New American Standard Bible 1995
2 Samuel 12:3
3But the poor man had nothing except 1one little ewe lamb Which he bought and nourished; And it grew up together with him and his children. It would eat of his 2bread and drink of his cup and lie in his bosom, And was like a daughter to him.
2 Samuel 12:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)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.
- New International Version (NIV)but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.
- English Standard Version (ESV)but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him.
- New King James Version (NKJV)But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him.
Context of 2 Samuel 12:3
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. 2The rich man had a great many flocks and herds. 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. 4Now 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.
Read all of 2 Samuel 122 Samuel 12:3 word by word
וְלָרָ֣שׁ אֵֽין־כֹּ֗ל כִּי֩ אִם־כִּבְשָׂ֨ה אַחַ֤ת קְטַנָּה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר קָנָ֔ה וַיְחַיֶּ֕הָ וַתִּגְדַּ֥ל עִמּ֛וֹ וְעִם־בָּנָ֖יו יַחְדָּ֑ו מִפִּתּ֨וֹ תֹאכַ֜ל וּמִכֹּס֤וֹ תִשְׁתֶּה֙ וּבְחֵיק֣וֹ תִשְׁכָּ֔ב וַתְּהִי־ל֖וֹ כְּבַֽת׃Read the interlinear
- But the poorרוּשׁrûsh · be poorH7326
- man had nothingאַ֫יִן'ayin · nothingH369
- man had nothingכֹּלkôl kôl · allH3605
- exceptכִּי [אם]kîy · that if: exceptH3588
- except[כִּי] אם'im · if: exceptH518
- oneאֶחָד'echâd · oneH259
- littleקָטָןqâţân qâţôn · smallH6996
- eweכִּבְשָׂהkibώâh kabώâh · ewe-lambH3535
- Whichאֲשֶׁר'ăsher · whichH834
- he boughtקָנָהqânâh · to buyH7069
- And it grewגָּדַלgâdal · to magnifyH1431
- with him and his childrenבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
- It would eatאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
- breadפַּתpath · morselH6595
- and drinkשָׁתָהshâthâh · to drinkH8354
- of his cupכּוֹסkôs · cupH3563
- and lieשָׁכַבshâkab · to lie down: lay downH7901
- in his bosomחֵיקchêyq chêq chôq · bosom: embraceH2436
- And was like a daughterבַּתbath · daughterH1323
Cross-references for 2 Samuel 12:3
- 2 Samuel 11:3So David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”
- Proverbs 5:18Let your fountain be blessed, And rejoice in the wife of your youth.
- Deuteronomy 13:6“If your brother, your mother’s son, or your son or daughter, or the wife you cherish, or your friend who is as your own soul, entice you secretly, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods’ (whom neither you nor your fathers have known,
- Micah 7:5Do not trust in a neighbor; Do not have confidence in a friend. From her who lies in your bosom Guard your lips.
Commentaries on 2 Samuel 12:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3And lay in his bosom - This can only mean that this lamb was what we call a pet or favourite in the family, else the circumstance would be very unnatural, and most likely would have prevented David from making the application which he did, as otherwise it would have appeared absurd. It is the only part of this parable which is at variance with nature and fact.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3like a daughter: Nathan compares the lamb to a daughter. The Hebrew word for “daughter” is bath. This creates a word connection with Bathsheba’s name, which begins with bath (see study note on 2 Samuel 11:3). This comparison strengthens the emotional force of the story and helps David recognize the injustice of his actions.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-62Sa 12:1-6. Nathan's Parable. 1. the Lord sent Nathan unto David--The use of parables is a favorite style of speaking among Oriental people, especially in the conveyance of unwelcome truth. This exquisitely pathetic parable was founded on a common custom of pastoral people who have pet lambs, which they bring up with their children, and which they address in terms of endearment. The atrocity of the real, however, far exceeded that of the fictitious…Read the comment
Topics related to 2 Samuel 12:3
In the dictionaries
Notes
- 1. 2 Samuel 12:3 2 Sam 11:3 ↩
- 2. 2 Samuel 12:3 Lit morsel ↩
Commentaries on 2 Samuel 12
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
New American Standard Bible 1995 — © 1960–1995 The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Commentaries