King David seeks to make amends for a past injustice committed against the Gibeonites, offering them compensation to heal old wounds. However, the Gibeonites firmly reject standard methods of appeasement, making it clear that their demand is strictly focused on the family of the one who harmed them.
They declare they have no interest in silver or gold from Saul or his household. The primary approach among commentators is that this represents an absolute refusal to accept any ransom or financial payout for their suffering [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Because Saul did not steal their money but rather took their lives, they demand lives in return [אברבנאל]. A different perspective offers a more precise division of guilt: the general populace had stolen the Gibeonites' property, while Saul was the one who actually killed them. Therefore, they do not demand financial restitution from Saul's family, as that debt lies with the people [מלבי״ם].
The nature of their refusal reveals the careful sequence of David's diplomacy. Initially, David tried to pacify the Gibeonites as a group with financial compensation. When they refused, he assumed they might simply be embarrassed to accept money in front of one another. To resolve this, David approached each individual privately. Yet, every single person gave the exact same reply, stating personally that they had no desire for wealth [רש״י, רד״ק].
Furthermore, the Gibeonites clarify that they have no desire to execute anyone else among the Israelites, as the general public was not responsible for the murders [רש״י, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Even if the Israelites bear a certain degree of guilt for failing to protest Saul's actions at the time, the Gibeonites seek revenge solely against the offspring of the murderer who caused their immense suffering and persecution [אברבנאל]. This completes their strict equation of justice: they do not demand lives from the broader nation, because it was Saul and his household who killed them, not the rest of Israel [מלבי״ם].
Faced with their stubborn refusal to accept a financial ransom, which was typically the accepted solution for resolving such deep grievances, David places the decision in their hands. He asks them to define exactly what judgment or action they wish him to take on their behalf to finally right the historical wrong [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].