I will be his father, and he will be my son. If he sins, I will correct and discipline him with the rod, like any father would do.
Parallel translations
- WEB I will be his father, and he will be my son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men;
- KJV I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:
- BSB I will be his Father, and he will be My son. When he does wrong, I will discipline him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men.
- NKJV I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men.
- NASB I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he does wrong, I will discipline him with a rod of men and with strokes of sons of mankind,
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
God promised to be a father to David's son and to discipline him with human means if he sinned. The covenant combines fatherly love with fatherly correction.
Overview
This father-son relationship applies first to Solomon, who would be chastened for sin yet not cast off. Hebrews 1:5 applies the verse ultimately to Christ, the sinless Son to whom the fatherhood belongs perfectly, while the clause about discipline shows the human kings in view still needed correction. The promise thus spans flawed earthly heirs and the perfect Son who fulfills the line.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Heb 1:5For to which of the angels did he say at any time, “You are my Son. Today I have become your father?” and again, “I will be to him a Father, and he will be to me a Son?”
- Rev 3:19As many as I love, I reprove and chasten. Be zealous therefore, and repent.
- 1 Chr 28:6He said to me, ‘Solomon, your son, shall build my house and my courts; for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father.
- 1 Chr 17:13I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will not take my loving kindness away from him, as I took it from him that was before you;
- Deut 8:5You shall consider in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so Yahweh your God disciplines you.
- 1 Cor 11:32But when we are judged, we are punished by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.
- Heb 12:5–11and you have forgotten the exhortation which reasons with you as with children, “My son, don’t take lightly the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by him;
- Ps 89:20–37I have found David, my servant. I have anointed him with my holy oil,
- Jer 30:11For I am with you, says Yahweh, to save you; for I will make a full end of all the nations where I have scattered you, but I will not make a full end of you; but I will correct you in measure, and will in no way leave you unpunished.”
- Ps 94:12–13Blessed is the man whom you discipline, Yah, and teach out of your law;
- Prov 3:11–12My son, don’t despise Yahweh’s discipline, neither be weary of his reproof:
- Matt 3:17Behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
- Job 5:17“Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects. Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty.
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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 7:14 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.