The Second Book of Samuel, otherwise called the Second Book of the Kings
2 Samuel 12
Chapter XII · Vol. II, pp. 691–692
1 Nathan's parable of the ewe-lamb causeth David to be his own judge. 7 David, reproved by Nathan, confesseth his sin, and is pardoned. 15 The new-born child being stricken of God, David mourneth and prayeth for him while living. 24 Solomon is born, and named Jedidiah. 26 David taketh Rabbah, and tortureth the people thereof.
1 And the LORD asent Nathan unto David: and he came unto him, and bsaid unto him, There were two men in one city, the one rich, and the other poor.1
B.C. 1034.
a Ps.li.title; 89.35. ch.14.14. Is.57.17,18.
b 1 Ki.20.35-41. ch.14.4-20. Ju.9.7-16. Is.5.1-6. Mat.xiii. Lu.xv. &c.
1 This exquisitely beautiful parable has extorted universal admiration. It does not indeed carry out the comparison to the full extent, for David had not only seized the pet-lamb, but killed its owner. But Nathan was perhaps interrupted by the king's expression of anger against the oppressor, or a more exact resemblance might have defeated the prophet's purpose.—I.
2 The rich man had cexceeding many flocks and herds;
A.M. 2970. B.C. 1034.
c ch.3.2-5; 5.13-16. David had many wives and children.
3 But the poor man had nothing, save done little ewe-lamb,1 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.
4 And there came a etraveller 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 ftook the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.2
e Job 1.7. 1 Pe.5.8. Mat.12.43. Ja.1.14, i.e. the devil and fleshly lust.
f ch.11.3,4.
2 In eastern countries, where there are no houses of public entertainment, every man, either of his own good-will, or out of the vanity of a good name, or as an act of religious merit, is hospitable, or may be required by authority to entertain travellers.—C.
5 And gDavid's anger was greatly kindled against the man: and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing hshall surely3 die:4
h Or, is worthy to die, Ge.20.3; 38.24.
3 Heb. is a child of death.
4 Is, according to the margin, a child of death, that is, is worthy to die, because of the peculiar enormity of his crime—but cannot, according to the letter of the law, be compelled to more than a fourfold restitution of the property purloined.—C.
7 And Nathan said to David, kThou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, lI anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;
k 1 Sa.13.13. Mat.14.4. Lu.19.26. Ro.2.1.
l 1 Sa.16.13; xviii.-xxvi. ch.ii.v.vii. Is.5.4.
8 And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives5 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.
5 Eastern kings counted the wives of their predecessors their property.
9 Wherefore hast thou mdespised 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.
m ch.11.4,14. Ex.20.13,14. Ps.51.4,14.
10 Now therefore nthe 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.
11 Thus saith the LORD, Behold, oI will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house;6 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.
o Am.7.9; 3.2. De.28.30. ch.xiii.-xviii.; 16.22. Mat.7.2. Ju.1.7. Ps.9.15,16. Pr.1.31. Je.2.17,19; 4.18; 5.25; 6.19.
6 The most grievous punishments that ever follow sin in this life, are such as arise from the influence of a man's neglect or evil example upon his own children. They smite as a double-edged sword, at once through the interests and the affections of men.—C.
12 For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.
13 And David said unto Nathan, pI have sinned against the LORD.7 And Nathan said unto David, qThe LORD also hath put 8away thy sin; thou shalt not die.9
p Ps.51.title,1-16. ch.24.10. Ac.2.37. Lu.15.21.
7 The brief sentence that records David's penitence is more emphatic than a more lengthened detail. It is 'godly sorrow,' for it laments the sin as rebellion against God.—C
q 1 Co.11.32. Pr.28.13. Ps.32.1. Mi.7.18. Zec.3.4. Is.44.22; 38.17. La.3.32,33.
