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2 Samuel
Chapter Seven
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO SECOND SAMUEL 7
This
chapter expresses David's concern for building an house for the ark of God,
which he communicated to Nathan the prophet, and was approved of by him, 2 Samuel 7:1; and
who was that night sent by the Lord to David, to acquaint him, that as he had
for many years dwelt in a tent, and had never given directions to the tribes of
Israel, and the rulers of them, to build him an house, so neither should David
build him one; but his son that would succeed him in the throne should; and
also observes to him the many great things he had done for him, and promises
him more, and particularly the establishment of his throne and kingdom for ever,
in which he has respect to the Messiah, that should spring from him, 2 Samuel 7:4. Then
follows a prayer of David, in which he expresses the sense he had of the
greatness and goodness of God, and of his own unworthiness to receive such
favours from him he had, returns him thanks for the promises he had made, and
prays for the performance of them, 2 Samuel 7:18.
2 Samuel 7:1 Now
it came to pass when the king was dwelling in his house, and the Lord had given him
rest from all his enemies all around,
YLT
1And it cometh to pass, when
the king sat in his house, and Jehovah hath given rest to him round about, from
all his enemies,
And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house,.... Which
Hiram's servants had built for him, having no occasion to go out to war:
and the Lord had given him rest round about from all his enemies; both at home
and abroad; though this rest and peace did not last long; for the next chapter
gives an account of each of the people he was engaged in war with, 2 Samuel 8:1.
2 Samuel 7:2 2 that the king said to
Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God
dwells inside tent curtains.”
YLT
2that the king saith unto
Nathan the prophet, `See, I pray thee, I am dwelling in a house of cedars, and
the ark of God is dwelling in the midst of the curtain.'
That the king said unto Nathan the prophet,.... This is
the first time this prophet is made mention of, but often afterwards, yet who
he was, and from whence he came, is not known; he appears to be a man of great
piety and prudence, as well as endowed with a prophetic spirit, and was very
familiar with David, and perhaps dwelt in his palace; being a man on all
accounts fit for conversation with princes, to whom David imparted what he had
been meditating upon in his heart. The Jews have a traditionF20Hieron.
Trad. Heb. in 2 Reg. fol. 79. M. & in lib. Paralipom. fol. 89. B. F. that
he was the same with Jonathan the son of Shimea, the brother of David, 2 Samuel 21:21;
which is not very likely:
see now, I dwell in an house of cedar; made of the
cedars of Lebanon; see what a spacious palace it is:
but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains; in a
tabernacle within curtains, as the Targum; not the tabernacle of Moses, for
that was at Gibeon, 1 Chronicles 21:29;
but that which David had made for it, which consisted of curtains that were
drawn around it, 2 Samuel 6:17. It
gave him a concern that he should dwell in so magnificent a palace, and the ark
of God should have so mean an habitation; wherefore it was upon his mind to
build a grand edifice for it, and this he suggested hereby to Nathan, and so he
understood him, as appears by what follows; and the rather he was led to such a
thought, being now at rest and in peace; for then it was an house was to be
built for God, in which he would cause his name to dwell, as David might easily
learn from Deuteronomy 12:9;
and who so proper to set forward such a work as a king, and he when at rest
from his enemies?
2 Samuel 7:3 3 Then Nathan said to the
king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with
you.”
YLT
3And Nathan saith unto the
king, `All that [is] in thine heart -- go, do, for Jehovah [is] with thee.'
And Nathan said to the king, go, do till that is in thine
heart,.... He perceived it was in his heart to build an house for God;
he knew an house was to be built at one time or another, by some person or
another; he knew it was a good work, and fit for a king to do, and might think
this was a proper time any, he being at leisure, and therefore encouraged him
to it: but inasmuch as the time when and the person by whom this was to be
built were not pointed out particularly in the word of God, David and he should
have consulted the Lord about it; in this they erred, and for which they were
tacitly reproved; for, as the event shows, this was not the time when, nor
David the person by whom, it was to be built. Nathan said this as a pious and
good man, in a private capacity, not as a prophet, or under a spirit of
prophecy; for prophets did not always speak under such an influence, but, as
private men, said some things ignorantly and through mistake; see 1 Samuel 16:6,
for the Lord is with thee; prospering and
succeeding him in all he undertook, giving him rest from all his enemies; and
he might think that this motion he now made of building an house was from the
Lord; the Targum is,"the Word of the Lord shall be for thine help,'
or
thine helper, and shall assist thee in this work. David being thus encouraged
by the prophet, his thoughts were more employed about it, and he was resolute
and eager to perform it; and now it was he penned the hundred thirty second
psalm, in which he expresses his oath and vow to find a place to build on, Psalm 132:1.
