2 Samuel 12:4

And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man’s lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.

King James Version · Read in your translation · Open the Explore console

Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
came	וַיָּ֣בֹא vai.Ya.vo'	H935	to go or come (in a wide variety of applications) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
traveller	הֵלֶךְ֮ he.leKh	H1982	properly · noun, common masculine singular absolute
rich	הֶֽעָשִׁיר֒ he.'a.Shir	H6223	rich · definite article + adjective, masculine singular absolute
man	לְאִ֣ישׁ le.'Ish	H376	a man as an individual or a male person · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct
spared	וַיַּחְמֹ֗ל vai.yach.Mol	H2550	to commiserate · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
take	לָקַ֤חַת la.Ka.chat	H3947	to take (in the widest variety of applications) · preposition + verb, qal infinitive construct
flock	מִצֹּאנוֹ֙ mi.tzo.No	H6629	a collective name for a flock (of sheep or goats) · preposition + noun, common both genders singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
herd	וּמִבְּקָר֔וֹ u.mi.be.ka.Ro	H1241	beef cattle or an animal of the ox family of either gen… · conjunction + preposition + noun, common both genders singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
dress	לַעֲשׂ֕וֹת la.'a.Sot	H6213	to do or make · preposition + verb, qal infinitive construct
man	לָאֹרֵ֖חַ la.'o.Re.ach	H732	to travel · preposition with the article + verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
come	הַבָּא ha.ba'-	H935	to go or come (in a wide variety of applications) · definite article + verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
took	וַיִּקַּ֗ח vai.yi.Kach	H3947	to take (in the widest variety of applications) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
poor	הָרָ֔אשׁ ha.Rash	H7326	to be destitute · definite article + verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
man’s	הָאִ֣ישׁ ha.'Ish	H376	a man as an individual or a male person · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
lamb	כִּבְשַׂת֙ kiv.Sat	H3535	a ewe · noun, common feminine singular construct
dressed	וַֽיַּעֲשֶׂ֔הָ vai.ya.'a.Se.ha	H6213	to do or make · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular + pronominal suffix, 3rd person feminine singular
man	לָאִ֖ישׁ la.'Ish	H376	a man as an individual or a male person · preposition with the article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
come	הַבָּ֥א ha.Ba'	H935	to go or come (in a wide variety of applications) · definite article + verb, qal active participle, masculine 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

James 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
2 Samuel 11:3-4 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?
Genesis 18:2-7 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed…

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…

Read the whole note in the console

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 12:4

And there came a traveller unto the rich man,.... By which some understand Satan, who came to David, and stirred up his lust by the temptations that offered; who is a walker, as the word used signifies, that goes about seeking whom he may devour, and is with good men only as a wayfaring man, who does not abide with them; and whose temptations, when they succeed with such, are as meat and drink to him, very entertaining but the Jews generally understand it of the evil imagination or concupiscence in man, the lustful appetite in David, that wandered after another man's wife, and wanted to be satiated with her: and he spared to take of his own flock, and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfa…

Read the whole note in the console

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…
Entertainments · Given on occasions of: Return of friends — Given on occasions of: Return of friends
Lamb, The · Used for: Food — Used for: Food
Nathan · of Uriah — of Uriah
Parables · Of the lamb — Of the lamb
Poor, The · Oppression of — Illustrated — Oppression of — Illustrated

2 Samuel 12:4

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 12:4

Keil & Delitzsch on 2 Samuel 12:1-14

Dictionary and topics

2 Samuel 12:4

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 12:4

Keil & Delitzsch on 2 Samuel 12:1-14

Dictionary and topics

Tyndale Open Study Notes on 2 Samuel 12:4

Rashi on 2 Samuel 12:4