2 Samuel 12:1-6. Nathan's Parable
1. _the_Lord _sent Nathan_ A year had passed, and Bath-sheba's child
had been born, before Nathan was sent to rouse the king's slumbering
conscience.
To this crisis belong Psalms 51. and 32. See Introd. ch. VIII. § 5,
p. 47.
_and said unto him_ Some MSS of the Vul... [ Continue Reading ]
_The rich man_, &c. Observe how the details of the parable are all
arranged so as to bring the heartless selfishness of the rich man into
the strongest relief.... [ Continue Reading ]
_of his own meat_ OF HIS OWN MORSEL. The E. V. misses something of the
graphic tenderness of the original, describing how the lamb actually
shared the poor man's meal.... [ Continue Reading ]
"The apologue of the rich man and the ewe lamb … ventures to
disregard all particulars, and is content to aim at awakening the
general sense of outraged justice. It fastens on the essential guilt
of David's sin; not its sensuality or its impurity, so much as its
meanness and selfishness … A true des... [ Continue Reading ]
_shall surely die_ Or, IS WORTHY TO DIE; lit. _is a son of death_. Cp.
1 Samuel 20:31; 1 Samuel 26:16.... [ Continue Reading ]
_fourfold_ The legal compensation. See Exodus 22:1; Luke 19:8. The
Sept. reads _sevenfold_, and this may be the original reading. David
in his indignation would be likely to prescribe a more liberal
restitution than the usual fourfold. Cp. Proverbs 6:31.... [ Continue Reading ]
The Prophet's sentence. David's confession
7. _Thou_art _the man_ The consciousness that they were God's
messengers inspired the prophets with fearless courage. Samuel rebuked
Saul for his disobedience: the prophet from Judah reproved Jeroboam
for his idolatry: Elijah pronounced sentence on Ahab fo... [ Continue Reading ]
_thy master's house_ His household and property. Cp. ch. 2 Samuel 9:7.
_thy master's wives_ It was lawful for the King, and for him only, to
marry his predecessor's wives. See note on ch. 2 Samuel 3:7. That
David actually married any of Saul's wives does not appear. Only one
wife (1 Samuel 14:50) an... [ Continue Reading ]
_Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the_Lord] Cp. Numbers
15:31; 1 Samuel 15:23; 1 Samuel 15:26. Great as was David's sin
against Uriah and Bath-sheba, his sin against God was greater in thus
breaking two express commandments of the decalogue. Cp. Psalms 51:4.
_and hast slain him with... [ Continue Reading ]
_the sword shall never depart from thine house_ The Heb. word for
_never_is a relative term, which must be explained by the context.
Here it may be understood as equivalent to "all the days of thy life."
Cp. 1Sa 1:22; 1 Samuel 27:12. The prophecy was fulfilled by Amnon's
murder (ch. 2 Samuel 13:28);... [ Continue Reading ]
_I will take thy wives_ See ch. 2 Samuel 16:21-22. "Having become the
man of blood, of blood he was to drink deep; and having become the man
of lust, by that same baneful passion in others was he himself to be
scourged for ever." Blunt's _Undesigned Coincidences_, p. 134.... [ Continue Reading ]
_I have sinned against the_Lord] True confession needs but few words.
Cp. Luke 18:13. There is no attempt to excuse or palliate the sin.
Saul too could say "I have sinned" (1 Samuel 15:24; 1 Samuel 15:30),
but he felt no real contrition, and his chief desire was to save his
own reputation with the p... [ Continue Reading ]
_thou hast given great occasion_, &c. The enemies of Jehovah would
mock and blaspheme Him, when they saw His chosen representative, the
King of Israel, thus breaking His law. To divorce Bath-sheba now would
be a further wrong. Yet if he was not punished men might answer yes to
the question "May one... [ Continue Reading ]
The Death of the Child
15. _strake_ An archaism for _struck._Cp. ch. 2 Samuel 20:10.... [ Continue Reading ]
_besought God for the child_ Such a prayer was not presumptuous, for
God's threatenings like his promises are conditional. See Isaiah 38:1
ff.; Jonah 3:7-10.
_fasted_ Cp. Nehemiah 1:4; Esther 4:16; Daniel 9:3; Acts 14:23.
_went in_ To his private chamber (Matthew 6:6), where he lay all night
upon t... [ Continue Reading ]
_the elders of his house_ His oldest and most confidential servants.
Cp. Genesis 24:2; Genesis 50:7.... [ Continue Reading ]
_washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel_ He laid aside
all the outward signs of mourning. Cp. Matthew 6:17.
_anointed himself_ Anointing the head and body with oil was and still
is the regular practice in Eastern countries. It was believed to
contribute to health and cleanliness. Its... [ Continue Reading ]
_GOD_ THE LORD. The Heb. is Jehovah, not Elohim, as is indicated by
the capital letters. Cp. Genesis 6:5.... [ Continue Reading ]
_I shall go to him_ Cp. Genesis 37:35. A belief in the continued
existence of the soul after death in a state of consciousness is
necessarily implied though not expressly stated: but how far this
falls short of the Christian hope of the Resurrection of the Body, and
the Life Everlasting!... [ Continue Reading ]
The birth of Solomon
24. _he called his name Solomon_ The name was given at the time of
circumcision (Luke 1:59; Luke 2:21). The Hebrew form of the name is
_Shĕlômôh_, the Sept. Salômôn, which by the time of the N.T. had
become shortened to the familiar Solomon. It signifies _peaceable_,
and was giv... [ Continue Reading ]
_he sent by the hand of Nathan_, &c. Jehovah commissioned Nathan (for
the phrase cp. Exodus 4:13) to give the boy a second name, which he
did accordingly. This is the meaning of the text as it stands: but
some commentators would alter it slightly in accordance with the
Vulgate, and render _he_(David... [ Continue Reading ]
_And Joab fought against Rabbah_ The narrative returns to the point at
which it was left in ch. 2 Samuel 11:1. But how long a time was
occupied in the siege does not appear. It is possible that it lasted
more than one year, and did not come to an end till after the birth of
Bath-sheba's first child.... [ Continue Reading ]
Capture of Rabbah
= 1 Chronicles 20:1-3... [ Continue Reading ]
_the city of waters_ "Just before reaching _Ammân_[the modern name of
Rabbah], the gorge takes a sudden turn to the north, and then swells
into a narrow plain, covered with luxuriant grass, and embosomed in
low round hills. The fish-stocked stream, with shells studding every
stone and pebble, winds... [ Continue Reading ]
_and take it_ Curtius relates how Craterus in like manner resigned the
capture of Artacacna into the hands of Alexander. "After all the
preparations were made, he awaited the king's arrival, yielding to
him, as was fitting, the honour of taking the city" (Curt. vi. 6).
_and it be called after my na... [ Continue Reading ]
_their king's crown_ The word _Malcham_, rendered _their king_, may
also be taken as a proper name. It occurs in Zephaniah 1:5; Jeremiah
49:1; Jeremiah 49:3 (marg.), as a form of the name of the Ammonite
deity, Moloch or Milcom. The Sept. now reads _Molchom their king_,
"their king" being probably a... [ Continue Reading ]
_put them under saws_ PUT THEM UPON SAWS: or perhaps we should read as
in Chron., SAWED THEM WITH SAWS. Cp. Hebrews 11:37. This barbarous
practice was not unknown at Rome. "[Caligula] medios serra dissecuit."
(Sueton. _Calig._27.)
_harrows of iron_ THRESHING-SLEDGES OF IRON: sledges or frames armed... [ Continue Reading ]