and sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah because the LORD loved him.
Parallel translations
- WEB and he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet, and he named him Jedidiah, for Yahweh’s sake.
- KJV And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet; and he called his name Jedidiah, because of the LORD.
- NKJV and He sent word by the hand of Nathan the prophet: So he called his name Jedidiah, because of the Lord.
- NASB and sent word through Nathan the prophet, and he named him Jedidiah for the Lord’s sake.
- NLT and sent word through Nathan the prophet that they should name him Jedidiah (which means “beloved of the Lord”), as the Lord had commanded.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Through Nathan the prophet, God names the child Jedidiah, meaning 'beloved of Yahweh.' It is a divine token of love and acceptance of David's restored son.
Overview
God's choice to send Nathan, the same prophet who confronted David's sin, now to bestow a name of love underscores the completeness of God's grace toward David. The name Jedidiah ('beloved of the LORD') marks Solomon out as an object of God's special favor for the LORD's own sake. This unmerited love foreshadows the gospel pattern in which God names and claims His people as beloved purely by grace.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- 2 Sam 7:4But that night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying,
- Neh 13:26Did not King Solomon of Israel sin in matters like this? There was not a king like him among many nations, and he was loved by his God, who made him king over all Israel—yet foreign women drew him into sin.
- 1 Kgs 1:11Then Nathan said to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, “Have you not heard that Adonijah son of Haggith has become king, and our lord David does not know it?
- 1 Kgs 1:23So the king was told, “Nathan the prophet is here.” And Nathan went in and bowed facedown before the king.
- Matt 3:17And a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!”
- Matt 17:5While Peter was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him!”
- 2 Sam 12:1–14Then the LORD sent Nathan to David, and when he arrived, he said, “There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
God's covenant with David — a son whose throne and kingdom would last forever (7:12–16) — finds its yes in Jesus, the Son of David who reigns without end.
How 2 Samuel 12:25 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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