Nathan replied to the king, “Go ahead and do whatever you have in mind, for the Lord is with you.”
Parallel translations
- WEB Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart; for Yahweh is with you.”
- KJV And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thine heart; for the LORD is with thee.
- BSB And Nathan replied to the king, “Go and do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you.”
- NKJV Then Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you.”
- NASB Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your mind, for the Lord is with you.”
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
Nathan initially encouraged David to follow his heart, assuring him the LORD was with him. Even prophets must wait on God's word rather than presume.
Overview
Nathan's first response was a reasonable, godly endorsement of a good intention, but it was his own judgment, not yet God's revealed word. That same night God would correct the plan, reminding us that even sincere counsel must yield to divine revelation. The episode models humility: Nathan readily delivers God's contrary word once it comes.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- 1 Chr 22:7David said to Solomon his son, “As for me, it was in my heart to build a house to the name of Yahweh my God.
- 1 Kgs 8:17–18“Now it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel.
- 1 Chr 28:2Then David the king stood up on his feet, and said, “Hear me, my brothers, and my people! As for me, it was in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of Yahweh’s covenant, and for the footstool of our God; and I had prepared for the building.
- 1 Sam 16:7But Yahweh said to Samuel, “Don’t look on his face, or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for I don’t see as man sees. For man looks at the outward appearance, but Yahweh looks at the heart.”
- 2 Kgs 4:27When she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught hold of his feet. Gehazi came near to thrust her away; but the man of God said, “Leave her alone; for her soul is troubled within her; and Yahweh has hidden it from me, and has not told me.”
- Ps 20:4May He grant you your heart’s desire, and fulfill all your counsel.
- Ps 37:4Also delight yourself in Yahweh, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
- 1 Sam 10:7Let it be, when these signs have come to you, that you do what is appropriate for the occasion; for God is with you.
- 1 Jn 2:27As for you, the anointing which you received from him remains in you, and you don’t need for anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is no lie, and even as it taught you, you will remain in him.
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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 7:3 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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