2Sa 7:1 And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the LORD had given him rest round about from all his enemies;
And it came to pass - There is no indication how soon after the bringing up of the ark these things occurred, but it was probably at no long interval.
When the king sat in his house - That is, when he became resident in the palace which Hiram, king of Tyre , had built for him.
And the Lord had given him rest - though this rest and peace did not last long; for the next chapter gives an account of each of the people he was engaged in war with, This was after he had defeated the Philistines, and cast them out of all the strong places in Israel which they had possessed after the overthrow of Saul; but before he had carried his arms beyond the land of Israel , against the Moabites, Syrians, and Idumeans. 2Sa_8:1-14.
And the Lord had given him rest - Now, as all David's principal wars are grouped together for the first time in 2 Samuel 8 and 10, there can be no doubt that the history is not arranged in a strictly chronological order. And the expression “after this” in 2Sa_8:1 is by no means at variance with this, since this formula does not at all express a strictly chronological sequence.
2Sa 7:2 That the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.
Nathan the prophet - Here first mentioned, but playing an important part afterward (e. g. 2Sa_12:1; 1Ki_1:10; 1Ch_29:29; 2Ch_9:29). From the two last passages it appears that he wrote the history of David’s reign, and a part at least of Solomon’s. His distinctive title is the prophet, that of Gad the seer (compare 1Sa_9:9). He was probably much younger than David. In 2Sa_7:3, he spoke his own private opinion; in 2Sa_7:4, this was corrected by the word of the Lord.
Nathan the prophet - This is the first time this prophet is made mention of, but often afterwards, yet who he was, and from whence he came, is not known; he appears to be a man of great piety and prudence, as well as endowed with a prophetic spirit, and was very familiar with David, and perhaps dwelt in his palace; being a man on all accounts fit for conversation with princes, to whom David imparted what he had been meditating upon in his heart.
I dwell in a house of cedar - That is, a house whose principal beams, ceiling, and wainscot, were cedar.
Dwelleth within curtains - in a tabernacle within curtains; not the tabernacle of Moses, for that was at Gibeon, 1Ch_21:29 For the tabernacle of the LORD, which Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of the burnt offering, were at that time in the high place at Gibeon; but that which David had made for it, which consisted of curtains that were drawn around it, 2Sa_6:17 And they brought in the ark of the LORD and set it in its place in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it. And David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. It gave him a concern that he should dwell in so magnificent a palace, and the ark of God should have so mean an habitation; wherefore it was upon his mind to build a grand edifice for it, and this he suggested hereby to Nathan.
David was resolute and eager to perform it; and now it was he penned Psa_132, in which he expresses his oath and vow to find a place to build on. Psalms 132:1-5 A Song of degrees. O LORD, remember David and all his afflictions, how he swore to the LORD; he vowed to the mighty One of Jacob. Surely I will not come into the tent of my house, nor go up into my bed; I will not give sleep to my eyes, nor slumber to my eyelids, until I find out a place for the LORD, a dwelling-place for the Mighty One of Jacob.
2Sa 7:3 And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thine heart; for the LORD is with thee.
Nathan said to the king - The piety of the design commended it to the prophet’s mind, and he gave his hasty approval and encouragement to the royal plans. In this case he gave his judgment as a pious and prudent man, not as a prophet; for prophets did not always speak under divine influence. David and he should have consulted the Lord about it; in this they erred, and for which they were tacitly reproved;
Nathan said to the king - The design being pious and the thing not forbidden by God, Nathan hastily approves it, before he had consulted God about it, as both he and David ought to have done in a matter of so great moment. And therefore Nathan meets with this rebuke, that he is forced to acknowledge his error, and recant it. For the holy prophets did not speak all things by prophetic inspiration, but some things by an human spirit.
