2 Samuel 12:1-5
Summary for 2Sam 12:1-31: 12:1-31 a Chapter 12 expands on the last phrase of 11:27 b. 12:1 c The Lord sent Nathan to David at least nine months after his adulterous sin.• This story is a rare Old Testament instance of a parable (see also Judg 9:8-15 d). Such stories can be effective for communicating truth.
• David was rich in the royal treasures he possessed, the number of wives he had, and all the promises of God for his future. Uriah by contrast was poor: he had one wife, one home, and no lineage.
12:3 e like a baby daughter: Nathan’s comparison of this lamb to a daughter (Hebrew bath) strikes a parallel with Bathsheba’s name (see study note on 11:3).
12:4 f he took the poor man’s lamb: Samuel had previously warned that a king would take what was not his (1 Sam 8:11-17 g).
Summary for 2Sam 12:5-6: 12:5-6 h The rich man of the parable did not deserve to die according to the law; instead, he must repay four lambs (cp. Exod 22:1 i). Intriguingly, David would later lose four of his sons (Bathsheba’s first child, 2 Sam 12:18 j; Amnon, 13:29 k; Absalom, 18:14-15 l; Adonijah, 1 Kgs 2:25 m).
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