2 Samuel 7:4 4 But it happened that night
that the word of the Lord
came to Nathan, saying,
YLT
4And it cometh to pass in
that night, that the word of Jehovah is unto Nathan, saying,
And it came to pass that night,.... The same night
following the day in which David and Nathan had had the above conversation,
that neither of them might continue long in their error and mistake, and
especially lest David, in his great zeal and warm affection, should take an
hasty and improper step:
that the word of the Lord came unto Nathan; the word of
prophecy, as the Targum; before he was not under a prophetic influence, but
spoke in his own words, and had not the word of God; but now it came to him:
saying; as follows.
2 Samuel 7:5 5 “Go and tell My servant
David, ‘Thus says the Lord:
“Would you build a house for Me to dwell in?
YLT
5`Go, and thou hast said
unto My servant, unto David, Thus said Jehovah, Dost thou build for Me a house
for My dwelling in?
Go and tell my servant David,.... The Lord speaks very
honourably and respectfully of him, owns him to be his servant in other things,
though he did not choose to employ him in this; and though he was not the
person, nor this the time, to build the house of the Lord, yet, as he showed a
good will towards it, so far it was acceptable to God:
thus saith the Lord, shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell
in? no, thou shalt not, as appears from 1 Chronicles 17:4;
which seems to be expressed with much spirit, and some degree of resentment, to
resolve on such a work, without seeking to know his mind in it. EupolemusF21Apud
Euseb. Evangel. Praepar. l. 9. c. 30. p. 447. an Heathen, confirms this
account, only instead of a prophet he speaks of an angel, whose name he says
was Dinnathan, who, when David was desirous of building a temple for God, and
very anxious to be shown the place where the altar was to be erected, this
angel appeared to him; and, though he showed him the place for the altar,
forbad him building it, because he was polluted with human blood, and had been
engaged in wars many years, and bid him leave the building of it to his son.
2 Samuel 7:6 6 For I have not dwelt in a
house since the time that I brought the children of Israel up from Egypt, even
to this day, but have moved about in a tent and in a tabernacle.
YLT
6for I have not dwelt in a
house even from the day of My bringing up the sons of Israel out of Egypt, even
unto this day, and am walking up and down in a tent and in a tabernacle.
Whereas I have not dwelt in any house,.... Fixed,
stated, habitation:
since the time that I brought up the children of Israel out of
Egypt,
even to this day; a space of five or six hundred years,
though he might before:
but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle; moving from
place to place while in the wilderness, and since in the land of Canaan, first
at Gilgal, then at Shiloh, afterwards at Nob, and now at Gibeon.
"Tent" and "tabernacle" are distinguished, though they were
but one building and habitation; the tent was the curtains of goats' hair, and
the tabernacle the linen curtains, see Exodus 26:1. In 1 Chronicles 17:5
it is "from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another";
which does not intend variety of tabernacles, but change of place.
2 Samuel 7:7 7 Wherever I have moved
about with all the children of Israel, have I ever spoken a word to anyone from
the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying,
‘Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?’”’
YLT
7During all [the time] that
I have walked up and down among all the sons of Israel, a word have I spoken
with one of the tribes of Israel which I commanded to feed my people Israel,
saying, `Why have ye not built to Me a house of cedars?
In all the places wherein I have walked with all the
children of Israel,.... See Gill on 2 Samuel 7:6 on the
places mentioned there:
spake I a word with any of the tribes of Israel; or rather the
sceptres of Israel; so the word is rendered, Genesis 49:10; the
sceptre bearers, rulers, and governors, whose custom was to carry a sceptre in
their hands, as Ben Melech observes; and so in a parallel text, 1 Chronicles 17:6,
it is, "to any of the judges of Israel"; any of those from the times
of Moses and Joshua to the times of Saul and David, and this is confirmed by
what follows:
whom I commanded to feed my people Israel; that is, to
rule and govern them, protect and defend them, which cannot be said of the
tribes, but of the rulers of them; and the Lord asks this question, whether
ever he had said a word to any of those, in all that space of time, expressing
anything of this kind:
saying, why build ye not me an house of cedar? they never
were bid to do it, or expostulated with why they did not, or ever reproved for
not doing it; therefore why should David think of doing it?
