◄ 2 Samuel 12:8 ►
I gave your master's house to you and your master's wives into your arms. I gave you the house of Israel and Judah, and if that was not enough, I would have given you even more.
Study Bible
I gave
The phrase "I gave" underscores the sovereignty and generosity of God. In Hebrew, the word used is "נָתַתִּי" (natati), which conveys the act of giving as a deliberate and gracious act. This highlights God's role as the ultimate provider and benefactor, emphasizing that all blessings and possessions come from Him. It serves as a reminder of God's abundant grace and His willingness to bestow blessings upon His chosen ones.

your master’s house
This refers to the house of Saul, the first king of Israel. Historically, the transfer of a king's house to another signifies a complete transfer of authority and possession. In the ancient Near Eastern context, this was a significant act, symbolizing the divine endorsement of David's kingship. It also reflects the fulfillment of God's promise to David, establishing him as the rightful ruler over Israel.

your master’s wives into your arms
In the cultural and historical context of ancient Israel, the taking of a predecessor's wives was a sign of succession and legitimacy. This phrase indicates the complete transfer of Saul's royal privileges to David. It also serves as a reminder of the responsibilities and moral obligations that come with such privileges, highlighting the gravity of David's later actions with Bathsheba.

I gave you the house of Israel and Judah
This phrase signifies the unification of the northern and southern kingdoms under David's rule. Historically, Israel and Judah were often divided, but under David, they were united as one nation. This unification is a testament to God's promise to establish David's kingdom, reflecting the divine plan for a united people under a godly leader.

And if that was not enough
This phrase emphasizes God's willingness to provide abundantly beyond what David had already received. It reflects the boundless nature of God's grace and His readiness to bless His servants even more. This serves as a reminder of God's infinite resources and His desire to bless those who walk in obedience to Him.

I would have given you even more
This statement underscores the potential for even greater blessings had David remained faithful. It highlights the principle that God's blessings are often contingent upon our faithfulness and obedience. This serves as both a promise and a warning, illustrating the consequences of sin and the lost opportunities for further blessings when one strays from God's path.

Persons / Places / Events
1. David
The King of Israel, who is being addressed by the prophet Nathan in this passage. David had committed adultery with Bathsheba and orchestrated the death of her husband, Uriah.

2. Nathan
The prophet sent by God to confront King David about his sin with Bathsheba and Uriah. Nathan uses a parable to reveal David's wrongdoing.

3. God
The ultimate speaker through Nathan, reminding David of the blessings and responsibilities given to him as king.

4. Israel and Judah
The united kingdom over which David ruled, representing the full extent of his God-given authority and responsibility.

5. Bathsheba and Uriah
Though not directly mentioned in this verse, they are central to the context. Bathsheba was the woman with whom David committed adultery, and Uriah was her husband whom David had killed.
Teaching Points
God's Generosity and Provision
God reminds David of the abundance He has provided, emphasizing His generosity. Believers should recognize and be grateful for God's provisions in their own lives.

The Consequences of Sin
Despite God's blessings, David's sin brought severe consequences. This serves as a warning that sin can disrupt the blessings God intends for us.

Accountability and Repentance
Nathan's role highlights the importance of accountability. Believers should seek and accept correction, leading to genuine repentance.

God's Willingness to Give More
God expresses a willingness to give even more if what was given was insufficient. This reflects God's desire to bless abundantly, encouraging believers to trust in His provision.

Leadership and Responsibility
As a leader, David was entrusted with much. This underscores the responsibility that comes with leadership and the need for integrity and faithfulness.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does recognizing God's past provisions in your life influence your trust in Him for future needs?

2. In what ways can you ensure accountability in your spiritual walk, similar to how Nathan held David accountable?

3. Reflect on a time when you experienced the consequences of sin. How did it affect your relationship with God, and what steps did you take towards repentance?

4. How can you cultivate a heart of gratitude for God's blessings, even when facing challenges or temptations?

5. What responsibilities has God entrusted to you, and how can you faithfully steward them in light of David's example?
Connections to Other Scriptures
1 Samuel 16:1-13
This passage describes David's anointing as king, highlighting God's choice and blessing upon him, which is referenced in 2 Samuel 12:8.

Psalm 51
David's psalm of repentance, which reflects his response to Nathan's confrontation and his acknowledgment of sin.

