2 Samuel 7:6

6 Since the day I brought the people of Isra'el out of Egypt until today, I never lived in a house; rather, I traveled in a tent and a tabernacle.

2 Samuel 7:6 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 7:6

Whereas I have not dwelt in [any] house
Fixed, stated, habitation:

since the time that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt,
even to this day;
a space of five or six hundred years, though he might before:

but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle;
moving from place to place while in the wilderness, and since in the land of Canaan, first at Gilgal, then at Shiloh, afterwards at Nob, and now at Gibeon. "Tent" and "tabernacle" are distinguished, though they were but one building and habitation; the tent was the curtains of goats' hair, and the tabernacle the linen curtains, see ( Exodus 26:1 Exodus 26:6 Exodus 26:11-13 ) . In ( 1 Chronicles 17:5 ) it is "from tent to tent, and from [one] tabernacle [to another]"; which does not intend variety of tabernacles, but change of place.

2 Samuel 7:6 In-Context

4 But that same night the word of ADONAI came to Natan:

5 "Go and tell my servant David that this is what ADONAI says: 'You are going to build me a house to live in?

6 Since the day I brought the people of Isra'el out of Egypt until today, I never lived in a house; rather, I traveled in a tent and a tabernacle.

7 Everywhere I traveled with all the people of Isra'el, did I ever speak a word to any of the tribes of Isra'el, whom I ordered to shepherd my people Isra'el, asking, "Why haven't you built me a cedar-wood house?"'

8 "Therefore say this to my servant David that this is what ADONAI-Tzva'ot says: 'I took you from the sheep-yards, from following the sheep, to make you chief over my people, over Isra'el.