2 Sam. 12 Nathan by a parable reproveth and threateneth David, 2 Sam. 12:1–12. He confesseth his sin, and is pardoned, but the child must die, 2 Sam. 12:13–14; David mourneth and prayeth for it whilst life was in it; after is satisfied and cheered: the reason, 2 Sam. 12:15–23.

Nathan, the prophet, 2 Sam. 7:2, 1 Kings 1:8. When the ordinary means did not awaken David to repentance, God useth an extraordinary course. Thus the merciful God pities and prevents him who had so horribly forsaken and forgotten God.

Noting David’s many wives and concubines.

The poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb; designing Uriah, with his own and only wife. Which he had bought; as men then used to buy their wives; or, had procured.

A traveller: this some make to be the devil, whom David gratified by his sin; but it rather seems added for the decency of the parable.

This seems to be more than the fact deserved, or than he had commission to inflict for it, Ex. 22:1. But it is observable, that David now, when he was most indulgent to himself, and to his own sin, was most severe to others; as appears by this passage and the following relation, 2 Sam.

Thou art the man; thou hast committed this crime with great aggravations; and out of thine own mouth thy sentence hath proceeded, and thou art worthy of death.

Thy master’s wives, or, women, as that word is elsewhere used; as Num. 31:18. And though we read not a word of God’s giving, or of David’s taking, any of Saul’s wives into his bosom; or, which is all one, into his bed; yet (which I think to be aimed at here) it might be according to the manner of…

The commandment of the Lord, i. e. those laws of God which forbade thee to do this thing, by not giving them that respect and observance which they deserved. Uriah the Hittite; that valiant, and generous, and noble person.

Shall never depart from thine house, during the residue of thy life; as appears from the following history.

I will raise up evil, to wit, the evil of punishment. Out of thine own house; from thy own children and family. Before thine eyes, i. e. openly, so as thou shalt know it as certainly as if thou didst see it, and yet not be able to hinder it. Give them, i.e.

I will do this thing, i.e. I will execute this judgment. This God did by inclining David’s heart to leave his concubines to keep his house, and so to come into Absalom’s power; by giving up Ahithophel to his own carnal policy, which readily suggested to him that wicked and desperate counsel; and by…

I have sinned against the Lord; I now freely confess that sin which I have hitherto so wickedly smothered; and I have deserved all these and far heavier judgments for it; and I am more troubled for my sin against my sovereign Lord and gracious God, than for the shame and punishment that follow it.

To blaspheme, i. e. to reproach both God and his people, and the true religion. For though these were not concerned in David’s sin, the blame and shame of which should have been appropriated to him; yet heathens and wicked men would, according to their own evil minds and malicious hearts, fasten…

The Lord struck the child with some sudden and dangerous distemper.

David besought God for the child; supposing the threatening might be conditional, and so the execution of it prevented by prayer. Went in, to wit, into his closet, as Matt. 6:6, to pray solitarily and earnestly, as he had done with others.

The elders of his house; the chief officers of his kingdom and household who were there present. This excessive mourning did not proceed simply from the fear of the loss of the child; but from a deep sense of his sin, and from the Divine displeasure manifested herein; and particularly from a just…

On the seventh day; either, 1. From the beginning of the distemper. Or rather, 2. From the day of his birth, which is the most usual way of computation of men’s days or years; for it is apparent that this happened during the time of David’s fasting and lying upon the earth, 2 Sam.

Into the house of the Lord, i. e. to the tabernacle, to confess his sin before the Lord, and to own his justice in this stroke and the other threatenings, and to deprecate his great and just displeasure, and to acknowledge God’s rich mercy in sparing his own life, and to offer such sacrifices as…

For God’s threatening of the child’s death might be conditional, as that was of Nineveh’s destruction, Jonah 3:4.

Wherefore should I fast, seeing fasting and prayer cannot now prevail with God for his life? I shall go to him; into the state of the dead, in which he is, and into heaven, where I doubt not I shall find him.

David comforted Bathsheba; who was now much dejected, both for her former sin, which she truly repented of, as may be gathered from Prov. 31:1–3;c., and for the loss of that child which was very dear to her, and which might seem to be the only tie of David’s affection to her; which being now dead,…

Either because of the Lord’s love to him, as the name signifies; or because the Lord commanded him to do so.

i.e. That part of the city where was the king’s palace, where he ordinarily resided; though now it seems he was retired to a strong fort.

The same royal city so called, because it either stood beside the river, or was encompassed with water, both for defence and delight. Although the words are by some learned men rendered thus, I have taken, or intercepted, or cut off water from the city; which well agrees, both with the words, eth…

Take it; for having taken one part of the city, he concluded the remaining part of it could not long stand out. Lest it be called after my name; lest I have the honour of taking it. Thus he seeks to ingratiate himself with the king, by pretending great care for his honour and interest.

David, gathered all the people together; either because Joab needed more help for the storming of the city; or, at least, for the prosecution of the victory, and execution of justice upon the whole land; or because he would have them all to partake of the spoil of the city, which was there in great…

The weight whereof was a talent of gold, or rather, the price whereof, &c. For as the Hebrew shekel signifies both a weight, and a piece of money of a certain price; so also may mishkal, as proceeding from the same root.

The people that were therein: the words are indefinite, and therefore not necessarily to be understood of all the people; for it had been barbarous to use women and children thus; but of the men of war, and especially of those who had been the chief actors or abettors of that villainous action…