James 1:17
This verse speaks of every good and perfect gift coming from God, paralleling the blessings God recounts giving to David.
Sermons
Awakened and AwedH. E. Stone.2 Samuel 12:1-14
David's FallG. T. Coster.2 Samuel 12:1-14
David's Great Sin, and God's Greater GraceJ. Clifford.2 Samuel 12:1-14
David's Sin and Nathan's ParableC. S. Robinson, D. D.2 Samuel 12:1-14
Definite Teaching as to SinH. O. Mackey.2 Samuel 12:1-14
Nathan as a True ProphetW. Smith, D. D.2 Samuel 12:1-14
Nathan Reproving DavidE. Harper, B. A.2 Samuel 12:1-14
Nathan Sent to DavidC. Merry.2 Samuel 12:1-14
Nathan the Parabolist2 Samuel 12:1-14
Nathan's ParableJ. Parker, D,D.2 Samuel 12:1-14
Of Sell-ExaminationE. M. Goulburn, D. D.2 Samuel 12:1-14
Preaching to the ConscienceAlexander Smellie.2 Samuel 12:1-14
Reproof by PortraitSunday Companion2 Samuel 12:1-14
Reproving Without OffendingH. Brooke, M. A.2 Samuel 12:1-14
The Force of Private AdmonitionJ. Trapp.2 Samuel 12:1-14
The Parable of NathanR. Moss, D. D.2 Samuel 12:1-14
Thou Art the Man!B. Dale 2 Samuel 12:7-10
People
Ammonites, Bathsheba, David, Jedidiah, Joab, Milcom, Nathan, Saul, Solomon, Uriah, Urijah
Places
Jerusalem, Rabbah
Topics
Add, Added, Arms, Bosom, Care, Daughter, Daughters, Judah, Master's, Moreover, Wives
Dictionary of Bible Themes
2 Samuel 12:8

     5126   arm
     5672   concubines
     7266   tribes of Israel

2 Samuel 12:1-10

     5438   parables
     5503   rich, the
     6126   condemnation, human

2 Samuel 12:1-12

     1431   prophecy, OT methods
     5817   conspiracies

2 Samuel 12:1-13

     8479   self-examination, examples

2 Samuel 12:1-14

     6650   finding

2 Samuel 12:7-9

     8221   courage, strength from God

2 Samuel 12:7-10

     5088   David, character

2 Samuel 12:7-12

     5941   secrecy

2 Samuel 12:7-14

     7773   prophets, role

2 Samuel 12:8-9

     5732   polygamy

Library
David and Nathan
'And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin.'--2 SAMUEL xii. 13. We ought to be very thankful that Scripture never conceals the faults of its noblest men. High among the highest of them stands the poet- king. Whoever, for nearly three thousand years, has wished to express the emotions of trust in God, longing after purity, aspiration, and rapture of devotion, has found that his words have been before him. And this man …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Thou Art the Man
'And David said to Nathan, As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die; because he did this thing, and because he had no pity. And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man.'--2 SAMUEL xii. 5-7. Nathan's apologue, so tenderly beautiful, takes the poet-king on the most susceptible side of his character. All his history shows him as a man of wonderfully sweet, chivalrous, generous, swiftly compassionate nature. And so, when he hears the story of a mean, heartless selfishness, …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Letter vi. In My Last Two Letters I have Given the State of the Argument as It...
My dear friend, In my last two Letters I have given the state of the argument as it would stand between a Christian, thinking as I do, and a serious well-disposed Deist. I will now endeavour to state the argument, as between the former and the advocates for the popular belief,--such of them, I mean, as are competent to deliver a dispassionate judgment in the cause. And again, more particularly, I mean the learned and reflecting part of them, who are influenced to the retention of the prevailing …
Samuel Taylor Coleridge—Confessions of an Inquiring Spirit etc

The Blessings of Noah Upon Shem and Japheth. (Gen. Ix. 18-27. )
Ver. 20. "And Noah began and became an husbandman, and planted vineyards."--This does not imply that Noah was the first who began to till the ground, and, more especially, to cultivate the vine; for Cain, too, was a tiller of the ground, Gen. iv. 2. The sense rather is, that Noah, after the flood, again took up this calling. Moreover, the remark has not an independent import; it serves only to prepare the way for the communication of the subsequent account of Noah's drunkenness. By this remark, …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Cleansing.
As there are conditions requiring to be complied with in order to the obtaining of salvation, before one can be justified, e. g., conviction of sin, repentance, faith; so there are conditions for full salvation, for being "filled with the Holy Ghost." Conviction of our need is one, conviction of the existence of the blessing is another; but these have been already dealt with. "Cleansing" is another; before one can be filled with the Holy Ghost, one's heart must be "cleansed." "Giving them the Holy …
John MacNeil—The Spirit-Filled Life

That the Ruler Should not Set his Heart on Pleasing Men, and yet Should Give Heed to what Ought to Please Them.
Meanwhile it is also necessary for the ruler to keep wary watch, lest the lust of pleasing men assail him; lest, when he studiously penetrates the things that are within, and providently supplies the things that are without, he seek to be beloved of those that are under him more than truth; lest, while, supported by his good deeds, he seems not to belong to the world, self-love estrange him from his Maker. For he is the Redeemer's enemy who through the good works which he does covets being loved …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