2 Samuel 7:8 8 Now therefore, thus shall
you say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “I
took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My
people, over Israel.
YLT
8and now, thus dost thou say
to My servant, to David: `Thus said Jehovah of Hosts, I have taken thee from
the comely place, from after the flock, to be leader over My people, over
Israel;
Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David,.... For it
was taken well at his hands, in part, that it was in his heart, and he had a
desire to build an house for God, though he was wrong in determining upon it
without seeking the Lord; and lest he should be discouraged by the prohibition
of him from building, the following things are observed to assure him it was
not from disregard unto him, or displeasure at him, that he would not be
employed in this service; since the Lord had given sufficient tokens of his
favour to him, and with which he should be content, as having honour enough
done him; it was enough that God had raised him up from a low estate to great
grandeur and dignity:
thus saith the Lord of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from
following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel; for that was
his employment, to keep his father's sheep, before he was taken into Saul's
court, and married his daughter, when after his death he came to have the
crown, of Israel: now this is said, not to upbraid him with his former
meanness, but to observe the goodness of God unto him, and what reason he had
for thankfulness, and to look upon himself as a favourite of God, who of a
keeper of sheep was made a shepherd of men, to rule and feed them; so Cyrus is
called a shepherd, Isaiah 44:28; and
Agamemnon, in HomerF23Iliad. 2. , is called "the shepherd of
the people".
2 Samuel 7:9 9 And I have been with you
wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you, and
have made you a great name, like the name of the great men who are on
the earth.
YLT
9and I am with thee
whithersoever thou hast gone, and I cut off all thine enemies from thy
presence, and have made for thee a great name, as the name of the great ones
who [are] in the earth,
And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest,.... When he
went against Goliath, when he went forth against the Philistines, when in
Saul's court, when he fled from Saul, and was obliged to go to various places,
God was with him protecting and preserving him, prospering and succeeding him
every where, and in everything:
and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight: as Saul, and
others in the land of Israel, and the Philistines, and other enemies round
about him, so that he had rest from them all:
and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men
that are in the earth; a name for a mighty king, warrior, and
conqueror, such as some mighty kings and great men of the earth had obtained,
and such fame, being made king over all Israel; and his success against the
Jebusites had got him a name, as well as former victories he had been favoured
with; on account of all which his name and fame had been spread abroad in the
world, and he was reckoned as one of the greatest princes in it.
2 Samuel 7:10 10 Moreover I will appoint a
place for My people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place
of their own and move no more; nor shall the sons of wickedness oppress them
anymore, as previously,
YLT
10and I have appointed a
place for My people, for Israel, and have planted it, and it hath tabernacled
in its place, and it is not troubled any more, and the sons of perverseness do
not add to afflict it any more, as in the beginning,
Moreover, I will appoint a place for my people Israel,.... The land
of Canaan: this the Lord had of old appointed to them, and had introduced them
into and settled them in it, but not entirely and alone; in many places the
Canaanites had inhabited; but now they should be expelled, and the Israelites
should have the place to themselves:
and will plant them; so that they shall take
root and flourish, and continue:
that they may dwell in a place of their own; and not as
they dwelt in Egypt, in a land that was not theirs; or "under
themselves"F24תחתיו, "sub
se", Montanus. ; under their own rulers and governors:
and move no more; as they did in the times of the judges,
when, sinning against God, they were often delivered into their enemies' hands,
and carried captives:
neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as
beforetime; when in Egypt, and in the times of the judges; all which is
supposed, provided they did not depart from the Lord, but abode by his word,
worship, and ordinances, and obeyed his will; for it was by their obedience
they held their tenure of the land of Canaan, see Isaiah 1:19; or all
this may respect future times, when they shall be converted to the Messiah, and
return to their own land, and ever continue in it, and never more be harassed
and distressed, Jeremiah 32:41.
