2 Samuel 12:18

18 It happened on the seventh day that the child died, and the servants of David [were] afraid to tell him that the child [was] dead, for they said, "Look, when the child [was] alive, we spoke to him, but he would not listen to our voice. How can we tell him, 'The child [is] dead'? He may do [something] evil."

2 Samuel 12:18 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 12:18

And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died,
&c.] Not the seventh day from its being taken ill, but from its birth; for it cannot be thought that David should fast seven days:

and the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead;
lest he should be overwhelmed with too much sorrow:

for they said, behold, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto
him;
to rise from the ground, and eat food:

and he would not hearken unto our voice;
we could not prevail upon him to do the one nor the other:

how will he then vex himself if we tell him that the child is dead?
or should we acquaint him with it, "he will do mischief" ^F23 to himself, to his body; he will tear his flesh to pieces, and cut and kill himself; this they were afraid of, observing the distress and agony he was in while it was living, and therefore they concluded these would increase upon hearing of its death.

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FOOTNOTES:

F23 (her hvew) (kai poihsei kaka) , Sept. "faciat malum", Pagninus, Montanus; "malum [sibi] inferet", Syr. Ar.

2 Samuel 12:18 In-Context

16 David pleaded [with] God on behalf of the boy and David fasted. He went to spend the night and lay upon the ground.

17 The elders of his household stood over him to lift him up from the ground, but he [was] not willing, and he did not eat [any] food with them.

18 It happened on the seventh day that the child died, and the servants of David [were] afraid to tell him that the child [was] dead, for they said, "Look, when the child [was] alive, we spoke to him, but he would not listen to our voice. How can we tell him, 'The child [is] dead'? He may do [something] evil."

19 When David saw that his servants [were] whispering together, he realized that the child [was] dead. Then David said to his servants, "[Is] the child dead?" And they said, "He [is] dead."

20 David stood up from the ground and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothing. Then he went [to] the house of Yahweh and worshiped, and he went to his [own] house. He asked, so they served him food, and he ate.