2 Samuel 7:13-23

13 ¹He shall build a house for my name, and ²I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

14 ³I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, ⁴I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men,

15 ⁵but my steadfast love will not depart from him, ⁶as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you.

16 ⁷And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me.^[a]8 Your throne shall be established forever.'"

17 In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.

David's Prayer of Gratitude

18 Then King David went in and sat before the LORD and said, ⁹"Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?

19 And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord GOD. ¹⁰You have spoken also of your servant's house for a great while to come, and this is instruction for mankind, O Lord GOD!

20 And what more can David say to you? ¹¹For you know your servant, O Lord GOD!

21 Because of your promise, and according to your own heart, you have brought about all this greatness, to make your servant know it.

22 ¹²Therefore you are great, O LORD God. ¹³For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

23 ¹⁴And who is like your people Israel, the one nation on earth whom God went to redeem to be his people, making himself a name ¹⁵and doing for them^[b] great and awesome things by driving out^[c] before your people, whom ¹⁶you redeemed for yourself from Egypt, a nation and its gods?

2 Samuel 7:13-23 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO SECOND SAMUEL 7

This chapter expresses David's concern for building an house for the ark of God, which he communicated to Nathan the prophet, and was approved of by him, 2Sa 7:1-3; and who was that night sent by the Lord to David, to acquaint him, that as he had for many years dwelt in a tent, and had never given directions to the tribes of Israel, and the rulers of them, to build him an house, so neither should David build him one; but his son that would succeed him in the throne should; and also observes to him the many great things he had done for him, and promises him more, and particularly the establishment of his throne and kingdom for ever, in which he has respect to the Messiah, that should spring from him, 2Sa 7:4-17. Then follows a prayer of David, in which he expresses the sense he had of the greatness and goodness of God, and of his own unworthiness to receive such favours from him he had, returns him thanks for the promises he had made, and prays for the performance of them, 2Sa 7:18-29.

Cross References

• 1. 1 Kings 5:5; 1 Kings 6:12; 1 Kings 8:19; 1 Chronicles 22:10; 1 Chronicles 28:6
• 2. ver. 16; Ps. 89:4, 29, 36, 37
• 3. Psalms 89:26, 27; Cited Hebrews 1:5
• 4. Psalms 89:32, 33
• 5. [See ver. 14 above]
• 6. 1 Samuel 15:23, 28; [1 Kings 11:13, 34]
• 7. ver. 13; Psalms 89:36, 37; [Luke 1:33]
• 8. ver. 13; Psalms 89:36, 37; [Luke 1:33]
• 9. [Genesis 32:10]
• 10. ver. 12, 13; 1 Chronicles 17:17
• 11. See Psalms 139:1-4
• 12. 1 Chronicles 16:25; 2 Chronicles 2:5
• 13. Exodus 15:11; Deuteronomy 3:24; Psalms 86:8; Psalms 89:6, 8; Isaiah 45:5; Jeremiah 10:6
• 14. Deuteronomy 4:7, 34; Deuteronomy 33:29; Psalms 147:20
• 15. Deuteronomy 10:21
• 16. Deuteronomy 9:26; Nehemiah 1:10

Footnotes

• [a]. Septuagint; Hebrew you
• [b]. With a few Targums, Vulgate, Syriac; Hebrew you
• [c]. Septuagint (compare 1 Chronicles 17:21); Hebrew for your land