2 Samuel 12 - Study the King James Bible

And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.

the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah . App-4 .
sent . See 2 Samuel 11:27 .
Nathan . Septuagint and Syriac read "Nathan the prophet". he came. Compare title of Psalms 51 .
men . Hebrew. 'ish. App-14 .

The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds:

But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter.

meat = morsel.

And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.

And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die:

shall surely die . Hebrew is a son of death = liable to die.

And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.

fourfold . Compare Exodus 22:1 . Septuagint reads "sevenfold".

And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;

Thou art the man . Many means used to produce conviction: God's greatness (Job 42:1-6 ); God's glory (Isaiah 6:5 ); God's power (Luke 5:8 ); a famine (Luke 15:14 , Luke 15:18 ); a parable (2 Samuel 12:1-13 ), &c.
God . Hebrew. Elohim . App-4 .
anointed thee . 1 Samuel 16:13 .

And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things.

Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.

evil . Hebrew. ra ' a `. App-44 . with Art.
thou hast killed . Not Joab, or the Ammonites.
children = sons.

10.

Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.

the sword. Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Adjunct), App-6 , for manifested hostility.
never . Figure of speech Synecdoche (of the Whole), App-6 , put for a part of time: i.e. lifetime.

11.

Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.

Behold . Figure of speech Asterismos. App-6 .
evil. Hebrew. ra'a. App-44 . See the Structure of 2 Samuel 13:1-20 (Q, p. 424).
thine own house . Disgraced by one son (2 Samuel 13:14 ), banished by another (2 Samuel 15:19 ), revolted against by a third (1 Kings 2 ), bearded by his servant, betrayed by his friends, deserted by his People, bereaved of his children.

12.

For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.

thou. See note on 2 Samuel 12:9 .

13.

And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.

I have sinned . Psalms 51 is the expansion of this.
sinned . . . sin . Hebrew. chata'. App-44 .
hath put away . Divine forgiveness instantly follows the sinner's confession (1 John 1:9 ). Compare Job 42:6 , Job 42:8 , Job 42:10 . Isaiah 6:5 , Isaiah 6:6 , "then flew". Luke 15:18 , Luke 15:20 , "his father ran", &c.
thou , &c. Some codices, with two early printed editions, read "and (or therefore) thou wilt not die".

14.

Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.

thou hast given great occasion , &c. This is noted in the Massorah ( App-30 ) as one of the emendations of the Sopherim ( App-33 ), who altered the primitive text out of a mistaken reverence for David and Jehovah. The original reading was" thou hast greatly blasphemed Jehovah".

15.

And Nathan departed unto his house. And the LORD struck the child that Uriah's wife bare unto David, and it was very sick.

16.

David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.

and . Note the Figure of speech Polysyndeton in this verse. App-6 .
fasted . Hebrew. fasted a fast = made a strict fast. Figure of speech Polyptoton. App-6 .
lay all night upon the earth : as a penitent, with Psalms 51 for his utterance. Note his sitting before Jehovah as a worshipper, and his utterance (2 Samuel 7:18-29 ); and his standing as a servant (1 Chronicles 28:2 ), and his utterance and service (1 Chronicles 28:3 - 2Sa 29:21 ).

17.

And the elders of his house arose, and went to him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat bread with them.

18.

And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead: for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice: how will he then vex himself, if we tell him that the child is dead?

19.

But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead: therefore David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead.

20.

Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the LORD, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required, they set bread before him, and he did eat.

21.

Then said his servants unto him, What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread.

22.

And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether GOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?

Who can tell . . . ? Figure of speech Erotesis. App-6 .
GOD = Jehovah . App-4 .

23.

But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.

I shall go to him = I shall die and be buried (Compare 2 Samuel 12:19 ): i, e. I shall go to the (not "a ") grave (Sheol). On the use of this Figure of speech Euphemy ( App-6 ) as denoting death and burial, see Genesis 15:15 (compare Joshua 24:2 , Joshua 24:14 , Joshua 24:15 , Abraham's "fathers "being idolaters); 2Sa 25:8 , 2Sa 25:17 ; 2Sa 35:29 ; 2Sa 49:29 , 2Sa 49:33 .Numbers 20:26 ; Numbers 27:13 ; Numbers 31:2 .Deuteronomy 31:16 ; Deuteronomy 32:50 . Jdg 2:10 . 1 Samuel 28:19 (note "thou and thy sons "). 2 Kings 22:20 . 1 Chronicles 17:11 . 2 Chronicles 34:28 . Acts 13:36 .

24.

And David comforted Bath-sheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon: and the LORD loved him.

And . Note the Figure of speech Polysyndeton in verses: 2 Samuel 12:24-27 . App-6 . he. Some codices, with Syriac and Vulgate, read "she", in contrast with "he" in next verse.
Solomon = Pacific or Peaceable. Compare 2 Samuel 7:13 .