2 Samuel 7:11 11 since the time that I
commanded judges to be over My people Israel, and have caused you to
rest from all your enemies. Also the Lord tells you that He will
make you a house.[a]
YLT
11even from the day that I
appointed judges over My people Israel; and I have given rest to thee from all
thine enemies, and Jehovah hath declared to thee that Jehovah doth make for
thee a house.
And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my
people Israel,.... Before the time the judges were raised they were greatly
afflicted by one nation or another around them, and between judge and judge,
but now they should be no more so; here the parenthesis should end:
and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies; this belongs
to David personally, and intends the same as in 2 Samuel 7:1,
also the Lord telleth thee, that he will make thee an house; not only
build up his family, and make that numerous, but establish the house of his
kingdom, as the Targum; that whereas he was desirous of building an house for
God, God would build up an house for him; which would be a clear proof, that
though he did not think fit to make use of him in the building of his house,
yet he was not cast out of his favour, nor was it to be so interpreted by
himself or others.
2 Samuel 7:12 12 “When your days are
fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you,
who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.
YLT
12`When thy days are full,
and thou hast lain with thy fathers, then I have raised up thy seed after thee
which goeth out from thy bowels, and have established his kingdom;
And when thy days be fulfilled,.... The days of his
life, which were appointed by the Lord for him to live, and when he had filled
up the common term of man's life, as he exactly did; for he lived just seventy
years, see 2 Samuel 5:4,
and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; die and be
buried; for this is a phrase expressive of death, and the grave the common
portion of men:
I will set up thy seed after thee; sons to succeed in the
kingdom, as they did for the space of five hundred years; though here it
respects one particular seed or son, even Solomon, as appears by what follows:
which shall proceed out of thy bowels; be begotten
by him, and born unto him, and has regard to a future son of his not yet born;
not Absalom nor Adonijah, nor any of the rest born in Hebron were to succeed
him in the kingdom, but one as yet unborn:
and I will establish his kingdom; so that he shall have a
long and happy reign, as Solomon had.
2 Samuel 7:13 13 He shall build a house for
My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
YLT
13He doth build a house for
My Name, and I have established the throne of his kingdom unto the age.
He shall build an house for my name,.... For the honour of
it, for the worship and service of God, as it is well known Solomon did; and so
his antitype the Messiah, Zechariah 6:12,
and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever; that is, for
a long time. Solomon's reign was forty years, and the kingdom of Judah
continued in his posterity until the Babylonish captivity, and a prince that
descended from him was the ruler of the people when they returned: this has its
fulfilment more eminently in Christ, who was of his seed, to whom God has given
"the throne of his father David", and who "shall reign over the
house of Jacob for ever", Luke 1:32.
2 Samuel 7:14 14 I will be his Father, and
he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of
men and with the blows of the sons of men.
YLT
14I am to him for a father,
and he is to Me for a son; whom in his dealings perversely I have even reproved
with a rod of men, and with strokes of the sons of Adam,
I will be his father, and he shall be my son,.... That is,
I will be as kind unto him, and careful of him, as a father of a son; or he
shall be, and appear to be my son, by adopting grace, as no doubt Solomon was,
notwithstanding all his failings. This is applied to Christ, the antitypical
Solomon, who was, in an higher sense, the Son of God, even by natural and
eternal generation; see Hebrews 1:5,
if he commit iniquity; which cannot be supposed
of Christ; for though he was made sin by imputation, he neither knew nor did
any, but may be supposed of his spiritual offspring, whom he represented as an
head and surety, as of Solomon, who committed many sins and transgressions:
I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of
the children of men; either with men themselves, as Hadad the Edomite, Rezon the son
of Eliadah, and Jeroboam the son of Nebat, by all whom he was afflicted and
distressed, after he felt into idolatry, 1 Kings 11:14; or
with such rods and stripes as men correct their children with, not to destroy
them, but to chastise them for their good; and so the phrases denote humane,
kind, gentle, moderate corrections given in love, and which answer some good
purposes.
2 Samuel 7:15 15 But My mercy shall not
depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you.
