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2 SAMUEL 12

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

READING CYCLE THREE (see "Bible Interpretation Seminar")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects. Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

1. First paragraph
2. Second paragraph
3. Etc.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 12:1-6
¹Then the Lord sent Nathan to David. And he came to him and said,
 "There were two men in one city, the one rich and the other poor.
 ²"The rich man had a great many flocks and herds.
 ³"But the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb
 Which he bought and nourished;
 And it grew up together with him and his children.
 It would eat of his bread and drink of his cup and lie in his bosom,
 And was like a daughter to him.
 ⁴"Now a traveler came to the rich man,
 And he was unwilling to take from his own flock or his own herd,
 To prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him;
 Rather he took the poor man's ewe lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him."
⁵Then David's anger burned greatly against the man, and he said to Nathan, "As the Lord lives, surely the man who has done this deserves to die. ⁶He must make restitution for the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing and had no compassion."

12:1 "Then the Lord sent Nathan to David" Josephus, Antiq. 7.7.3, tells us that YHWH spoke to Nathan in a dream. Many kings used the High Priest as their personal spiritual confidant but David used the prophet Nathan in addition to discern God's will.

SPECIAL TOPIC: URIM AND THUMMIM

SPECIAL TOPIC: PROPHECY (OT)

12:1b-4 This is Nathan's parable about an abuse of power that caused David to repent.

12:5 "David's anger burned greatly against the man" Nathan approached David as the supreme jurist of the nation of Israel. Nathan's parable (vv. 1-4) appealed to David's sense of fair play and justice!

▣ "As the Lord lives" This was an oath in YHWH's name. The phrase "as the Lord lives" related to the covenant name of God, YHWH, which is from the Hebrew VERB "to be" (cf. Exod. 3:14).

SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITY, D.

▣ "deserves to die" This is literally, "is a son of death"; there is no VERB, but an emphatic CONJUNCTION (BDB 471). David committed several acts worthy of death.

1. lust
2. rape/seduction of a married woman
3. premeditated murder

SPECIAL TOPIC: "SONS OF. . ." (OT)

SPECIAL TOPIC: ADULTERY

SPECIAL TOPIC: MURDER

12:6 "restitution" This was a part of the "guilt offering."

SPECIAL TOPIC: SACRIFICES IN MESOPOTAMIA AND ISRAEL AND THEIR SIGNIFICANCE, E.

▣ "fourfold" The Targums have "forty-fold," while the LXX has "sevenfold" (cf. Pro. 6:31), but "four" (MT) fits Exod. 22:1 better. The term "seven" would denote "a perfect restitution," not a literal number in this text.

SPECIAL TOPIC: SYMBOLIC NUMBERS IN SCRIPTURE, #4

The MT has the NEGATED VERB (BDB 328, KB 328, Qal PERFECT), "spare." NET Bible's translation, "cold hearted" communicates the thought. Notice the implication of a PERFECT VERB is a settled condition.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 12:7-15a
  ⁷Nathan then said to David, "You are the man! Thus says the Lord God of Israel, 'It is I who anointed you king over Israel and it is I who delivered you from the hand of Saul. ⁸I also gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your care, and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added to you many more things like these! ⁹Why have you despised the word of the Lord by doing evil in His sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon. ¹⁰Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.' ¹¹Thus says the Lord, 'Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own household; I will even take your wives before your eyes and give them to your companion, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. ¹²Indeed you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and under the sun.'" ¹³Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the Lord." And Nathan said to David, "The Lord also has taken away your sin; you shall not die. ¹⁴However, because by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born to you shall surely die." ¹⁵So Nathan went to his house.

12:7-8,11-12 Notice the number of times "I" appears. YHWH blessed (vv. 7-8) and He will bring judgment (vv. 9-15). This reflects the cursing and blessing sections of Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28. YHWH is no respecter of persons!

12:7 "You are the man!" This emphatic statement has no VERB. The Spirit will use this to convince David of his sin (cf. Psalm 32; 51).

▣ "It is I who anointed you king" Anointing was a sign of YHWH's special choice and equipment for a task. The word anointing later became a title for YHWH's special servant—"the Messiah," which is translated in Greek as "Christ."

SPECIAL TOPIC: "ANOINTING" IN THE BIBLE

SPECIAL TOPIC: MESSIAH

12:9 "doing evil in His sight" This goes back to 2 Sam. 10:27. David's actions reflected on YHWH's character, cf. 2 Sam. 12:14.

▣ "You have struck down Uriah" David did not personally kill Uriah but he planned it and put it in motion (2 Sam. 11:14-15).

▣ "Hittite" During the late 1800's and early 1900's the Bible as reliable history was greatly questioned because of its use of the term "Hittite." There was no other reference to this historical empire than the Bible itself until around the 1940's, when an archaeological discovery was made in central Turkey that found a royal library of 2300 cuneiform slates that documented 2000 years of the Hittite Empire. This empire went by two names

1. Anatolia
2. Hittite

Every time archaeology makes a discovery the historicity of the Bible is confirmed!

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE BIBLE (ITS UNIQUENESS AND INSPIRATION)

▣ "have taken his wife" See SPECIAL TOPIC: ADULTERY.

