Chapter 7
David’s Concern for the Ark.[a] 1 When King David was settled in his palace and the Lord had granted him rest from all his enemies surrounding him, 2 he said to the prophet Nathan: “Here I am, dwelling in a house of cedar, while the Ark of God dwells in a tent.” 3 Nathan replied to the king: “Do not hesitate to do whatever you have in mind, for the Lord is with you.”
4 However, that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: 5 “Go and tell my servant David: ‘Thus says the Lord: “Are you determined to build a house for me to dwell in? 6 I have not dwelled in a house from the day I brought the Israelites out of Egypt to this very day. I have been moving from place to place while living in a tent and a tabernacle. 7 In all of my travels everywhere among the Israelites, did I ever ask any of the judges whom I had appointed to shepherd my people Israel why they had never built me a house of cedar?” ’ ”
The Lord’s Promises.8 “Now then, this is what you are to say to my servant David: ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “I was the one who took you from the pastures and your work of caring for the sheep to be the ruler of my people Israel. 9 I have been with you wherever you went, and I have destroyed all of your enemies who dared to challenge you. Moreover, I intend to make your name as famous as the names of the greatest men on the earth.
10 “ ‘ “I also shall provide a place for my people Israel, and there I will plant them so that they may dwell there and never again be disturbed. Nor will the wicked afflict them anymore, as was the case formerly, 11 from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. I will grant you rest from all of your enemies.
“ ‘ “Moreover, I, the Lord, promise that I will establish a royal house for you. 12 [b]And when it is time for you to be with your ancestors, I will designate as your heir one of your sons to succeed you, and I shall establish his kingdom forever. 13 It is he who will build a house in honor of my name, and I shall ensure that his royal throne will stand firm forever.
14 “ ‘ “I shall be a father to him, and he will be my son. If he does wrong, I shall punish him as any father would do and not fail to inflict chastisements upon him. 15 However, I will never withdraw my steadfast love from him as I withdrew it from Saul and shielded you from his vindictive plots. 16 Your descendants and your kingdom will stand firm forever before me, and your throne shall endure forever.” ’ ”
17 Nathan then related all these promises and this entire revelation to David.
18 King David’s Prayer. Then King David went in and, sitting in the presence of the Lord, he said:
“Who am I, Lord God, and what is my lineage, that you have brought me this far? 19 Yet you regarded this as too insignificant an honor, Lord God, for you have also deigned to extend your protective care to the house of your servant for a long time to come. Who can truly consider himself sufficiently worthy to be the recipient of such love, Lord God?
20 “What more can David say to you, Lord God, since you know everything about your servant? 21 For the sake of your promise and in accordance with the purpose you have in mind, you have decided to reveal all this to your servant.
22 “How great you are, Lord God! There is no one like you, and there is no God except you alone, as everything that we have heard confirms. 23 And what other nation on earth can be compared to your people Israel, whom you sent forth to redeem for yourself from Egypt by awe-inspiring deeds as you drove out other nations and their gods. 24 You have established your people Israel as your own forever, and you, Lord, became their God.
25 “And now, Lord God, in regard to the promise that you have made concerning your servant and his house, do what you have promised, 26 so that your name will be exalted forever, and people will say: ‘the Lord of hosts is the God of Israel,’ and the house of your servant David will be established before you, 27 since you, the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, made this revelation to your servant: ‘I shall build a house for you.’ Therefore, your servant has found the courage to offer this prayer to you.
28 “And now, Lord God, you are God, and your words are true. You have made this generous promise to your servant.[c] 29 Therefore, bless the house of your servant, so that it may remain ever before you. For you, Lord God, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever.”
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 7:1 David wants to build a “house,” a temple, for the Lord, but the Lord turns things around: he promises that he will build a “house” for David, that is, that he will keep David’s descendants forever on the throne of Israel; this marks the climax of the story of David. It is also one of the most important passages of the Bible: generation after generation, Israel will read and reread it (see Pss 89; 132); gradually its faith will glimpse the image of the “Son of David,” the Messiah (Anointed One), who will save Israel and renew the universe, until the day when Jesus, the Christ (Anointed One) and Son of David, will come for the real fulfillment of this expectation.
- 2 Samuel 7:12 The divine adoption of Solomon, one of whose descendants is the Messiah, will ensure the perpetuity of the kingdom, is a first ray of light on the divine sonship of Christ (see Heb 1:5). It is an impressive fact that while the kingdom of Israel, formed after Solomon’s death, saw no less than eight changes of dynasty in a little more than two centuries (931–721 B.C.), the Davidic dynasty was the only one to rule in Judah for three and a half centuries (931–587 B.C.), even though it, too, was subject to palace conspiracies.
- 2 Samuel 7:28 David completes his intimate prayer of trust in God’s promise of eternal blessings for him and his descendants.