2 Samuel 12:22

22 He answered, "While the baby was alive, I fasted and wept because I thought, 'Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let him live.'

2 Samuel 12:22 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 12:22

And he said, while the child was yet alive
And so there was hope it might be continued:

I fasted and wept;
or sought the Lord by prayer, and fasting, and weeping, that the threatening might not take place, that the child's life might be spared:

for I said;
within himself, thus he reasoned in his own mind:

who can tell [whether] God will be gracious to me, that the child may
live?
and in hope of this he kept praying, fasting, and weeping; he could not tell but God might repent of the evil he had threatened, as in some cases he has done; see ( Joel 2:13 Joel 2:14 ) ( Jonah 3:9 Jonah 3:10 ) . Abarbinel thinks that David fasted and wept to hide this matter from his wife, and his servants, and did not let them know that this was in his punishment, that the child should die.

2 Samuel 12:22 In-Context

20 Then David got up from the ground. He washed, anointed himself, changed his clothes, went to the Lord's house, and worshiped. Then he went home and requested [something to eat]. So they served him food, and he ate.

21 His servants asked him, "What did you just do? While the baby was alive, you fasted and wept, but when he died, you got up and ate food."

22 He answered, "While the baby was alive, I fasted and wept because I thought, 'Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let him live.'

23 But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I'll go to him, but he will never return to me."

24 Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba; he went and slept with her. She gave birth to a son and named him Solomon.The Lord loved him,