2 Samuel 12:7–13
Nathan confronts the king and David says, “I have sinned”
Study it word by word7Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says YHWH, Elohim of Israel: ‘I anointed you as king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.
8I gave you your lord’s house and your lord’s wives into your bosom, and I gave you the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that were too little, I would add to you as much and as much again.
9Why have you despised the word of YHWH, doing evil in my eyes? Uriah the Hittite you struck with the sword, and his wife you took for yourself as wife, and him you killed with the sword of the sons of Ammon.
10And now the sword shall not depart from your house forever, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’
11Thus says YHWH: ‘Look, I am raising up evil against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your companion, and he will lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.
12For you did it in secret, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’”
13David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against YHWH.” Nathan said to David, “YHWH also has caused your sin to pass; you shall not die.
In its context
5David’s anger burned greatly against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As YHWH lives, the man who has done this deserves to die.
6And he shall repay the ewe lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”
…
14However, because by this thing you have utterly scorned the enemies of YHWH, also the son born to you shall surely die.”
15Then Nathan went to his house. And YHWH struck the child that the wife of Uriah had borne to David, and he became very ill.
Its words in the original
- יֹּאמֶרyomer· say
Say, speak. The most common verb for bringing in what someone says; sometimes "think" (say to oneself) or "command".
- נָתָןnatan· Nathan
Nathan: the name of several men; the best known are a son of David born in Jerusalem (2 Samuel 5:14) and the prophet who spoke to David (2 Samuel 7; 12). It means "he has given."
- דָּוִדdavid· David
David, youngest son of Jesse, of Bethlehem; the second king of Israel. The name means "beloved."
- אִישׁish· man, husband, each
Man, male; with a possessive, husband. Also "each one", "anyone". It is "ish", distinct from "adam" (human being); it is used for the man in contrast with the woman ("ishah").
- יְהוָהyehva· YHWH
The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.
- אֱלֹהֵיelohe· Elohim, God, gods
The Hebrew word usually translated "God". This translation keeps "Elohim" when it speaks of the one true God, the Creator, the God of Israel. The word ends like a plural, but it does not mean several: for him the verb is singular ("Elohim created"); the plural form expresses greatness. The same word as a common noun names the "gods" of other peoples, and there it is a true plural, translated "gods". It is also used of mighty ones or judges.
- יִשְׂרָאֵלyisrael· Israel
Israel, the new name Jacob received from God, explained as "you have striven with God" (Genesis 32:28); then the name of the people that came from him and, after the division, of the northern kingdom.
- מְשַׁחְתִּיmeshachti· anoint
Anoint: pour oil on someone or something to set them apart for God; also smear.
- מֶלֶךְmelech· king
King: the ruler of a city, a people or a kingdom.
- הִצַּלְתִּיhitsalti· rescue, deliver
Snatch away, take away; very often, deliver or rescue from danger. In another form, strip oneself of something.
- יַּדyad· hand, power
Hand. Figuratively, power or control ("into the hand of" = into the power of); also side, part, or share. Also a projecting piece, such as a tenon.
- שָׁאוּלshaul· Saul
Saul, the name of several people. The best known is the son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, the first king of Israel. A king of Edom and a son of Simeon also bear it. It means "asked for".
- אֶתְּנָetna· give, put, set
Give, in a very wide sense: hand over, put, place, grant, allow, make something be.
- בֵּיתbet· house, household
House. Also the family that lives in it ("the house of Noah") and someone's descendants ("the house of David"); also a temple, "the house of God".
- אֲדֹנֶיadone· lord, master
Lord: one who has authority over another (an owner, a husband, a superior). It is also a polite form, "my lord". Said of God, "the Lord".
- נְשֵׁיneshe· woman, wife
Woman; with a possessive ("his woman"), wife. In Hebrew it is "ishah", which sounds like "ish", man.
- חֵיקֶcheke· bosom, lap
Bosom, lap: the chest and arms where one holds someone close.