▣ "have killed him" See SPECIAL TOPIC: MURDER.

12:10 "the sword shall never depart from your house" As David destroyed one man's house out of greedy passion, God will recompense to him the same destruction (cf. Galations 6:9). See full note at 2 Sam. 11:4.

The word translated "never" is really the Hebrew term 'olam (forever). This word must be interpreted in context.

SPECIAL TOPIC: FOREVER ('olam)

12:11 "I will raise up evil against you from your own household" As David's judgment was fourfold restitution (v. 6), so the irony and tragedy of his own family is that four of his sons would die: the first child born to Bathsheba, Amnon, Absalom, Adonijah.

▣ "I will even take your wives before your eyes. . .in broad daylight" This refers to Absalom's actions recorded in 2 Sam. 16:20-23.

12:12 "you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and under the sun" His secret sins will be brought to light (cf. Luke 8:17; 12:2).

12:13 "I have sinned against the Lord" All sin is against God (cf. Ps. 51:4). Confession is important for restoration of fellowship and joy (cf. 1 John 1:9; Ps. 51:12). We see David's inner struggle with this episode of personal rebellion so clearly in Psalms 32 and 51.

▣ "The Lord has taken away your sin" This is a major truth. David's sins were so odious yet YHWH's mercy has the last word. Notice there is no sacrifice mentioned. There is a wonderful power in

1. human confession and repentance
2. the merciful character of Israel's covenant God

SPECIAL TOPIC: CONFESSION

SPECIAL TOPIC: REPENTANCE (OT)

SPECIAL TOPIC: FORGIVENESS IN THE OT, #6

▣ "you shall not die" According to the Mosaic Law the penalty for murder and adultery is death (cf. Lev. 20:10). Although David personally was spared the death sentence, his family paid the price. For you see, the consequences of sin continue through time! See full note at 2 Sam. 11:4.

12:14 "because by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme" The MT has "because you have utterly spurned the enemies of YHWH by this deed."

The VERB is in an intensified form (i.e., an INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE and Piel PERFECT VERB of the same root (BDB 610, KB 658, Piel), "spurn."

The JPSOA footnote says, "The phrase is intended to avoid saying "spurned the Lord." See similar ellipsis at 1 Sam. 25:22. This emendation is supported by Rashi. He states "to preserve the glory of God."

The longer reading in the MT and NASB is one of a few suggested changes to the Hebrew texts by the Masoretic scholars who produced the MT.

David's acts hurt YHWH's will to introduce Himself to the nations through Israel and her king.

▣ "the child also that is born to you shall surely die" If YHWH had not acted in justice toward David He would have been accused of playing favorites. Therefore, we have the twin realities of:

1. the sins of the father are passed on to the children ‒ Exod. 20:5-6
2. individual responsibility ‒ Ezekiel 18

Our actions do have consequences in the lives of others.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 12:15b-20
  ^15bThen the Lord struck the child that Uriah's widow bore to David, so that he was very sick. ¹⁶David therefore inquired of God for the child; and David fasted and went and lay all night on the ground. ¹⁷The elders of his household stood beside him in order to raise him up from the ground, but he was unwilling and would not eat food with them. ¹⁸Then it happened on the seventh day that the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, "Behold, while the child was still alive, we spoke to him and he did not listen to our voice. How then can we tell him that the child is dead, since he might do himself harm!" ¹⁹But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David perceived that the child was dead; so David said to his servants, "Is the child dead?" And they said, "He is dead." ²⁰So David arose from the ground, washed, anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he came into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he came to his own house, and when he requested, they set food before him and he ate.

12:15b "the Lord struck the child" In the OT there is only one ultimate source and that is YHWH. There are no secondary causes in Israel's worldview. All acts are attributed to Him (cf. 2 Chr. 20:6; Eccl. 7:14; Isa. 14:24-27; 43:13; 45:7; 54:16; Jer. 18:11; Lam. 3:33-38; Amos 3:6). This is a very difficult verse to interpret theologically. This is not the norm; YHWH loves the children as much as the parents. It is true that the sins of the parents are transmitted to the children, as are the blessings, but this is usually interpreted as lifestyle priorities (cf. Exod. 20:5-6; Deut. 5:9-10). This verse causes us not to be too dogmatic in the relationship between sin and sickness within families. There is mystery here. We live in a fallen world. See note at 1 Sam. 25:38.

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE FALL

SPECIAL TOPIC: HEALING

12:16-17 David grieved and prayed for the child.

1. fasted (usually involved prayer)
2. lay on the ground
3. wore certain items of clothing
   1. DSS, LXX add "in sackcloth"
   2. Josephus, Antiq. 7.7.4, has "black garment" and "sackcloth"
4. wept, vv. 21,22
5. see other items at 2 Sam. 13:31

SPECIAL TOPIC: GRIEVING RITES

12:20 When David's acts of mourning were over, he also performed certain acts that showed this.

1. arose from the ground
2. washed
3. anointed himself
4. put on regular clothing
5. worshiped
6. ate food

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 12:21-23
  ²¹Then his servants said to him, "What is this thing that you have done? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept; but when the child died, you arose and ate food." ²²He said, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, 'Who knows, the Lord may be gracious to me, that the child may live.' ²³But now he has died; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me."