The Unchangeableness of God
The next attribute is God's unchangeableness. I am Jehovah, I change not.' Mal 3:3. I. God is unchangeable in his nature. II. In his decree. I. Unchangeable in his nature. 1. There is no eclipse of his brightness. 2. No period put to his being. [1] No eclipse of his brightness. His essence shines with a fixed lustre. With whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.' James 1:17. Thou art the same.' Psa 102:27. All created things are full of vicissitudes. Princes and emperors are subject to …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

How the Poor and the Rich Should be Admonished.
(Admonition 3.) Differently to be admonished are the poor and the rich: for to the former we ought to offer the solace of comfort against tribulation, but in the latter to induce fear as against elation. For to the poor one it is said by the Lord through the prophet, Fear not, for thou shalt not be confounded (Isai. liv. 4). And not long after, soothing her, He says, O thou poor little one, tossed with tempest (Ibid. 11). And again He comforts her, saying, I have chosen thee in the furnace of …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

Of Antichrist, and his Ruin: and of the Slaying the Witnesses.
BY JOHN BUNYAN PREFATORY REMARKS BY THE EDITOR This important treatise was prepared for the press, and left by the author, at his decease, to the care of his surviving friend for publication. It first appeared in a collection of his works in folio, 1692; and although a subject of universal interest; most admirably elucidated; no edition has been published in a separate form. Antichrist has agitated the Christian world from the earliest ages; and his craft has been to mislead the thoughtless, by …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Thirdly, for Thy Actions.
1. Do no evil, though thou mightest; for God will not suffer the least sin, without bitter repentance, to escape unpunished. Leave not undone any good that thou canst. But do nothing without a calling, nor anything in thy calling, till thou hast first taken counsel at God's word (1 Sam. xxx. 8) of its lawfulness, and pray for his blessings upon thy endeavour; and then do it in the name of God, with cheerfulness of heart, committing the success to him, in whose power it is to bless with his grace …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

The Preparatory Service; Sometimes Called the Confessional Service.
In our examination of the nature and meaning of the Lord's Supper, we have found that it is indeed a most important and holy Sacrament. It is in fact the most sacred of all the ordinances of the Church on earth. There is nothing beyond it--nothing so heavenly, on this side heaven, as this Feast. Nowhere else does the believer approach so near to heaven as when he stands or kneels, as a communicant at this altar, the Holy of Holies in the Church of Christ. What a solemn act! To approach this altar, …
G. H. Gerberding—The Way of Salvation in the Lutheran Church

The Right Understanding of the Law
Thou shalt have no other Gods before me.' Exod 20: 3. Before I come to the commandments, I shall answer questions, and lay down rules respecting the moral law. What is the difference between the moral laud and the gospel? (1) The law requires that we worship God as our Creator; the gospel, that we worship him in and through Christ. God in Christ is propitious; out of him we may see God's power, justice, and holiness: in him we see his mercy displayed. (2) The moral law requires obedience, but gives …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

The Sixth Commandment
Thou shalt not kill.' Exod 20: 13. In this commandment is a sin forbidden, which is murder, Thou shalt not kill,' and a duty implied, which is, to preserve our own life, and the life of others. The sin forbidden is murder: Thou shalt not kill.' Here two things are to be understood, the not injuring another, nor ourselves. I. The not injuring another. [1] We must not injure another in his name. A good name is a precious balsam.' It is a great cruelty to murder a man in his name. We injure others in …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

The Eighth Commandment
Thou shalt not steal.' Exod 20: 15. AS the holiness of God sets him against uncleanness, in the command Thou shalt not commit adultery;' so the justice of God sets him against rapine and robbery, in the command, Thou shalt not steal.' The thing forbidden in this commandment, is meddling with another man's property. The civil lawyers define furtum, stealth or theft to be the laying hands unjustly on that which is another's;' the invading another's right. I. The causes of theft. [1] The internal causes …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

Samuel
Alike from the literary and the historical point of view, the book[1] of Samuel stands midway between the book of Judges and the book of Kings. As we have already seen, the Deuteronomic book of Judges in all probability ran into Samuel and ended in ch. xii.; while the story of David, begun in Samuel, embraces the first two chapters of the first book of Kings. The book of Samuel is not very happily named, as much of it is devoted to Saul and the greater part to David; yet it is not altogether inappropriate, …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

Links
2 Samuel 12:8 NIV
2 Samuel 12:8 NLT
2 Samuel 12:8 ESV
2 Samuel 12:8 NASB
2 Samuel 12:8 KJV

2 Samuel 12:8 Commentaries

Bible Hub
2 Samuel 12:7
Top of Page
Top of Page