2 Samuel 1 · Verse 16

2 Samuel 1:16

And David said unto him, Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the Lord’s anointed.
2 Samuel 1:16, King James Version

2 Samuel 1:16 in other translations

BSBFor David had said to the Amalekite, “Your blood be on your own head because your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I killed the LORD’s anointed.’”
WEBDavid said to him, “Your blood be on your head, for your mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have slain the LORD’s anointed.’”
ASVAnd David said unto him, Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain Jehovah’s anointed.
YLTand David saith unto him, ‘Thy blood is on thine own head, for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I--I put to death the anointed of Jehovah.'
DARBYAnd David said to him, Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth has testified against thee, saying, I have slain Jehovah's anointed.
BBEAnd David said to him, May your blood be on your head; for your mouth has given witness against you, saying, I have put to death the man marked with the holy oil.
WebsterAnd David said to him, Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the LORD'S anointed.

What does 2 Samuel 1:16 mean?

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 16 Thy blood be upon thy head - If he killed Saul, as he said he did, then he deserved death; at that time it was not known to the contrary, and this man was executed on his own confession.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 2 Samuel 1:11-16

David was sincere in his mourning for Saul; and all with him humbled themselves under the hand of God, laid so heavily upon Israel by this defeat. The man who brought the tidings, David put to death, as a murderer of his prince. David herein did not do unjustly; the Amalekite confessed the crime. If he did as he said, he deserved to die for treason; and his lying to David, if indeed it were a lie, proved, as sooner…

Read the full comment on 2 Samuel 1:11-16 →

2 Samuel 1:16 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיֹּ֤אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559
אֵלָיו֙'e.Lavto himH413
דָּוִ֔דda.VidDavidH1732
דָּמְךָ֖da.mei.khablood yourH1818
עַל\־'al-[be] onH5921
רֹאשֶׁ֑ךָro.She.khahead yourH7218
כִּ֣יkiforH3588
פִ֗יךָFi.khaown mouth yourH6310
עָנָ֤ה'a.Nahit has testifiedH6030
בְךָ֙ve.Khaagainst <the> you
לֵאמֹ֔רle.Mor<to> sayingH559
אָנֹכִ֥י'a.no.KhiIH595
מֹתַ֖תִּיmo.Ta.tiI killedH4191
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
מְשִׁ֥יחַme.Shi.ach[the] [one] anointed ofH4899
יְהוָֽה\׃\ \סYah.wehYahwehH3068

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 2 Samuel 1:16

  • Matthew 27:25

    Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.

  • Luke 19:22

    And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:

  • Leviticus 20:9

    For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall be surely put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him.

  • Romans 3:19

    Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

  • 1 Samuel 26:9

    And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not: for who can stretch forth his hand against the Lord’s anointed, and be guiltless?

  • Joshua 2:19

    And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him.

  • 1 Kings 2:37

    For it shall be, that on the day thou goest out, and passest over the brook Kidron, thou shalt know for certain that thou shalt surely die: thy blood shall be upon thine own head.

  • Proverbs 6:2

    Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.

  • 2 Samuel 1:10

    So I stood upon him, and slew him, because I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen: and I took the crown that was upon his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them hither unto my lord.

  • Job 15:6

    Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I: yea, thine own lips testify against thee.

  • Genesis 9:5-6

    And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man. Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

  • Leviticus 20:16

    And if a woman approach unto any beast, and lie down thereto, thou shalt kill the woman, and the beast: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Thy blood.
Ge 9:5,6; Le 20:9,11-13,16,27; De 19:10; Jos 2:19; Jud 9:24
1Sa 26:9; 1Ki 2:32,33,37; Eze 18:13; 33:5; Mt 27:25; Ac 20:26
mouth.
10; Job 15:6; Pr 6:2; Lu 19:22; Ro 3:19

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 2 Samuel 1:15

    And David called one of the young men, and said, Go near, and fall upon him. And he smote him that he died.

  • 2 Samuel 1:16

    And David said unto him, Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the Lord’s anointed.

  • 2 Samuel 1:17

    And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son:

Read all of 2 Samuel 1

2 Samuel 1:16 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y David le dijo: Tu sangre sea sobre tu cabeza, pues que tu boca atestiguó contra ti, diciendo: Yo maté al ungido de Jehová.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et David lui dit: Ton sang soit sur ta tête, car ta bouche a témoigné contre toi, disant: J’ai mis à mort l’oint de l’ Éternel.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Und David sprach zu ihm: Dein Blut komme auf dein Haupt! denn dein Mund hat wider dich gezeugt und gesprochen: Ich habe den Gesalbten Jehovas getötet.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Et ait ad eum David: Sanguis tuus super caput tuum: os enim tuum locutum est adversum te, dicens: Ego interfeci christum Domini.