2Sa 7:4 And it came to pass that night, that the word of the LORD came unto Nathan, saying,
the word of the Lord came unto Nathan - the word of prophecy; before he was not under a prophetic influence, but spoke in his own words, and had not the word of God; but now it came to him: The command was given to the prophet on the night immediately following; that is, before David could either take any measures or incur any expenses. Because David's mistake was pious, and from an honest mind, God would not suffer him to lie long in it.
Blessings are promised to the family and posterity of David. These promises relate to Solomon, David's immediate successor, and the royal line of Judah . But they also relate to Christ, who is often called David and the Son of David. To him God gave all power in heaven and earth, with authority to execute judgment. He was to build the gospel temple, a house for God's name; the spiritual temple of true believers, to be a habitation of God through the Spirit. The establishing of his house, his throne, and his kingdom for ever, can be applied to no other than to Christ and his kingdom: David's house and kingdom long since came to an end. The committing iniquity cannot be applied to the Messiah himself, but to his spiritual seed; true believers have infirmities, for which they must expect to be corrected, though they are not cast off.
2Sa 7:5 Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the LORD, Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in?
Shalt thou build me a house - That is, Thou shalt not: this is the force of the interrogative in such a case.
Go and tell my servant David - The Lord speaks very honorably and respectfully of him, owns him to be his servant in other things, though he did not choose to employ him in this.
2Sa 7:6 Whereas I have not dwelt in any house since the time that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle.
Have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle - Implying the frequent moving of the tabernacle, while in the wilderness, and since in the land of Canaan , first at Gilgal, then at Shiloh , afterwards at Nob, and now at Gibeon , as opposed to a settled resting in one place. Observe the constant reference to the Exodus and to the details as given in the books of Moses.
in a tent and in a tabernacle - "Tent" and "tabernacle" are distinguished; the tent was the curtains of goats' hair, and the tabernacle the linen curtains, see Exo_26:1. The one may note the curtains and hangings within, the other the frame of boards, and coverings upon it.
The Lord gave two reasons why David's proposal to build Him a temple should not be carried out: (1) He had hitherto lived in a tent in the midst of His people; (2) He had not commanded any former prince or tribe to build a temple.
2Sa 7:7 In all the places wherein I have walked with all the children of Israel spake I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why build ye not me an house of cedar?
An house of cedar - Beams of cedar marked a costly building. The cedar of Lebanon is a close-grained, light-colored, yellowish wood, with darker knots and veins.
2Sa 7:8 Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel:
Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David - For it was taken well at his hands, in part, that it was in his heart, and he had a desire to build an house for God, though he was wrong in determining upon it without seeking the Lord; and lest he should be discouraged by the prohibition of him from building, the following things are observed to assure him it was not from disregard unto him, or displeasure at him, that he would not be employed in this service; since the Lord had given sufficient tokens of his favor to him, and with which he should be content, as having honor enough done him; it was enough that God had raised him up from a low estate to great grandeur and dignity:
I took thee from the sheepcote - for that was his employment, to keep his father's sheep, before he was taken into Saul's court, and married his daughter, when after his death he came to have the crown, of Israel: now this is said, not to upbraid him with his former meanness, but to observe the goodness of God unto him, and what reason he had for thankfulness.
2Sa 7:9 And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth.
I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest - When he went against Goliath, when he went forth against the Philistines, when in Saul's court, when he fled from Saul, and was obliged to go to various places, God was with him protecting and preserving him, prospering and succeeding him every where, and in everything:
and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight - as Saul, and others in the land of Israel , and the Philistines, and other enemies round about him, so that he had rest from them all:
2Sa 7:10 Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime,
I will appoint a place - The land of Canaan: this the Lord had of old appointed to them, and had introduced them into and settled them in it, but not entirely and alone; in many places the Canaanites had inhabited; but now they should be expelled, and the Israelites should have the place to themselves:
and move no more - as they did in the times of the judges, when, sinning against God, they were often delivered into their enemies' hands, and carried captives:
neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime - when in Egypt, and in the times of the judges; all which is supposed, provided they did not depart from the Lord, but abode by his word, worship, and ordinances, and obeyed his will; for it was by their obedience they held their tenure of the land of Canaan; or all this may respect future times, when they shall be converted to the Messiah, and return to their own land, and ever continue in it, and never more be harassed and distressed.
