2 Samuel 12:2

2 The rich man had a large number of sheep and cattle,

2 Samuel 12:2 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 12:2

The rich [man] had exceeding many flocks and herds.
] In which the wealth of men lay in those times and countries; these in the parable signify David's wives and concubines, which were many; he had six wives in Hebron, and he took more wives and concubines out of Jerusalem, when he was come from Hebron, ( 2 Samuel 3:2-5 ) ( 5:13 ) ; and besides his master's, or Saul's wives, given to him, ( 2 Samuel 12:8 ) .

2 Samuel 12:2 In-Context

1 So the Lord sent Nathan to David. When he arrived, he said to him: There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor.

2 The rich man had a large number of sheep and cattle,

3 but the poor man had nothing except one small ewe lamb that he had bought. It lived and grew up with him and his children. It shared his meager food and drank from his cup; it slept in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him.

4 Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man could not bring himself to take one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for his guest.

5 David was infuriated with the man and said to Nathan: "As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die!