- יהוּדָהyhuda· Judah
Judah, the fourth son of Jacob and Leah; also the tribe that came from him and its land, and later the southern kingdom; King David came from it. The name sounds like "give thanks". Borne also by other Israelites.
- מְעָטmeat· little, few
A little; few.
- אֹסִפָהosifa· add, do again
Add; do again, keep doing.
- מַדּוּעַmadua· why?
Why? For what reason?
- בָּזִיתָbazita· despise
Despise, think little of.
- דְּבַרdevar· word, matter, thing
Word; what is said. Also "matter" or "thing": what is spoken about, an affair, an event.
- עֲשׂוֹתasot· do, make
Do, make, in the widest sense: build, produce, carry out, keep (a command), prepare.
- רַעra· evil, bad, harm
Bad; evil. It includes what is morally wrong and also what does harm: misfortune, disaster, distress.
- עֵינַena· eye
Eye. "In someone's eyes" means "in his opinion"; "find favor in the eyes of" is to please him. Also a spring of water.
- אוּרִיָּהuriya· Uriah
Uriah: the name of several men; the best known is the Hittite, one of David's mighty men and husband of Bathsheba, whom David had killed in battle (2 Samuel 11). It means "my light is YHWH."
- חִתִּיchiti· Hittite
Hittite: a descendant of Heth, one of the peoples of Canaan.
- הִכִּיתָhikita· strike
Strike, hit, wound; often, kill; also strike down, defeat.
- חֶרֶבcherev· sword
Sword; also any tool with an edge, like a knife or a chisel.
- לָקַחְתָּlakachta· take
Take: seize, take along, receive. Also "take a wife" (marry).
- הָרַגְתָּharagta· kill
Kill, slay.
- בְּנֵיbene· son
Son. In the plural it can include sons and daughters, and also grandsons and descendants. "Son of..." also says what group someone belongs to ("sons of Israel" = Israelites).
- עַמּוֹןamon· Ammon
Ammon: the people descended from Ben-ammi; they lived east of the Jordan.
- תָסוּרtasur· turn aside, remove
Turn aside, turn away; remove, take away.
- עוֹלָםolam· forever, eternal
A very long time whose end cannot be seen: looking forward, "forever"; looking back, "of old", "ancient".
- עֵקֶבekev· because, as a result
Because, on account of; as the result or reward of something.
- הְיוֹתheot· be, become, happen
Be, exist; also "become" or "happen". It is the verb of "there was", "it was" and "it came to pass".
- מֵקִיםmekim· rise, stand, establish
Rise, stand up; also stand firm, establish or fulfill something. "Rise against" is to attack.
- רֵעֶיree· neighbor, friend
The other person one deals with: companion, neighbor, friend; in the laws, "neighbor". "One to another" is "a man to his neighbor".
- שָׁכַבshachav· lie down
Lie down: to sleep, or for sexual relations ("lie with"). "Lie down with one's fathers" is to die.
- שֶּׁמֶשׁshemesh· sun
Sun.
- סָּתֶרsater· secret, hiding place
A covering: something secret, a hidden place; also a shelter.
- נֶגֶדneged· in front of, counterpart
In front of, opposite, before. The full phrase "as in front of him" means someone who corresponds to him, a counterpart.
- חָטָאתִיchatati· sin
Sin: miss the mark of what God asks, do wrong. In another form of the verb, "purify" from sin; also bear the loss.
- הֶעֱבִירheevir· pass, cross over
Pass by, pass through, cross over; also go beyond, transgress (a command). In the causative form, make pass, bring across, take away.
- חַטָּאתְchatat· sin, sin offering
Sin: missing the mark of what God asks; also the guilt and the punishment. In the laws the same word also names the sacrifice offered for sin.
- תָמוּתtamut· die
Die. In the causative form, kill, put to death. Hebrew can repeat the verb for emphasis ("dying you will die" = "you will surely die").