For this is what the LORD says: David will never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel,
Parallel translations
- WEB For Yahweh says: “David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel;
- KJV For thus saith the LORD; David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel;
- NKJV “For thus says the Lord: ‘David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel;
- NASB For this is what the Lord says: ‘David shall not lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel;
- NLT For this is what the Lord says: David will have a descendant sitting on the throne of Israel forever.
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 promises David will never lack a descendant to reign. The Davidic dynasty has an enduring, divinely guaranteed future.
Overview
Despite the imminent collapse of the monarchy in the exile, God reaffirms His covenant with David (2 Sam. 7). The promise of an unbroken line is not finally about an earthly succession but about the eternal King who fulfills it. Christians see this guaranteed in Jesus, the son of David whose throne and reign endure forever (Luke 1:32-33).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- 1 Kgs 2:4and so that the LORD may fulfill His promise to me: ‘If your descendants take heed to walk faithfully before Me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’
- Ps 89:29–37I will establish his line forever, his throne as long as the heavens endure.
- Luke 1:32–33He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David,
- 1 Chr 17:11–14And when your days are fulfilled and you go to be with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom.
- Isa 9:7Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from that time and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this.
- 1 Kgs 8:25Therefore now, O LORD, God of Israel, keep for Your servant, my father David, what You promised when You said: ‘You will never fail to have a man to sit before Me on the throne of Israel, if only your descendants guard their way to walk before Me as you have done.’
- 1 Chr 17:27So now You have been pleased to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue forever before You. For You, O LORD, have blessed it, and it will be blessed forever.”
- Jer 35:19this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: Jonadab son of Rechab will never fail to have a man to stand before Me.’”
- 2 Sam 7:14–16I 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.
- 2 Sam 3:29May it whirl over the heads of Joab and the entire house of his father, and may the house of Joab never be without one having a discharge or skin disease, or one who leans on a staff or falls by the sword or lacks food.”
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Against the failure of false shepherds Jeremiah promises the Righteous Branch, 'The LORD our righteousness,' and the new covenant written on the heart and sealed in the blood of Christ.
How Jeremiah 33:17 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.