2 Samuel 12:3

But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
poor	וְלָרָ֣שׁ ve.la.Rash	H7326	to be destitute · conjunction + preposition with the article + verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
one	אַחַ֤ת 'a.Chat	H259	properly · noun, common feminine singular construct
little	קְטַנָּה֙ ke.ta.Nah	H6996	abbreviated · adjective, feminine singular absolute
lamb	כִּבְשָׂ֨ה kiv.Sah	H3535	a ewe · noun, common feminine singular absolute
bought	קָנָ֔ה ka.Nah	H7069	to erect · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
up	וַיְחַיֶּ֕הָ vay.chai.Ye.ha	H2421	to live · conjunction + verb, piel sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular + pronominal suffix, 3rd person feminine singular
up	וַתִּגְדַּ֥ל va.tig.Dal	H1431	to be (causatively make) large (in various senses · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person feminine singular
together	יַחְדָּ֑ו yach.Dav	H3162	properly · adverb
children	בָּנָ֖יו ba.Nav	H1121	a son (as a builder of the family name) · noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
eat	תֹאכַ֜ל to.Khal	H398	to eat (literally or figuratively) · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person feminine singular
meat	מִפִּתּ֨וֹ mi.pi.To	H6595	a bit · preposition + noun, common feminine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
drank	תִשְׁתֶּה֙ tish.Teh	H8354	to imbibe (literally or figuratively) · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person feminine singular
cup	וּמִכֹּס֤וֹ u.mi.ko.So	H3563	a cup (as a container) · conjunction + preposition + noun, common feminine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
lay	תִשְׁכָּ֔ב tish.Kav	H7901	to lie down (for rest · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person feminine singular
bosom	וּבְחֵיק֣וֹ u.ve.chei.Ko	H2436	the bosom (literally or figuratively) · conjunction + preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
daughter	כְּבַֽת ke.Vat	H1323	a daughter (used in the same wide sense as other terms… · preposition + noun, common feminine singular absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

2 Samuel 11:3 And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?
Micah 7:5 Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom.
Deuteronomy 13:6 If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, ent…
Proverbs 5:18-19 Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 2 Samuel 12:1-14

It seems to have been a great while after David had been guilty of adultery with Bath-sheba before he was brought to repentance for it. For, when Nathan was sent to him, the child was born (Sa2 12:14), so that it was about nine months that David lay under the guilt of that sin, and, for aught that appears, unrepented of. What shall we think of David's state all this while? Can we imagine that his heart never smote him for it, or that he never lamented it in secret before God? I would willingly hope that he did, and that Nathan was sent to him, immediately upon the birth of the child, when the thing by that means came to be publicly known and talked of, to draw from him an open confession of…

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Adam Clarke on 2 Samuel 12:3

And lay in his bosom - This can only mean that this lamb was what we call a pet or favourite in the family, else the circumstance would be very unnatural, and most likely would have prevented David from making the application which he did, as otherwise it would have appeared absurd. It is the only part of this parable which is at variance with nature and fact.

John Gill on 2 Samuel 12:3

But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb,.... Uriah had but one wife, who was much younger than he, called a lamb, an ewe lamb, a little one. Abarbinel thinks Uriah had been a widower; and had children by another wife, supposed in the parable, and was much older than Bathsheba: which he had bought; for men in those times and countries did not receive portions with their wives, but gave dowries to them, and for them: and nourished up; as his own flesh, as husbands should their wives, Ephesians 5:29, and it grew up together with him, and with his children; which Kimchi also supposes Uriah had by a former wife: it did eat of his own meat, and drink of his own cup, and lay in h…

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Keil & Delitzsch on 2 Samuel 12:1-14

Sa2 12:1-4 Nathan's Reproof. - Sa2 12:1. To ensure the success of his mission, viz., to charge the king with his crimes, Nathan resorted to a parable by which he led on the king to pronounce sentence of death upon himself. The parable is a very simple one, and drawn from life. Two men were living in a certain city: the one was rich, and had many sheep and oxen; the other was poor, and possessed nothing at all but one small lamb which he had bought and nourished (יחיּה, lit. kept alive), so that it grew up in his house along with his son, and was treated most tenderly and loved like a daughter. The custom of keeping pet-sheep in the house, as we keep lap-dogs, is still met with among the Arab…

Dictionary and topics

Allegory — Used only in Gal. 4:24, where the apostle refers to the history of Isaac the free-born, and Ishmael the slave-born, and makes use of it allegorically. Every parable is an allegory. Nathan (2 Sam.…
David — Beloved, the eighth and youngest son of Jesse, a citizen of Bethlehem. His father seems to have been a man in humble life. His mother’s name is not recorded. Some think she was the Nahash of 2 Sam.…
Law of Moses — Is the whole body of the Mosaic legislation (1 Kings 2:3; 2 Kings 23:25; Ezra 3:2). It is called by way of eminence simply “the Law” (Heb. Torah, Deut. 1:5; 4:8, 44; 17:18, 19; 27:3, 8). As a written…
Nathan — Given. (1.) A prophet in the reigns of David and Solomon (2 Chr. 9:29). He is first spoken of in connection with the arrangements David made for the building of the temple (2 Sam. 7:2, 3, 17), and…
Solomon — Peaceful, (Heb. Shelomoh), David’s second son by Bathsheba, i.e., the first after their legal marriage (2 Sam. 12). He was probably born about B.C. 1035 (1 Chr. 22:5; 29:1). He succeeded his father…
Tekoa, Tekoah — Pitching of tents; fastening down, a town of Judah, about 12 miles south of Jerusalem, and visible from the city. From this place Joab procured a “wise woman,” who pretended to be in great…
Uriah — The Lord is my light. (1.) A Hittite, the husband of Bathsheba, whom David first seduced, and then after Uriah’s death married. He was one of the band of David’s “mighty men.” The sad story of the…
Cup · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Lamb, The · Illustrative: Of any thing dear or cherished — Illustrative: Of any thing dear or cherished
Nathan · of Uriah — of Uriah
Parables · Of the lamb

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 2 Samuel 12:1-14

Adam Clarke on 2 Samuel 12:3

John Gill on 2 Samuel 12:3

Keil & Delitzsch on 2 Samuel 12:1-14

Dictionary and topics

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 2 Samuel 12:1-14

Adam Clarke on 2 Samuel 12:3

John Gill on 2 Samuel 12:3

Keil & Delitzsch on 2 Samuel 12:1-14

Dictionary and topics

Tyndale Open Study Notes on 2 Samuel 12:3