2 Samuel 12 (KJV) - Bible Truth Library

There were.There is nothing in this parable which requires illustration. Its bent is evident; and it was wisely constructed, by not having too near a resemblance, to make David unwittingly pass sentence on himself.

The parable was in David's hand what his own letter was in the hands of the brave Uriah.

Nathan at length closed in with him in the application of it.

In beginning with a parable he shewed his prudence, and great need there is of prudence in giving reproof; but now he speaks as an ambassador from God.

He reminds David of the great things God had designed and done for him, and then charges him with a high contempt of the Divine authority, and threatens an entail of judgments upon his family for this sin.

Those who despise the word and law of God, despise God himself, and will assuredly suffer for such contempt.

2 Sam. 14:5‑11• ⁵And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, I am indeed a widow woman, and mine husband is dead.
⁶And thy handmaid had two sons, and they two strove together in the field, and there was none to part them, but the one smote the other, and slew him.
⁷And, behold, the whole family is risen against thine handmaid, and they said, Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may kill him, for the life of his brother whom he slew; and we will destroy the heir also: and so they shall quench my coal which is left, and shall not leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the earth.
⁸And the king said unto the woman, Go to thine house, and I will give charge concerning thee.
⁹And the woman of Tekoah said unto the king, My lord, O king, the iniquity be on me, and on my father's house: and the king and his throne be guiltless.
¹⁰And the king said, Whosoever saith ought unto thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more.
¹¹Then said she, I pray thee, let the king remember the Lord thy God, that thou wouldest not suffer the revengers of blood to destroy any more, lest they destroy my son. And he said, As the Lord liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth. (2 Sam. 14:5‑11)

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Judg. 9:7‑15• ⁷And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you.
⁸The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us.
⁹But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honor God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?
¹⁰And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us.
¹¹But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees?
¹²Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us.
¹³And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?
¹⁴Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us.
¹⁵And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon. (Judg. 9:7‑15)

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1 Kings 20:35‑41• ³⁵And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his neighbor in the word of the Lord, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man refused to smite him.
³⁶Then said he unto him, Because thou hast not obeyed the voice of the Lord, behold, as soon as thou art departed from me, a lion shall slay thee. And as soon as he was departed from him, a lion found him, and slew him.
³⁷Then he found another man, and said, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man smote him, so that in smiting he wounded him.
³⁸So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with ashes upon his face.
³⁹And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king: and he said, Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said, Keep this man: if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver.
⁴⁰And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone. And the king of Israel said unto him, So shall thy judgment be; thyself hast decided it.
⁴¹And he hasted, and took the ashes away from his face; and the king of Israel discerned him that he was of the prophets. (1 Kings 20:35‑41)

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Matt. 21:33‑45• ³³Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:
³⁴And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.
³⁵And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
³⁶Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.
³⁷But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.
³⁸But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.
³⁹And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.
⁴⁰When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?
⁴¹They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.
⁴²Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?
⁴³Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
⁴⁴And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
⁴⁵And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them. (Matt. 21:33‑45)

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Luke 15:11‑32• ¹¹And he said, A certain man had two sons:
¹²And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
¹³And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
¹⁴And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
¹⁵And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
¹⁶And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
¹⁷And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
¹⁸I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
¹⁹And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
²⁰And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
²¹And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
²²But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
²³And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
²⁴For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
²⁵Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing.
²⁶And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.
²⁷And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
²⁸And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and entreated him.
²⁹And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:
³⁰But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
³¹And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.
³²It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found. (Luke 15:11‑32)

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Luke 16:19‑31• ¹⁹There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
²⁰And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
²¹And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
²²And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
²³And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
²⁴And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
²⁵But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
²⁶And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
²⁷Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:
²⁸For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
²⁹Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
³⁰And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
³¹And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. (Luke 16:19‑31)

• A certain period of time passed after David committed this sin. The war against Ammon (begun in the preceding chapter, which covers nearly one year) still continued....Then the Lord intervenes, after having waited a long time for David to repent. (“Forgiveness, Discipline, and Restoration: 2 Samuel 12” by H.L. Rossier)

• The prophet is sent to him to set him in the light of a holy and righteous God whose eyes are too pure to behold evil and who must judge it. (“Forgiveness, Discipline, and Restoration: 2 Samuel 12” by H.L. Rossier)

J. N. Darby Translation

And Jehovah sent Nathan to David. And he came to him, and said to him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.