YLT
15and My kindness doth not
turn aside from him, as I turned it aside from Saul, whom I turned aside from
before thee,
But my mercy shall not depart away from him,.... Which is
not to be understood of special mercy and grace, though it is true of these
with respect to Solomon, and so to all the adopted children of God, see Psalm 89:32; but
then this here designs such mercy as may be taken away from another, and as it
was from Saul, as it follows:
as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee; and therefore
must be understood of his mercy and kindness, in giving him a kingdom, and
setting him on the throne; this should not be taken away from him, as it was
from Saul, whom God rejected from being king; not him personally, but his
posterity; but so the Lord would not do, nor did he, to Solomon, in whose
posterity the kingdom of Judah continued to the Babylonish captivity.
2 Samuel 7:16 16 And your house and your
kingdom shall be established forever before you.[b] Your
throne shall be established forever.”’”
YLT
16and stedfast [is] thy house
and thy kingdom unto the age before thee, thy throne is established unto the
age.'
And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever
before thee,.... That is, both his family and his government should be
perpetuated, or he should always have one of his family to sit upon his throne;
the accomplishment of which, in the beginning of it, he saw with his eyes in
his son Solomon, and with an eye of faith in his greater Son the Messiah, in
whom only these words will have their complete fulfilment; and so Abarbinel
says this vision or prophecy is explained by some of the days of the Messiah;
and this house and kingdom, in 1 Chronicles 17:14;
are called by the Lord "my" house, and "my" kingdom:
thy throne shall be established for ever; which is a
repetition of the same in other words for the confirmation of it.
2 Samuel 7:17 17 According to all these
words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.
YLT
17According to all these
words, and according to all this vision, so spake Nathan unto David.
According to all these words, and according to all this vision,.... All the
words of this prophecy, just as they were delivered to Nathan, were exactly
expressed by him; he did not vary from them in the least, but with the greatest
faithfulness related them:
so did Nathan speak unto David; though in the part which
related to the history of the house of God, it was contrary to the advice which
he had given; but he was not ashamed to retract his sense, when he was made
acquainted with the mind of God.
2 Samuel 7:18 18 Then King David went in
and sat before the Lord;
and he said: “Who am I, O Lord God? And what is my house, that You have brought
me this far?
YLT
18And king David cometh in
and sitteth before Jehovah, and saith, `Who [am] I, Lord Jehovah? and what my
house, that Thou hast brought me hitherto?
Then went King David in,.... Into the tabernacle
where the ark was, which he had prepared for it, 2 Samuel 6:17,
and sat before the Lord; before the ark, the
symbol of his presence, and prayed, and gave thanks, as follows: from whence it
appears that a sitting posture was sometimes used in prayer, of which we have
other instances, Exodus 17:11. It is
saidF25Vid. D. Herbert. de Cherbury de Relig. Gent. c. 7. p. 65.
that Pythagoras, and also Numa, ordered that worshippers should sit. So that
this act of devotion is not to be limited to any particular posture, though it
seems most agreeable either to stand or kneel; and the Jews look upon this to
be a peculiar case, and infer from hence that none were allowed to sit in the
court but the kings of the house of JudahF26T. Bab. Yoma, fol. 69.
2. Maimon & Bartenor. in Misn. Yoma, c. 7. sect. 1. ; and some of themF1Midrash
in Abarbinel in loc. will not allow that to them, since the seraphim above are
even said to stand, Isaiah 6:2; and
suppose the meaning of this to be only that David supported himself in the
court; and some render the words, "he remained before the Lord"F2וישב "et mansit", Vatablus. ; he continued in
meditation, prayer, and thanksgiving, and such like acts of devotion, for a
considerable time; so the Targum, in 1 Chronicles 17:16."King
David came and continued in prayer before the Lord:"
and he said, who am I, O Lord God? a creature, a
sinful creature, a mean and unworthy one, undeserving of a place in the house
of God, and of access unto him, and to receive any favour from him, less than
the least of all saints, less than the least of all mercies:
and what is my house: or family of which he
was, the family of Jesse; for though it sprung from a prince in Israel, yet was
but low and mean, in comparison of some others, and especially unworthy of the
regard of the great God:
that thou hast brought me hitherto? to such grandeur and
dignity, as to be king over all Israel and Judah, to have all his enemies
subdued under him, and to be at peace and rest from them, and established in
his kingdom; and which he signifies the Lord alone had brought him to, through
many difficulties and tribulations, and which he could never have attained unto
by his own wisdom and power, nor by the assistance of his friends; it was all
the Lord's doing, and wondrous in his eyes.