2Sa 7:11 And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house.
that he will make thee an house - not only build up his family, and make that numerous, but establish the house of his kingdom; that whereas he was desirous of building an house for God, God would build up an house for him; which would be a clear proof, that though he did not think fit to make use of him in the building of his house, yet he was not cast out of his favor, nor was it to be so interpreted by himself or others.
2Sa 7:12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.
The prophet, having detailed God’s past mercies to David, now passes on to direct prophecy, and that one of the most important in the O d Testament.
I will set up the seed - In one sense this refers to Solomon, David’s successor and the builder of the temple. But we have the direct authority of Peter Act_2:29-30 Men, brothers, it is permitted to say to you with plainness as to the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, He would raise up Christ to sit upon his throne, for applying it to Christ the seed of David, and His eternal kingdom; and the title the Son of David given to the Messiah in the rabbinical writings, as well as its special application to Jesus in the New Testament, springs mainly from the acknowledged Messianic significance of this prophecy. Isa_55:3 Bow down your ear, and come to Me; hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Act_13:34 And that He raised Him up from the dead, no more to return to corruption, He spoke in this way: "I will give you the holy promises of David."
And when thy days be fulfilled - The days of his life, which were appointed by the Lord for him to live. This phrase implies, that his days shall be prolonged to the usual course of nature, and not cut off in the midst, by any violent or untimely death.
thou shalt sleep with thy fathers - die and be buried; for this is a phrase expressive of death, and the grave the common portion of men:
I will set up thy seed after thee - sons to succeed in the kingdom, as they did for the space of five hundred years; though here it respects one particular seed or son, even Solomon, as well as a reference to the promised Messiah. So the following words may be understood, part of his posterity in general, part of Solomon, and part of Christ only, according to the different nature of the several passages.
which shall proceed out of thy bowels - be begotten by him, and born unto him, and has regard to a future son of his not yet born; not Absalom nor Adonijah, nor any of the rest born in Hebron were to succeed him in the kingdom, but one as yet unborn:
I will establish his kingdom - so that he shall have a long and happy reign, as Solomon had.
2Sa 7:13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.
He shall build an house - For the fulfillment of this in the person of Solomon, see 1Ki_8:16-20. For its application to Christ, see Joh_1:12; Eph_1:20-22; 1Ti_3:15; Heb_3:6; etc.; and Zec_6:12-13.
I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever - The words forever, emphatically twice repeated in 2Sa_7:16, show very distinctly that this prophecy looks beyond the succession of the kings of Judah of the house of David, and embraces the throne of Christ according to the Angel’s interpretation given in Luk_1:31-33 And behold! You shall conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call His name JESUS. He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest. And the Lord God shall give Him the throne of His father David. And He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end, where the reference to this passage cannot be mistaken. This is also brought out fully in Psa_89:29 Also I have set his seed forever, and his throne as the days of the heavens. Psa_89:36-37 His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before Me. It shall be established forever like the moon, and like a faithful witness in the heavens. Selah.
2Sa 7:14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:
I will be his father, and he shall be my son - That is, I will be as kind unto him, and careful of him, as a father of a son; or he shall be, and appear to be my son, by adopting grace, as no doubt Solomon was, notwithstanding all his failings. This is applied to Christ, the antitypical Solomon, who was, in an higher sense, the Son of God, even by natural and eternal generation; Heb_1:5 For to which of the angels did He say at any time, "You are My Son, this day I have begotten You?" And again, "I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son?"
I will be his father, and he shall be my son - I will carry myself towards him as a father, with all affection, and I will own him as my son. This is intended both of Solomon, as a type of Christ; and of Christ himself as is evident from Heb_1:5.
if he commit iniquity – This agrees only to Solomon and others of David's posterity; but not to Christ, who never committed iniquity. Christ bore our sin although He didn’t commit any Himself. Solomon committed many sins and transgressions:
2Sa 7:15 But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.
