Shmuel Bais 12:16

16 Dovid therefore pleaded with HaElohim for the na’ar; and Dovid did a tzom, and went in, and lay all night upon ha’aretz.

Shmuel Bais 12:16 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 12:16

David therefore besought God for the child
Perhaps went into the tabernacle he had built for the ark, and prayed to the Lord to restore the child, and spare its life; for though the Lord had said it should die, he might hope that that was a conditional threatening, and that the Lord might be gracious and reverse it, ( 2 Samuel 12:22 ) ;

and David fasted:
all that day:

and went in;
to his own house from the house of God:

and lay all night upon the earth;
would neither go into, nor lie upon a bed, but lay on the floor all night, weeping and praying for the child's life, and especially for its eternal welfare: he having through sin been the means of its coming into a sinful and afflicted state.

Shmuel Bais 12:16 In-Context

14 Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the oyevim of Hashem to ni’etz (deride, ridicule, revile, blaspheme), also haben (the son) that is born unto thee shall surely die.

15 And Natan departed unto his bais. And Hashem struck the yeled that Uriyah’s isha bore unto Dovid, and it was very ill.

16 Dovid therefore pleaded with HaElohim for the na’ar; and Dovid did a tzom, and went in, and lay all night upon ha’aretz.

17 And the zekenim of his Bais arose, and went to him, to raise him up from ha’aretz; but he would not, neither did he eat lechem with them.

18 And it came to pass on the yom hashevi’i, that the yeled died. And the avadim of Dovid feared to tell him that the yeled was dead; for they said, Hinei, while the yeled was yet chai (alive), we spoke unto him, and he would not pay heed unto koleinu (our voice); so if we tell him that the yeled is dead, will he then do something horrendous?