2 Samuel 12:20

20 And David riseth from the earth, and doth bathe and anoint [himself], and changeth his raiment, and cometh in to the house of Jehovah, and boweth himself, and cometh unto his house, and asketh and they place for him bread, and he eateth.

2 Samuel 12:20 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 12:20

Then David arose from the earth
From the floor on which he lay:

and washed, and anointed [himself], and changed his apparel;
neither of which he had done during his time of fasting:

and came into the house of the Lord, and worshipped;
went into the tabernacle he had built for the ark of God, and then in prayer submitted himself to the will of God, and acknowledged his justice in what he had done; gave thanks to God that he had brought him to a sense of his sin, and repentance for it, and had applied his pardoning grace to him, and given him satisfaction as to the eternal welfare and happiness of the child, as appears from ( 2 Samuel 12:23 ) ;

then he, came to his own house;
from the house of God, having finished his devotion there:

and when he required;
ordered food to be brought in:

they set bread before him, and he did eat:
whereas before, while the child was living, he refused to eat.

2 Samuel 12:20 In-Context

18 and it cometh to pass on the seventh day, that the lad dieth, and the servants of David fear to declare to him that the lad is dead, for they said, `Lo, in the lad being alive we spake unto him, and he did not hearken to our voice; and how do we say unto him, The lad is dead? -- then he hath done evil.'

19 And David seeth that his servants are whispering, and David understandeth that the lad is dead, and David saith unto his servants, `Is the lad dead?' and they say, `Dead.'

20 And David riseth from the earth, and doth bathe and anoint [himself], and changeth his raiment, and cometh in to the house of Jehovah, and boweth himself, and cometh unto his house, and asketh and they place for him bread, and he eateth.

21 And his servants say unto him, `What [is] this thing thou hast done? because of the living lad thou hast fasted and dost weep, and when the lad is dead thou hast risen and dost eat bread.'

22 And he saith, `While the lad is alive I have fasted, and weep, for I said, Who knoweth? -- Jehovah doth pity me, and the lad hath lived;