But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul - His house shall be a lasting house, and he shall die in the throne of Israel, his children succeeding him; and the spiritual seed, Christ, possessing and ruling in that throne to the end of time. The family of Saul became totally extinct; the family of David remained till the incarnation. Joseph and Mary were both of that family; Jesus was the only heir to the kingdom of Israel ; he did not choose to sit on the secular throne, he ascended the spiritual throne, and now he is exalted to the right hand of God, a Prince and a Savior, to give repentance and remission of sins.
as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee - and therefore must be understood of his mercy and kindness, in giving him a kingdom, and setting him on the throne; this should not be taken away from him, as it was from Saul, whom God rejected from being king; not him personally, but his posterity; but so the Lord would not do, nor did he, to Solomon, in whose posterity the kingdom of Judah continued to the Babylon captivity.
2Sa 7:16 And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.
2Sa 7:17 According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.
According to all these words, and according to all this vision - All the words of this prophecy, just as they were delivered to Nathan, were exactly expressed by him; he did not vary from them in the least, but with the greatest faithfulness related them:
so did Nathan speak unto David - it was contrary to the advice which he had given; but he was not ashamed to retract his sense, when he was made acquainted with the mind of God.
2Sa 7:18 Then went king David in, and sat before the LORD, and he said, Who am I, O Lord GOD? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?
Sat before the Lord - In the tent where the ark was. It appears that a sitting posture was sometimes used in prayer. David's prayer consists of two parts - thanksgiving for the promise (2Sa_7:18-24), and supplication for its fulfillment (2Sa_7:25-29). The thanksgiving consists of a confession of unworthiness of all the great things that the Lord had hitherto done for him, and which He had still further increased by this glorious promise (2Sa_7:18-21), and praise to the Lord that all this had been done in proof of His true Deity, and to glorify His name upon His chosen people Israel.
he said, who am I, O Lord God? - a creature, a sinful creature, a mean and unworthy one, undeserving of a place in the house of God, and of access unto him, and to receive any favor from him, less than the least of all saints, less than the least of all mercies:
he said, who am I, O Lord God? - These words recall Jacob's prayer in Gen_32:10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have done to Your servant. For with my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I have become two bands. David acknowledged himself to be unworthy of the great mercy which the Lord had displayed towards him, that he might give the glory to God alone.
he said, who am I, O Lord God? - David's prayer is full of the breathings of devout affection toward God. He had low thoughts of his own merits. All we have, must be looked upon as Divine gifts. He speaks very highly and honorably of the Lord's favors to him.
and what is my house - or family, the family of Jesse; for though it sprung from a prince in Israel , yet was but low and mean, in comparison of some others, and especially unworthy of the regard of the great God:
that thou hast brought me hitherto? - to such grandeur and dignity, as to be king over all Israel and Judah, to have all his enemies subdued under him, and to be at peace and rest from them, and established in his kingdom; and which he signifies the Lord alone had brought him to, through many difficulties and tribulations, and which he could never have attained unto by his own wisdom and power, nor by the assistance of his friends; it was all the Lord's doing, and wondrous in his eyes.
2Sa 7:19 And this was yet a small thing in thy sight, O Lord GOD; but thou hast spoken also of thy servant's house for a great while to come. And is this the manner of man, O Lord GOD?
is this the manner of man — that is, is it customary for men to show such condescension to persons so humble as I am?
2Sa 7:20 And what can David say more unto thee? for thou, Lord GOD, knowest thy servant.
2Sa 7:21 For thy word's sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all these great things, to make thy servant know them.