2 Samuel 7:19 19 And yet this was a small
thing in Your sight, O Lord God; and You have also spoken of Your servant’s
house for a great while to come. Is this the manner of man, O Lord God?
YLT
19And yet this [is] little in
Thine eyes, Lord Jehovah, and Thou dost speak also concerning the house of Thy
servant afar off; and this [is] the law of the Man, Lord Jehovah.
And this was yet a small thing in thy sight, O Lord God,.... This of
raising him to the throne, and settling him on it, was but a small thing in
comparison of what he promised to do for him and his:
but thou hast spoken also of thy servant's house for a great while
to come; since he had not only spoken of a son that should succeed him in
the kingdom, but that he would make him an house, and establish his kingdom;
yea, that the throne of his kingdom should be established for ever, that a race
of kings should spring from him, and especially the King Messiah, of whose
kingdom there would be no end; and so the Targum,"thou hast spoken of the
house of thy servant unto the world to come,'a phrase often used by the Jews
for the times of the Messiah; see Hebrews 2:5; and so
Abarbinel thinks this clause has respect to Messiah the son of David:
and is this the manner of man, O Lord God? to bestow
their favours on their inferiors, persons of no worth and merit, and is a
profuse manner? it is not; and yet to one so much below thee, and so
undeserving, hast thou most largely and liberally given such great and
unmerited mercies: or is it the manner, or customary to deal thus with men mean
and abject, though it may with great personages that make a great figure in the
world? it is not: and yet I am regarded by thee as if I was one of the greatest
monarchs on earth: this sense agrees with the parallel text in 1 Chronicles 17:17;
"and hast regarded me according to the estate of a man of high
degree"; or, "this is the law", or "doctrine of the man who
is the Lord God"F3So Luther and Osiander; or "this is
the delineation of the man who is the Lord", &c. So Hiller. Onomastic.
Sacr. p. 447. . This doctrine contained in the promise now made respects the
seed of the woman, the promised Shiloh, the illustrious man, Jehovah's fellow,
the incarnate God, the Messiah, who is Jehovah our righteousness, the true God
and eternal life.
2 Samuel 7:20 20 Now what more can David
say to You? For You, Lord God, know Your servant.
YLT
20And what doth David add
more to speak unto Thee? and Thou, Thou hast known Thy servant, Lord Jehovah.
And what can David say more unto thee,.... In a way
of self-abasement, or in thankfulness for such wonderful favours, or in prayer
for more and other mercies; he wants words, as if he should say, to express his
sense of his own nothingness and unworthiness, and to praise the Lord for all
his benefits; and so large are the grants and promises made, that there is no
room for him to ask for more:
for thou, Lord God, knowest thy servant; what a sense
he has of his own meanness and vileness, what gratitude his heart is filled
with, and what his wants and necessities are, which God only can supply, and
does abundantly, even more than he is able to ask or think. The Targum
is,"and thou hast performed the petition of thy servant, O Lord God.'
2 Samuel 7:21 21 For Your word’s sake, and
according to Your own heart, You have done all these great things, to make Your
servant know them.
YLT
21Because of Thy word, and
according to Thy heart, Thou hast done all this greatness, to cause Thy servant
to know [it].
For thy word's sake,.... For the sake of the
promise he had made to him by Samuel, that he should be king, and his kingdom
should be established; or for the sake of the Messiah, that should spring from
him; the Memra, as the Targum, the essential Word of God; and so the Septuagint
version, "because of thy servant", with which agrees the parallel
text in 1 Chronicles 17:19,
and according to thine own heart; of his own sovereign
good will and pleasure, of his own grace, as the Arabic version, and not
according to the merits and deserts of David:
hast thou done all these great things; in making him
king of Israel, and settling the kingdom in his posterity to the times of the
Messiah, who should spring from him:
to make thy servant know them; as he now did
by Nathan the prophet, what he and his should enjoy for time to come; so that
it is not only a blessing to have favours designed, purposed, and promised, but
to have the knowledge of them, to know the things that are freely given of God.