12:22 "Who knows, the Lord may be gracious to me, that the child may live" David was a man of faith. He had an OT worldview. There was always hope in YHWH's merciful character. Though believing humans do not know the future they know the One who controls the future. I do believe intercessory prayer can change situations. The mystery is why some circumstances are changed but not others.

SPECIAL TOPIC: CHARACTERISTICS OF ISRAEL'S GOD (OT)

SPECIAL TOPIC: INTERCESSORY PRAYER

12:23 Whether David has a full blown understanding of the afterlife or not is uncertain, but it is obvious in reading the Psalms and the account of his life, that he trusted YHWH for the future, even with his dead child. I believe little ones who die go to be with the Lord. The grief and worry of parents can be seen in the doctrines of infant baptism and the age of accountability, both of which are biblically dubious.

SPECIAL TOPIC: WHERE ARE THE DEAD?

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE AGE OF ACCOUNTABILITY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 12:24-25
  ²⁴Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and went in to her and lay with her; and she gave birth to a son, and he named him Solomon. Now the Lord loved him ²⁵and sent word through Nathan the prophet, and he named him Jedidiah for the Lord's sake.

12:24-25 In the midst of judgment and death, God brings hope and mercy! The future king of Israel is born.

▣ "Jedidiah" The name (BDB 217) means "beloved of the Lord." Apparently David allowed the prophet Nathan to name this child (v. 25). The Peshitta has "she called him," which would denote Bathsheba. The verse is ambiguous. It could refer to the father David.

Names were very important in Israel. They reflected the hope of the parents and family about the newly born child.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 12:26-31
  ²⁶Now Joab fought against Rabbah of the sons of Ammon and captured the royal city. ²⁷Joab sent messengers to David and said, "I have fought against Rabbah, I have even captured the city of waters. ²⁸Now therefore, gather the rest of the people together and camp against the city and capture it, or I will capture the city myself and it will be named after me." ²⁹So David gathered all the people and went to Rabbah, fought against it and captured it. ³⁰Then he took the crown of their king from his head; and its weight was a talent of gold, and in it was a precious stone; and it was placed on David's head. And he brought out the spoil of the city in great amounts. ³¹He also brought out the people who were in it, and set them under saws, sharp iron instruments, and iron axes, and made them pass through the brickkiln. And thus he did to all the cities of the sons of Ammon. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

12:26-31 The war with the capital city of the Ammonites (i.e., Rabbah) resulted in its capture and its people being dealt with violently.

12:30 "he" This must refer to Joab.

I have included my notes from 1 Chr. 20:2:

"1 Chr. 20:2 "their king" The same Hebrew consonants (BDB 572 I, cf. 2 Sam. 12:30) can also refer to the god, Milcom (BDB 575, cf. 1 Kgs. 11:5; Zeph. 1:5; LXX, Vulgate, NJB). The UBS Text Project gives "Milcom" a "B" rating (some doubt).

In 1 Kgs. 11:7 another fertility god, Molech, is named. The Hebrew consonants MLK are the root of

1. king
2. Milcom
3. Molech (see SPECIAL TOPIC: MOLECH)"

The UBS Text Project, p. 233, gives Milcom a "C" rating (considerable doubt).

1. "of their king" ‒ מלכם
2. of Milcom ‒ consonants same as above (cf. 1 Kgs. 11:5)

▣ "talent" See SPECIAL TOPIC: ANE WEIGHTS AND VOLUMES.

12:31 I have included my note from 1 Chr. 20:3.

"1 Chr. 20:3 Ancient warfare was terrible and vindictive. Whole populations were killed in shocking ways or were taken into slavery (cf. 2 Sam. 12:31).

It is possible that 2 Sam. 12:31 really refers to "putting them to work" in construction. But this is conjecture (cf. JPSOA footnote)."

Notice the translation of JPSOA, "He led out the people who lived there and sent them to work with saws, iron threshing boards, anad iron axes, or assigned to brickmaking."

▣ "pass through the brickkiln" The VERB (BDB 716, KB 778, Hiphil PERFECT with waw) is used of human sacrifices to Molech. He was a fertility god worshiped by fire sacrifices of firstborn children. The "brickklin" (BDB 527) could refer to this fire offering. However, it must be asserted that the word "brickkiln" (BDB 527, KB 587) is uncertain.

1. brick mold
2. brick shaped
3. brick fired

SPECIAL TOPIC: MOLECH

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

1. Why did David try to cover up his sin?
2. How is God's judgment commensurate with David's sins?
3. Explain confession and its purpose in the life of a believer.
4. Why did this child have to die for the sins of David?
5. List all the signs of mourning found in this lesson.
6. Is it wrong for believers to openly grieve?
7. How does David's handling of grief help us? (esp. 2 Sam. 12:20-21)
8. Did God cause this child's death because of David's sin?
9. Do children who die go to heaven?
   What is their spiritual condition?
   Why is it so hard to determine?
10. Who is Milcom? Who is Molech?

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