25.

And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet; and he called his name Jedidiah, because of the LORD.

He : i.e. Jehovah, by the hand of Nathan, in contrast with Bath-sheba. See note on 2 Samuel 12:24 .
Jedidiah = beloved of Jah. See note on Psalms 127:2 .
because of the LORD = for Jehovah's sake.

26.

And Joab fought against Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and took the royal city.

27.

And Joab sent messengers to David, and said, I have fought against Rabbah, and have taken the city of waters.

city of waters . Figure of speech Hypallage. App-6 = waters of the city: i.e. the lower waters or town, cutting off the citadel, which David came and took.

28.

Now therefore gather the rest of the people together, and encamp against the city, and take it: lest I take the city, and it be called after my name.

29.

And David gathered all the people together, and went to Rabbah, and fought against it, and took it.

30.

And he took their king's crown from off his head, the weight whereof was a talent of gold with the precious stones: and it was set on David's head. And he brought forth the spoil of the city in great abundance.

their king's crown = the crown of Milcom, with Septuagint. Compare 1 Chronicles 20:2 .Jeremiah 49:1 , Jeremiah 49:3 .Amos 1:15 .Zephaniah 1:5 (Comp. Bible). talent. See App-51 .

31.

And he brought forth the people that were therein, and put them under saws, and under harrows of iron, and under axes of iron, and made them pass through the brickkiln: and thus did he unto all the cities of the children of Ammon. So David and all the people returned unto Jerusalem.

put = appointed, appointed over, set, &c. Hebrew. sum (Genesis 2:8 ; Genesis 45:8 , Genesis 45:9 ; Genesis 47:6 . Exodus 2:14 ; Exodus 5:14 . 1Sa 8:11 ; 1 Samuel 7:10 . 2 Kings 10:24 .Psalms 78:5 ; Psalms 81:5 .Hosea 1:11 , &c.)
under = with, especially to work with. Hebrew letter (Beth), prefixed as preposition = in, within, with. When the preposition "under " = beneath, then it is either part of a verb or one of four distinct words: 'el (2 Samaritan Pentateuch 2 Samuel 2:23 ); mattah (1 Chronicles 27:23 ); tehoth' (Jer. 2 Samuel 10:11 .Daniel 4:12 , Daniel 4:21 ; Daniel 7:27 , "under the heavens "); tahath (Daniel 4:14 , "under a tree "). Beth, when translated "under", is only in the sense of within (as "under (or within the shelter of) the wing", or "under (or within) the earth "). Otherwise, used with a tool or weapon or instrument, it always means "with". See "with an axe "(Deuteronomy 19:5 .Jeremiah 10:3; Jeremiah 10:3 ); "with axes" (Jeremiah 46:22 .Ezekiel 26:9 . Psalms 74:6 ); "with nails and with hammers" (Jeremiah 10:4 ); "with an ox-goad "(Judges 3:31 ); "with mattock "(Isaiah 7:25 ; "with sword and with bow "(Genesis 48:22 .Joshua 24:12 . 2 Kings 6:22 ); "with a graving tool "(Exodus 32:4 ), &c.
pass through = pass by or before. Hebrew. 'abar, as in Ezekiel 37:2 ; Ezekiel 46:21 .Deuteronomy 2:30 . Exodus 33:19 . 1Sa 16:8 , 1 Samuel 16:9 , 1 Samuel 16:10 , &c.
brickkiln = brick-work; hence, brick pavement or paved area (Revised Version margin) Not brickkiln; no brickkilns in Palestine. All bricks there are sun-dried. Only once spoken of as burnt--as being a strange thing (Genesis 11:3 , and margin) Hebrew. malben, occurs only here, Jeremiah 43:9 , and Nahum 3:14 , the former at "entry" of royal palace, the latter said to be "fortified". Both out of the question, and quite incongruous for a brickkiln. The very paved area of Jeremiah 43:9 was discovered at Tahpanhes by Flinders Petrie in 1886, where. Nebuchadnezzar did exactly what David did here and in Ch. 2 Samuel 8:2 and 1 Chronicles 20:3 .
thus did he : i.e. as in 2 Samuel 8:2 , with Moab, s(here; he caused the captives to pass by before him, he seated on a pavement of brick-work, or paved area where he appointed them to the various departments of labour for which they were suited. Compare Jeremiah 43:9-11 These were the "strangers" (i.e. foreigners) and the "abundance of' workmen" referred to in 1 Chronicles 22:2 , 1 Chronicles 22:15 . Compare Deuteronomy 29:11 .Joshua 9:27 . See notes on 1 Kings 5:13 ; 1Ki 9:15 , 1 Kings 9:21 , 1 Kings 9:22 .