8 Heb. caused to pass over.
9 He deserved to die as an adulterer and murderer. And though men have not sinned 'after the similitude of David's transgression,' let them not be angry with God because 'he showeth mercy.' But—and if they will be angry—'let him that is without (any) sin,' and needeth no pardon, bring the first accusation.—C.
14 Howbeit, because by this deed rthou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.
r Is.52.5. Eze.36.20,23. Ro.2.24. Mat.18.7. Ne.5.9.
15 And Nathan departed unto his house: and the LORD sstruck the child that Uriah's wife bare unto David, and it was very sick.
16 David therefore tbesought God for the child; and David fasted,1 and went in and lay all night upon the earth.2
t Je.18.8; 50.4. Is.26.16, with ver.22; ch.13.31. Zec.12.10,11. 1 Pe.5.6.
1 Heb. fasted a fast.
2 Dathe translates 'went into his bedchamber, and lay all night upon the ground.'—I.
17 And the elders3 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.
3 The chief persons of his household or court. Whatever sustenance he might take until the child's death, was mean, scanty, and taken privately. He now penned Ps. li., in which, though assured of pardon, he greatly laments his sin. His fasting and lying on the bare floor were signs of sorrow for sin. True penitents will be most ashamed of sin when God is pacified towards them, Eze.16.63.—I.
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 vex4 himself, if we tell him that the child is dead?
4 Heb. do hurt.
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 uarose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the LORD, and worshipped:5 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, xWhile 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?
23 But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall ygo to him, but he shall not return to me.6
24 And David7 comforted Bath-sheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and zshe bare a son, and he called his name8 Solomon;9 and the LORD loved him.
25 And he1 sent by the hand of aNathan the prophet; and he called his name bJedidiah, because of the LORD.
1 The LORD sent this consoling name, by message, to David.—C.
a ch.7.1,2,4; ver.1-15. 1 Ki.1.10-44.?
b That is, Beloved of the LORD, Mat.3.17; 17.5. Col.1.13. [The Latin, Syriac, and Arabic repeat the word 'loved,' which makes the sense much clearer: 'Jehovah loved him, and sent by Nathan the prophet, and called his name Jedidiah (beloved of Jehovah), because Jehovah loved him.'—I.]
27 And Joab sent messengers to David, and said, I have fought against Rabbah,3 and have taken the city of 4waters.5
3 A city, the ruins of which still remaining, testify its former greatness. It is situated east of Jordan, and was one of the cities of the Decapolis. It is now called Aman, and is situated on the banks of the Moiet, which rises in a pond on the south-west of the town. C.——Rabbah, or Rabbath-Ammon, called by the Greeks Philadelphia, stood on one of the upper tributaries of the Jabbok, about 25 miles east of the Jordan. It is now deserted. The ruins lie in a dreary valley, on both sides of a little stream which in winter becomes a torrent. The source of the stream is a short distance to the west, and the water flows eastward. Another valley comes in from the north, and on its eastern side, at the point of junction, stands an isolated steep hill, on the top of which is the citadel, a fortress of great extent and strength. Joab in his first attack took 'the city of the waters,' i.e. the lower town, which lay on the banks of the stream. But the citadel held out. Messengers were sent to David, who marched to the spot with a reinforcement, and captured the fortress.—P.
4 That part where the wells and cisterns were.
5 Houbigant translates it: 'I have cut off the waters from the city;'—by which means, where there were no other supplies, he could soon compel the garrison to surrender.—C.
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.6
6 Heb. my name is called upon it.
29 And David gathered all the people together, and went to Rabbah, and fought against it, and took it.
30 And he dtook their king's crown from off his head, (the eweight whereof was a talent of gold[≈ 34 kg · 75 lb · gold worth ≈ US$4.5 million] with the precious stones,) and it was set on David's head: and he brought forth the spoil of the city in great abundance.7
Notes
Ver. 23. David's consolation could not arise from the idea that he should die too—a consideration unworthy of such a man; but from a firm persuasion that his child was gone to glory, and that he should meet him there: and so it affords us the surest consolation under the death of infants.