2 Samuel 7:22 22 Therefore You are great, O
Lord God.[c] For there
is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all
that we have heard with our ears.
YLT
22Therefore Thou hast been
great, Jehovah God, for there is none like Thee, and there is no God save Thee,
according to all that we have heard with our ears.
Wherefore thou art great, O Lord God,.... In his
name, nature, persons, and perfections, purposes, promises, and works:
for there is none like thee; for his essence and
attributes, for his greatness and goodness, for what he is in himself, for what
he is to his people, and has done for them:
neither is there any God beside thee; there is but
one God, the living and true God, the former and maker of all things; all
others are but fictitious and factitious gods, see 1 Samuel 2:2;
according to all that we have heard with our ears; concerning
what he did in the land of Egypt upon the Egyptians, and in the wilderness, in
favour of the Israelites, and in the land of Canaan, by driving out the
inhabitants before the people of Israel, and in the times of the judges, in
raising them up to deliver his people.
2 Samuel 7:23 23 And who is like
Your people, like Israel, the one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem
for Himself as a people, to make for Himself a name—and to do for Yourself
great and awesome deeds for Your land—before Your people whom You redeemed for
Yourself from Egypt, the nations, and their gods?
YLT
23`And who [is] as Thy
people, as Israel -- one nation in the earth, whom God hath gone to redeem to
Him for a people, and to make for Him a name -- and to do for you the greatness
-- even fearful things for Thy land, at the presence of Thy people, whom Thou
hast redeemed to Thee out of Egypt -- [among the] nations and their gods?
And what one nation in the earth is like thy people, even
like Israel,.... For the knowledge and worship of the true God among them,
for laws and or given them, and for blessings of goodness bestowed upon them:
whom God went to redeem for a people to himself; the words are
plural, "whom the gods went to redeem"; the Targum is,"they that
were sent from the Lord,'meaning Moses and Aaron, of whom Jarchi interprets
them, of the first of which it is said, "I have made thee a god unto
Pharaoh", Exodus 7:1; but
Kimchi and R. Isaiah understand it of the true God, only suppose, as the former,
that the plural expression is used for the sake of honour and glory; whereas,
no doubt, respect is had to the three divine Persons in the Trinity, who were
all concerned in the redemption of Israel, see Isaiah 63:9, where
mention is made of the Lord, and of the Angel of his presence, and of his holy
Spirit, as engaged therein:
and to make him a name; either to get himself a
name, and honour and glory in the world, to show forth his power and might, as
well as his mercy and goodness, or to make his people famous, great, and
glorious in the earth:
and to do for you great things and terrible; as he did in
the land of Ham, at the Red sea, and in the wilderness, and in the land of
Canaan, great things for his people, and terrible ones to their enemies:
for thy land; which is either spoken to God, whose was
the land of Israel, and which he had chosen to dwell in, and had given to his
people; or else to Israel, to whom the grant of this land was made, and who
were put into the possession of it:
before thy people which thou redeemedst to thee from Egypt: that is, the
great and terrible things were done in their sight, when they were redeemed
from the bondage of Egypt, see Psalm 78:12,
from the nations,
and their gods? meaning, that they were redeemed not only from Egypt, but the
nations of the Canaanites were driven out before them; nor could their idols
save them, but destruction came upon them as upon the gods of the Egyptians:
some leave out the supplement "from", and interpret this of the
persons redeemed, even of the nations and tribes of Israel, and their great
men, their rulers and civil magistrates, sometimes called gods.
2 Samuel 7:24 24 For You have made Your
people Israel Your very own people forever; and You, Lord, have become
their God.
YLT
24Yea, Thou dost establish to
Thee Thy people Israel, to Thee for a people unto the age, and Thou, Jehovah,
hast been to them for God.
For thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel to be
a people unto thee for ever,.... So long as they were obedient to him,
and observed his laws and statutes, and abode by his worship and ordinances,
otherwise he would write a "loammi" on them, as he has, see Hosea 1:9,
and thou, Lord, art become their God; their
covenant God, they having avouched him to be their God, and he having avouched
them to be his people, Deuteronomy 26:17.
2 Samuel 7:25 25 “Now, O Lord God, the word
which You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house,
establish it forever and do as You have said.
