2 Samuel 12:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity."

NIV: He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity."

NASB: So he must make restitution for the lamb four times over, since he did this thing and had no compassion.'

CSB: Because he has done this thing and shown no pity, he must pay four lambs for that lamb."

NLT: He must repay four lambs to the poor man for the one he stole and for having no pity.'

KJV: And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.

NKJV: And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity.”

David is outraged. He believes the prophet Nathan has reported an abuse of power by a rich man against a poor man in David's kingdom. David said that the rich man who stole the poor man's beloved lamb to feed a guest deserves to die (2 Samuel 12:1–5). The statement is a legal exaggeration; Mosaic law does not condemn a thief to death. David's years defending lambs against injury, drought, bears, and lions no doubt inspire his reaction (1 Samuel 17:34–36). David knows the Mosaic law, however, and declares the proper judgment (Exodus 22:1).

The fact that David knows the law about theft, however, makes his situation more horrific. Nathan's story is a parable; David is the rich man. But he didn't steal a sheep; he took a woman, slept with her, and murdered her husband (2 Samuel 11). In addition to breaking the Commandment against stealing, he coveted and committed adultery and murder.

Nathan has David backed into a corner. David had given no thought to the rights and honor of Bathsheba or Uriah. He only thought of his own inconveniences and desires. His rage is ready to be redirected to himself, not just for his sin against his people, but his rebellion against His God.

God gave David the kingdom. David murdered Uriah to keep it. God will allow David's son to take it away (2 Samuel 12:11–12).

Second Samuel 12:1–6 exposes King David's hypocrisy. He slept with Bathsheba, murdered her husband, and married her to cover her pregnancy. He thinks no one of consequence knows the truth. He's forgotten about God. God sends a prophet, Nathan, to confront David with his sin. Nathan tells David a parable comparing the king to a rich man who steals a poor man's beloved lamb for dinner. David was a shepherd and he's outraged. Then Nathan reveals that David is the rich man and God's judgment is coming (2 Samuel 12:7–14).

In 2 Samuel 12, David learns the consequences of his sins against Bathsheba and Uriah (2 Samuel 11). David thought no one of consequence knew what he'd done. Nathan the prophet reveals that God knows; the Lord demands justice for David's victims. David's household will rebel, and Bathsheba's son will die. David humbly repents, and Bathsheba later conceives Solomon, the future king. Joab, about to defeat the Ammonites, calls David to finish the fight. In 2 Samuel 13, the seeds of the promised rebellion are sown. Psalm 51 is David's expression of remorse for his sins.

David begins to lose control of his seemingly perfect situation. While the respected soldier Uriah was fighting Ammonites with Joab (2 Samuel 10), David slept with Uriah's wife, Bathsheba. To cover her pregnancy, David arranged for Uriah to die in battle (2 Samuel 11). Nathan, the prophet, confronts David over his crimes. God takes the child's life and will allow David's household to rebel against him. This begins when David's son rapes his own half-sister, Tamar (2 Samuel 13), starting a series of events that will result in another son, Absalom, taking the throne from his father (2 Samuel 14—16).

Second Samuel continues the story of David, who will become king over Judah. The other tribes of Israel are resistant, eventually sparking a civil war. David wins and makes Jerusalem his capital. Early success is followed by moral failure and controversy in David's house. The book of 1 Kings will begin by detailing David's decline and death.