2 Samuel 24:14

14 —¡Estoy en una situación desesperada! —le respondió David a Gad—. Mejor que caigamos nosotros en las manos del Señor
, porque su misericordia es grande, y que no caiga yo en manos humanas.

2 Samuel 24:14 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 24:14

And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait
Not knowing well which to choose, each of them being so grievous, and an answer being to be returned immediately; but by his next words, and by the event, it seems he chose the pestilence, though that is not expressly said:

let us fall now into the hand of the Lord;
the Targum in ( 1 Chronicles 21:13 ) , is

``into the hand of the Word of the Lord:''

(for his mercies [are] great), and let me not fall into the hand of
men;
indeed all the three judgments mentioned are by the hand of the Lord whenever they come; but in the pestilence the hand of the Lord is more visible, it coming immediately from his hand, as especially this was to do, and did; it did not arise from second causes, a noxious air, &c. but by means of an angel of God: David chose this, because he and his people would have nothing to do with men, as in famine they must have gone into other countries for food, and in war flee before their enemies, and lie at their mercy, and either of them more disgraceful than this; and which he might the rather choose on his own account, that his people might not be able to say he sought himself and his own interest; for had he chosen famine, as his people had been lately distressed that way already, they might, besides urging that, say, that he could lay up stores for himself and family; or had he chosen war, they might observe he had fortified places to flee to, one after another, and shelter himself; but for the arrows of the pestilence he was as likely a mark as the meanest of his subjects: but what seems to have moved him chiefly to make this choice is, that it would not only be the soonest over, but that it wholly depended on the pleasure of God what use he would make of it in that time; and chiefly because he knew God was gracious and merciful, and it was upon his great mercy he cast himself and his people.

2 Samuel 24:14 In-Context

12 «Ve y dile a David: “Esto dice el Señor
: te doy tres opciones; escoge uno de estos castigos, y yo te lo impondré”».

13 De modo que Gad fue a ver a David y le preguntó:
—¿Vas a elegir tres
años de hambre en toda la tierra, o tres meses de huir de tus enemigos, o tres días de una terrible plaga por todo el país? Piénsalo bien y decide qué respuesta debo darle al Señor
, quien me envió.

14 —¡Estoy en una situación desesperada! —le respondió David a Gad—. Mejor que caigamos nosotros en las manos del Señor
, porque su misericordia es grande, y que no caiga yo en manos humanas.

15 Por lo tanto, el Señor
mandó una plaga sobre Israel esa mañana que duró tres días.
Un total de setenta mil personas murieron en toda la nación, desde Dan en el norte hasta Beerseba en el sur.

16 Sin embargo, cuando el ángel se disponía a destruir Jerusalén, el Señor
desistió y le dijo al ángel de la muerte: «¡Detente! ¡Ya es suficiente!». En ese momento el ángel del Señor
estaba junto al campo de trillar de Arauna el jebuseo.