שמואל ב, פרק כ״א, פסוק ג׳

Driven by a deep desire to right a historical wrong and lift a devastating famine from the land, David approaches the Gibeonites. His appeal is rooted in the understanding that only their genuine forgiveness can remove the curse and restore abundance to the nation. He carefully structures his request to address two different dimensions of time. First, he seeks to know what practical steps must be taken to correct the relationship moving forward into the future. Second, he asks how he can properly atone for the severe sins committed against them in the past [מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

In this context, the request for atonement is specifically about finding a way to completely cancel and remove their lingering anger [מצודת ציון]. David wants to determine the exact measure of justice required to achieve this peace. He asks the Gibeonites whether their wrath can be settled through financial compensation, or if true reconciliation demands actual physical revenge and the taking of life [מצודת דוד, אלשיך].

The ultimate goal of this reconciliation is for the Gibeonites to bless God's inheritance. The primary approach among commentators is that this is a direct request for them to pray on behalf of the Israelites. David recognizes that the land, which belongs to God, is suffering under a harsh curse. His hope is that the moment the Gibeonites forgive the past and release their anger, they will pray for the nation. Through their blessing, salvation will return to Israel, and the earth will once again yield its crops [רש״י, מלבי״ם, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].