“The wealthy man had a great many flocks and herds.
Parallel translations
- WEB The rich man had very many flocks and herds,
- KJV The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds:
- BSB The rich man had a great number of sheep and cattle,
- NKJV The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds.
- NLT The rich man owned a great many sheep and cattle.
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
In the parable the rich man owns very many flocks and herds. His abundance highlights how needless his coming theft will be.
Overview
Nathan paints the rich man as having more than enough, lacking nothing. The detail sharpens the injustice of the act to come and mirrors David, who had wives and a kingdom yet took another man's wife. The contrast prepares David to feel outrage at a sin that is in fact his own.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- 2 Sam 12:8I gave you your master’s house, and your master’s wives into your bosom, and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that would have been too little, I would have added to you many more such things.
- 2 Sam 15:16The king went out, and all his household after him. The king left ten women, who were concubines, to keep the house.
- 2 Sam 5:13–16David took more concubines and wives for himself out of Jerusalem, after he had come from Hebron; and more sons and daughters were born to David.
- Job 1:3His possessions also were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the children of the east.
- 2 Sam 3:2–5Sons were born to David in Hebron. His firstborn was Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess;
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 12:2 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.