Tyndale Open Study Notes2 Samuel 12

Chapter 12 expands on the final part of 2 Samuel 11:27.

• The Lord sent Nathan to David at least nine months after David committed adultery.

• This account is one of the few places in the Old Testament that uses a parable (a short story that teaches a moral truth; see also Judges 9:8–15). Parables can communicate truth in a powerful and indirect way.

• David was rich in many ways. He possessed royal wealth, had many wives, and held God’s promises for his future. By contrast, Uriah was poor. He had one wife, one home, and no continuing family line.

like 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.

he took the poor man’s lamb: Samuel had previously warned that a king would take what was not his (1 Samuel 8:11–17).

The rich man of the parable did not deserve to die according to the law; instead, he must repay four lambs (compare Exodus 22:1). Interestingly, David later lost four of his sons:

• Bathsheba’s first child (2 Samuel 12:18)

• Amnon (2 Samuel 13:29)

• Absalom (2 Samuel 18:14–15)

• Adonijah (1 Kings 2:25)

• You are that man!: David did deserve to die for his crime (Leviticus 20:10).

• I anointed … I gave … I would have given you: David's sin broke God's laws against murder, adultery, and coveting (Exodus 20:1–17). It also showed a bold disrespect for everything the Lord had kindly given him.

His wives were likely concubines from Saul’s harem (see 2 Samuel 3:7). The phrase might refer to Saul’s wife Ahinoam, but David probably married another woman with the same name (see 1 Samuel 14:50; 25:43).

• Now (literally forever): This phrase points to ongoing consequences. It stands in contrast to God’s gracious promises of a lasting kingdom that God gave to David earlier (2 Samuel 7:13–29).

• This is a reminder of what David did with the sword (2 Samuel 12:9) and how the sword would affect his family. This recalls David's careless reaction to Joab's report about the deaths of Uriah and other innocent Israelites (2 Samuel 11:25).

I will raise up adversity against you from your own house: Absalom's revolt against David fulfilled this promise (2 Samuel 14–19).

Nevertheless … the son born to you will surely die: At times, God allows the consequences of a father’s sin to affect later generations (Exodus 20:5; 34:7; Numbers 14:18; Deuteronomy 5:9; Jeremiah 32:18). Although David repented and God forgave him (2 Samuel 12:13), this forgiveness did not remove all consequences. Instead, the punishment was delayed and carried forward into a later generation (see 1 Kings 21:27–29).

The series of actions described here show David resuming normal life activities. That he did so this soon after his son’s death amazed his advisers s (2 Samuel 12:21).

David mourned and fasted before his son died, hoping that God would remove the punishment.

Can I bring him back again? I will go to him: The finality of his son’s death forced David to face his own mortality. At the same time, his words express confidence that life continues after death and that he would one day join his son.

• Even after Uriah's death, Bathsheba was still referred to as Uriah's wife (2 Samuel 12:9; see also Matthew 1:6). Only here is she called David's wife.

• Solomon: In Hebrew, Solomon’s name is pronounced Shelomoh. It likely means “his peace,” from the Hebrew word shalom (peace).

  The name may also mean “his replacement.” This meaning comes from the Hebrew root shelem, which can mean “replacement” or “compensation.” Similar names include Shelemiah (Jeremiah 36:14), which means “Yahweh has provided compensation,” and Shelumiel (Numbers 1:6), which means “God is my compensation.” Both meanings fit the context of Solomon’s birth after the loss of David and Bathsheba’s first child.

Jedidiah means “loved by Yahweh.” This second name, which God gave to Solomon, appears only here in the Bible. It expresses God’s special love for him and points to God’s intention to secure Solomon’s future.

David's fight with the Ammonites, which began in 2 Samuel 10, ended in success.

• he took the crown: By taking the crown, David effectively showed that he now ruled over the Ammonites, as if he had become their king.

• a great amount of plunder: The law warned Israel not to take certain kinds of war booty during conquest because of its danger (Deuteronomy 7:25–26). The wealth David took was dangerous. Riches could turn his heart away from God if he trusted them instead of the Lord.

He also enslaved the people of Rabbah, forcing them to work. Enslaving defeated peoples followed the rules in Deuteronomy 20:11. Solomon later did the same with the Canaanites (1 Kings 9:20–22; see also Judges 1:30, 33). Another interpretation suggests the defeated Ammonites were tortured (compare textual note on 1 Chronicles 20:3).