate
her case, and provide for the safety of her son. Some think she
desires not only to give his word, but his oath, for her son's
safety: "remember the Lord thy God"; i.e. make mention of him, as
men do when they swear by him; swear to me by the Lord thy God:
that thou wouldest not suffer the revengers of blood to
destroy any
more, lest they destroy my son,
or, "from multiplying the avenger of blood" F15; that
there might not rise one after another to destroy her son: her
meaning is, that the king would swear to her, and give out a
general prohibition, an universal edict, that no one should slay
her son; otherwise if only the avenger of blood that was next of
kin was forbidden, others would rise up one after another, so
that he would never be in safety:
and he said, [as] the Lord liveth;
if she desired an oath, he granted her request, and swore by the
living God:
there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the
earth;
so far shall his life be from being touched, or taken away, that
the least hurt shall not be done him, as this proverbial
expression signifies.
F15 (Mdh lag twbrhm) "a multiplicando redemptorem sanguinis", Montanus; so the Tigurine version.