For thy word's sake - For the sake of the promise he had made to him by Samuel, that he should be king, and his kingdom should be established; or for the sake of the Messiah, that should spring from him;
according to thine own heart - of his own sovereign good will and pleasure, of his own grace, not according to the merits and deserts of David:
For thy word's sake - an allusion to the earlier promises of God, or the Messianic prophecies generally, particularly the one concerning Judah in Jacob's blessing Gen_49:10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a Lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come. And the obedience of the peoples to him and the one relating to the ruler out of Jacob in Balaam's sayings Num_24:17 I shall see him, but not now. I shall behold him, but not near. There shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel. and shall strike the corners of Moab, and destroy all the sons of tumult. For the fact that David recognized the connection between the promise of God communicated to him by Nathan and Jacob's prophecy in Gen_49:10, is evident from 1Ch_28:4 But the LORD God of Israel chose me before all the house of my father to be king over Israel forever. For He has chosen Judah to be the ruler, and of the house of Judah the house of my father. And in my father's house He was pleased to make me king over all Israel where he refers to his election as king as being the consequence of the election of Judah as ruler.
2Sa 7:22 Wherefore thou art great, O LORD God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
Wherefore thou art great, O Lord God - In his name, nature, persons, and perfections, purposes, promises, and works:
neither is there any God beside thee - there is but one God, the living and true God, the former and maker of all things; all others are but fictitious and factitious gods.
according to all that we have heard with our ears - concerning what he did in the land of Egypt upon the Egyptians, and in the wilderness, in favor of the Israelites, and in the land of Canaan, by driving out the inhabitants before the people of Israel, and in the times of the judges, in raising them up to deliver his people.
2Sa 7:23 And what one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to himself, and to make him a name, and to do for you great things and terrible, for thy land, before thy people, which thou redeemedst to thee from Egypt, from the nations and their gods?
The nations and their gods - meaning, that they were redeemed not only from Egypt , but the nations of the Canaanites were driven out before them; nor could their idols save them, but destruction came upon them as upon the gods of the Egyptians.
And what one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Israel - For the knowledge and worship of the true God among them, for laws and or given them, and for blessings of goodness bestowed upon them:
great things and terrible - as he did in the land of Ham, at the Red sea, and in the wilderness, and in the land of Canaan, great things for his people, and terrible ones to their enemies:
2Sa 7:24 For thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel to be a people unto thee for ever: and thou, LORD, art become their God.
thou, Lord, art become their God - their covenant God, they having avouched him to be their God, and he having avouched them to be his people, Deu_26:17-19 You have today said that the LORD is your God, and that you would walk in His ways, and keep His statutes and His commandments and His judgments, and listen to His voice. And the LORD has taken you today to be His peculiar people, as He has promised you, and to keep all His commandments, and to make you high above all nations which he has made, in praise and in name and in honor, and that you may be a holy people to the LORD your God, even as He has spoken.
2Sa 7:25 And now, O LORD God, the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant, and concerning his house, establish it for ever, and do as thou hast said.
And now, O Lord God - From confessions of unworthiness, and of the goodness of God, and a recital of favors conferred on him and the people of Israel , David proceeds to petitions:
2Sa 7:26 And let thy name be magnified for ever, saying, The LORD of hosts is the God over Israel: and let the house of thy servant David be established before thee.
And let thy name be magnified for ever - David desired the performance of the above things not so much for his own sake, and for the sake of his family, as for the glory of God; his great concern was, that God might be magnified, and his greatness displayed, in making him and his family great; and particularly that he might be magnified and glorified in that famous Son of his, the Messiah, as he has been, Joh_13:31; and by all his people in succeeding ages:
2Sa 7:27 For thou, O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build thee an house: therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee.
Thy servant hath found in his heart to pray this prayer -David felt himself encouraged to offer this prayer through the revelation which he had received.
2Sa 7:28 And now, O Lord GOD, thou art that God, and thy words be true, and thou hast promised this goodness unto thy servant:
2Sa 7:29 Therefore now let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee: for thou, O Lord GOD, hast spoken it: and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever.
Now therefore let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant - Not according to the merits of him or his family, but according to the sovereign will and pleasure of God;
