2 Samuel 12:3

3 but the poor [man] had nothing except for one small ewe lamb which he had bought. He had nurtured her, and she grew up with him and with his children together. She used to eat from his morsel and drink from his cup, and she used to lie in his lap and became like a daughter for him.

2 Samuel 12:3 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 12:3

But the poor [man] had nothing, save one little ewe lamb
Uriah had but one wife, who was much younger than he, called a lamb, an ewe lamb, a little one. Abarbinel thinks Uriah had been a widower; and had children by another wife, supposed in the parable, and was much older than Bathsheba:

which he had bought;
for men in those times and countries did not receive portions with their wives, but gave dowries to them, and for them:

and nourished up;
as his own flesh, as husbands should their wives, ( Ephesians 5:29 ) ;

and it grew up together with him, and with his children;
which Kimchi also supposes Uriah had by a former wife:

it did eat of his own meat, and drink of his own cup, and lay in his
bosom, and was unto him as a daughter;
all which are expressive of the care, kindness, love, and tenderness of a loving husband, whose affections are endeared to his wife, making her partaker of all he has, and to share in whatever he eats and drinks, and in his dearest embraces; and as there were instances of creatures, lambs and others, particularly tame or pet lambs, used in this way in a literal sense, to which the reference in the parable is, David had no suspicion of its being a parable. Bochart ^F17 has given many instances of creatures nourished and brought up in such a familiar manner.

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FOOTNOTES:

F17 Hierozoic. par. 1. l. 2. c. 46. col. 521, 522.

2 Samuel 12:3 In-Context

1 So Yahweh sent Nathan to David, and he came to him and said, "Two men were in a certain city; one [was] rich and the other [was] poor.

2 The rich [man] had very many flocks and herds,

3 but the poor [man] had nothing except for one small ewe lamb which he had bought. He had nurtured her, and she grew up with him and with his children together. She used to eat from his morsel and drink from his cup, and she used to lie in his lap and became like a daughter for him.

4 And a visitor came to the rich man, but he {was reluctant} to take from his flocks or from his herds to prepare a meal for the traveler when he came to him. So he took the ewe lamb of the poor man and prepared it for the man who had come to him."

5 Then {the anger of David was kindled} against the man, and he said to Nathan, "{As Yahweh lives}, the man who has done this {deserves to die}!