The Meaning of 1 Chronicles 21:13 Explained

1 Chronicles 21:13

KJV: And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let me fall now into the hand of the LORD; for very great are his mercies: but let me not fall into the hand of man.

YLT: And David saith unto Gad, 'I am greatly distressed, let me fall, I pray thee, into the hand of Jehovah, for very many are His mercies, and into the hand of man let me not fall.'

Darby: And David said to Gad, I am in a great strait: let me fall, I pray thee, into the hand of Jehovah, for his mercies are very great; but let me not fall into the hand of man.

ASV: And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let me fall, I pray, into the hand of Jehovah; for very great are his mercies: and let me not fall into the hand of man.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And David  said  unto Gad,  I am in a great  strait:  let me fall  now into the hand  of the LORD;  for very  great  [are] his mercies:  but let me not fall  into the hand  of man. 

What does 1 Chronicles 21:13 Mean?

Chapter Summary: 1 Chronicles 21

1  David, tempted by Satan, forces Joab to number the people
5  The number of the people being brought, David repents of it
9  David having three plagues proposed by God, chooses the pestilence
14  After the death of 70,000, David by repentance prevents the destruction of Jerusalem
18  David, by Gad's direction, purchases Ornan's threshing floor;
26  where having built an altar, God gives a sign of his favor by fire
28  David sacrifices there, being restrained from Gibeon by fear of the angel

What do the individual words in 1 Chronicles 21:13 mean?

And said David to Gad in distress I am great let me fall please into the hand of Yahweh for great His mercies [are] very but into the hand of man not do let me fall
וַיֹּ֧אמֶר דָּוִ֛יד אֶל־ גָּ֖ד צַר־ לִ֣י מְאֹ֑ד אֶפְּלָה־ נָּ֣א בְיַד־ יְהוָ֗ה כִּֽי־ רַבִּ֤ים רַחֲמָיו֙ מְאֹ֔ד וּבְיַד־ אָדָ֖ם אַל־ אֶפֹּֽל

וַיֹּ֧אמֶר  And  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
דָּוִ֛יד  David 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּוִד  
Sense: youngest son of Jesse and second king of Israel.
גָּ֖ד  Gad 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: גָּד  
Sense: seventh son of Jacob by Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid, and full brother of Asher.
צַר־  in  distress 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: צַר 
Sense: narrow, tight.
לִ֣י  I  am 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
מְאֹ֑ד  great 
Parse: Adverb
Root: מְאֹד  
Sense: exceedingly, much subst.
אֶפְּלָה־  let  me  fall 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect Cohortative, first person common singular
Root: נָפַל  
Sense: to fall, lie, be cast down, fail.
נָּ֣א  please 
Parse: Interjection
Root: נָא  
Sense: I (we) pray, now, please.
בְיַד־  into  the  hand 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
יְהוָ֗ה  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
רַבִּ֤ים  great 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural
Root: רַב 
Sense: much, many, great.
רַחֲמָיו֙  His  mercies  [are] 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: רַחַם 
Sense: womb.
מְאֹ֔ד  very 
Parse: Adverb
Root: מְאֹד  
Sense: exceedingly, much subst.
וּבְיַד־  but  into  the  hand 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
אָדָ֖ם  of  man 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָדָם 
Sense: man, mankind.
אֶפֹּֽל  do  let  me  fall 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect Cohortative if contextual, first person common singular
Root: נָפַל  
Sense: to fall, lie, be cast down, fail.