וַיֹּ֣אמֶר דָּוִ֣יד אֶֽל־הָאֱלֹהִ֡ים הֲלֹא֩ אֲנִ֨י אָמַ֜רְתִּי לִמְנ֣וֹת בָּעָ֗ם וַאֲנִי־ה֤וּא אֲשֶׁר־חָטָ֙אתִי֙ וְהָרֵ֣עַ הֲרֵע֔וֹתִי וְאֵ֥לֶּה הַצֹּ֖אן מֶ֣ה עָשׂ֑וּ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהַ֗י תְּהִ֨י נָ֤א יָֽדְךָ֙ בִּ֚י וּבְבֵ֣ית אָבִ֔י וּֽבְעַמְּךָ֖ לֹ֥א לְמַגֵּפָֽה׃ (ס)
E Davide disse a Dio: «Non sono forse io che ho ordinato di contare il popolo? Sono io che ho peccato e ho agito malvagiamente; ma queste pecore, che cosa hanno fatto? Signore, Dio mio, sia la tua mano contro di me e contro la casa di mio padre; ma non contro il tuo popolo, per colpirlo con la piaga».
Meiri
[Regarding] these things and those that are similar to them — in the same way that a person must be careful not to do them, so too must he protest against anyone [doing them], who it is possible for him to protest against. And anyone for whom it is possible to protest and who does not protest, behold it is as if he did [the sin himself]. And that is [the understanding of] that which they said, "Anyone for whom it is possible to protest against the members of his household and did not protest, he is apprehended for the members of his household; against the people of his town, and did not protest, he is apprehended for the people of his town; against the whole world, and did not protest, he is apprehended for the whole world." And they likewise said, "The Lord will enter into judgment with the Elders of His people and its princes (Isaiah 3:14). If the princes sinned, what did the Elders do that was a sin? Rather, with the Elders because they did not protest against the princes." You have learned [from this] that a king is punished for the iniquity of the people, since he is not protesting against them; and the people as a whole are punished for the iniquity of the king, since they are not protesting against him. And this is an answer to that which King David asked, but these sheep, what have they done (II Samuel 24:17)?