and he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet, and he named him Jedidiah, for Yahweh’s sake.
Parallel translations
- KJV And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet; and he called his name Jedidiah, because of the LORD.
- BSB and sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah because the LORD loved him.
- 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 7:4That same night, Yahweh’s word came to Nathan, saying,
- Neh 13:26Didn’t Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? Yet among many nations was there no king like him, and he was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless foreign women caused even him to sin.
- 1 Kgs 1:11Then Nathan spoke to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, “Haven’t you heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith reigns, and David our lord doesn’t know it?
- 1 Kgs 1:23They told the king, saying, “Behold, Nathan the prophet!” When he had come in before the king, he bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground.
- Matt 3:17Behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
- Matt 17:5While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them. Behold, a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.”
- 2 Sam 12:1–14Yahweh sent Nathan to David. He came to him, and said to him, “There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.
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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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