2 Samuel 12:3

3 but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms,^[a] and it was like a daughter to 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 And the LORD sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, "There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor.

2 The rich man had very many flocks and herds,

3 but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him.

4 Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him."

5 Then David's anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, "As the LORD lives, the man who has done this deserves to die,

Footnotes

• [a]. Hebrew bosom; also verse 8