YLT
25`And now, Jehovah God, the
word which Thou hast spoken concerning Thy servant, and concerning his house,
establish unto the age, and do as Thou hast spoken;
And now, O Lord God,.... From confessions of
unworthiness, and of the goodness of God, and a recital of favours conferred on
him and the people of Israel, David proceeds to petitions:
the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant, and
concerning his house, establish it for ever: he prays for
the sure performance of the promise of God respecting himself and his family,
and the stability and perpetual continuance of the kingdom in it, and has, no
doubt, a special regard to the Messiah, the promised seed that should spring
from him:
and do as thou hast said: for though God had
purposed and promised to do those several things, and would do them, yet it was
expected by him, and it was right in David to pray for the performance of them;
see Ezekiel 36:37.
2 Samuel 7:26 26 So let Your name be
magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is the
God over Israel.’ And let the house of Your servant David be established before
You.
YLT
26And Thy Name is great unto
the age, saying, Jehovah of Hosts [is] God over Israel, and the house of Thy
servant David is established before Thee,
And let thy name be magnified for ever,.... David
desired the performance of the above things not so much for his own sake, and
for the sake of his family, as for the glory of God; his great concern was,
that God might be magnified, and his greatness displayed, in making him and his
family great; and particularly that he might be magnified and glorified in that
famous Son of his, the Messiah, as he has been, John 13:31; and by
all his people in succeeding ages:
saying, the Lord of hosts is the God over Israel; the Lord of
armies above and below, is God over all, and in a special and peculiar manner
God over Israel, literal and spiritual, that takes care of them, supplies,
protects, and defends them:
and let the house of thy servant David be established before thee; as he had
promised, 2 Samuel 7:16.
2 Samuel 7:27 27 For You, O Lord of hosts, God
of Israel, have revealed this to Your servant, saying, ‘I will build you
a house.’ Therefore Your servant has found it in his heart to pray this prayer
to You.
YLT
27For Thou, Jehovah of Hosts,
God of Israel, Thou hast uncovered the ear of Thy servant, saying, A house I
build for thee, therefore hath Thy servant found his heart to pray unto Thee
this prayer;
For thou, O Lord of hosts, God of Israel,.... As he is
called in 2 Samuel 7:26,
hast revealed to thy servant; which he otherwise could
not have known:
saying, I will build thee an house; see 2 Samuel 7:11,
therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer
unto thee; found his heart disposed to this service, or found freedom and
boldness in him to put up this prayer to God; what encouraged and emboldened
him to do it was the gracious promise of God, that he would build up his family,
and establish his kingdom; or otherwise he could not have taken such liberty,
and used such boldness with God in prayer, as to have requested it of him.
2 Samuel 7:28 28 “And now, O Lord God, You are God,
and Your words are true, and You have promised this goodness to Your servant.
YLT
28And now, Lord Jehovah, Thou
[art] God Himself, and Thy words are truth, and Thou speakest unto Thy servant
this goodness,
And now, O Lord God, thou art that God,.... Who is
the Lord of hosts, and the God of Israel, that has promised and is able to
perform, and is faithful to his promise:
and thy words be true; are truly, punctually,
and faithfully performed, never fail:
and thou hast promised this goodness unto thy servant; concerning
building and establishing his house. David repeats this promise as being
greatly affected with it, and fully assured of the performance of it.
2 Samuel 7:29 29 Now therefore, let it
please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue before You
forever; for You, O Lord God,
have spoken it, and with Your blessing let the house of Your servant be
blessed forever.”
YLT
29And now, begin and bless
the house of Thy servant, to be unto the age before Thee, for Thou, Lord
Jehovah, hast spoken, and by Thy blessing is the house of Thy servant blessed
-- to the age.'
Now therefore let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant,.... Not
according to the merits of him or his family, but according to the sovereign
will and pleasure of God; the Targum is, begin and bless; let the promised
blessings begin to descend, that there may be some appearance of the
performance of the promise, which may give encouragement that the whole will be
fulfilled:
that it may continue for ever before thee; under his
care and protection:
for thou, O Lord God, hast spoken it; whose words
never fall to the ground, but have a sure accomplishment:
and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for
ever; even both with temporal and spiritual blessedness.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)