Ver. 30. [King's crown from off his head, the weight whereof was a talent of gold[≈ 34 kg · 75 lb · gold worth ≈ US$4.5 million]. According to the common calculation of the talent, this would give 125 lbs., a weight that no man could bear. Whiston, however, calculates the talent here mentioned at 7 lbs., which would give a weight that might be borne. Others think that value and not weight is indicated; this would make the crown worth about £6000. Others suppose it to be the crown, not of 'their king,' but of the idol of the Ammonites, called Milcom. The most probable opinion is that the weight was according to the first calculation—for if not so remarkably great, why should it be so particularly noticed?—and that it was not worn on, but suspended over the head, of which fact ancient history furnishes many examples, and Sir W. Ouseley mentions it as still subsisting in Persia. C.]
Ver. 31. [Put them under saws. Not that he so cruelly punished as our translation conveys; but that he put them to work with saws, and harrows, and axes, and to make brick, as the original Hebrew will bear. The objection that may be urged against this sense, from the expression 'cut' in 1 Ch. 20. 3, has been clearly removed by Kennicott. C.——It ought not to be forgotten that in executing these punishments on the Ammonites, David was chastising them for their own horrid cruelties. According to 1 Sa. xi. their king would only make peace with the inhabitants of Jabesh on condition that their right eyes should be put out. And we read in Am. 1. 13, that they 'ripped up the women with child of Gilead, that they might enlarge their border.' It is clear from these statements that the Ammonites had attempted by the most horrid cruelties to exterminate the Israelites. P.]
Reflections.—It is dreadful to behold noted saints continue long impenitent in their sins: and prudent reproof is always necessary, especially for great transgressors; and when wisely administered, it is doubly effectual. Every wife has a right to her husband's most endeared affection. Multiplying of wives never cures concupiscence, but inflames it. Great sinners are often most severe in their censures of others. Reprovers ought to deal plainly and closely with the consciences of sinners, and lay before them the aggravating circumstances of their guilt; for unbelief is the great source of all our wickedness. They must pay dear for their lusts who dare indulge them. The only way to escape the judgment which we have deserved, is by returning to God, through Jesus Christ, with humble acknowledgment of our guilt. Nothing causes more reproach to God, and his cause, than the scandalous falls of professors: especially of eminent saints, high stationed in church or state. And God will make those sins bitter to his people at last, in which they sought lasting pleasure, even though others should seem to escape unpunished. Yea, God sometimes quickly marks his people's sin in their punishment; and often children are afflicted in their parents' punishment. The sickness of our relations demands our earnest wrestlings with God on their behalf; and none more than that of distressed children, who cannot pray for themselves. We brought them into the world heirs of wrath; let us labour to pluck them as brands out of the burning, and bring them to Jesus the Saviour. If we must part with them, let us do it as Christians; and let their death fill us with the most serious impressions of our own. At the same time, let us fortify our patience by the comforting consideration of this pious king: let us return them into the hand of God, assured that 'their angels do always behold the face of our Father which is in heaven,' and that 'of such is the kingdom of heaven:' and let it be our only concern that we meet them again in his presence.—Meanwhile, let us remember, that submission to God's strokes is the way to obtain the restoration of his comforts; and that he will not chide for ever, but will in wrath remember mercy.—Alas! that, while Joab was so zealous for David's honour, David, in his fondness for the heathen crown and his severity to the prisoners, should have so little consulted the honour of his God! But when men lie hardened in their lust, what evil are they not capable of committing!
Measures in square brackets are modern equivalents added for this edition. They are not in the King James text or in Brown’s notes. They use common scholarly estimates: a cubit is about 45.7 cm (18 in), a shekel about 11.4 g (0.4 oz), an ephah about 22 litres. Money values give the worth of the silver or gold at spot prices on 28 October 2026, not what the sum would buy in the ancient world.