2 Samuel 7
| 2 Samuel 7 | |
|---|---|
 The pages containing the Books of Samuel (1 & 2 Samuel) Leningrad Codex (1008 CE). | |
| Book | First book of Samuel |
| Hebrew Bible part | Nevi'im |
| Order in the Hebrew part | 3 |
| Category | Former Prophets |
| Christian Bible part | Old Testament |
| Order in the Christian part | 10 |
2 Samuel 7 is the seventh
Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew. It is divided into 29 verses. Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).[8] Fragments containing parts of this chapter in Hebrew were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls including 4Q51 (4QSama; 100–50 BCE) with extant verses 6–7, 22–29.[9][10][11][12]
Extant ancient manuscripts of a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint (originally was made in the last few centuries BCE) include Codex Vaticanus (B; B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; A; 5th century).[13][a]
Old Testament references
Analysis
This chapter deals with two important issues, building a temple and succession to David's throne; an introduction to succession narratives in 2 Samuel 9–10 and 1 Kings 1–2.[18] It is one of the most important section in the Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament) and has been subject to intense research.[18]
There are three scenes in this chapter:[19]
- 1. David and Nathan: David proposed to build a "house" for the Ark of the Covenant (7:1–3)
- 2. Nathan and God: the divine oracle
- a. God, who redeemed Israel, decides on his house (7:4–7)
- b. God will build a house for David (7:8–17)
- 3. David and God: David's response
- a. David praises God's redemptive acts (7:18-24)
- b. David's prayer (7:25–29)
The second and third scenes are in parallel, with the first section of each scene recalling God's redemptive acts (specifically referring to the Exodus from Egypt), and the second section, introduced with wě‘attâ (which could be rendered as "and now" or "now therefore"; 2 Samuel 7:8, 25), signaling a consequence based on the premise in the first section.[19]
Oracles on the House for God and House of David (7:1–17)
Verses 1–17 appear to be one unit, although it contains two separate oracles concerning two different issues:[18]
- The appropriateness of constructing a temple (verses 1–7)
- The succession to David's throne (verses 8–16)
Sectional summary
King
The second oracle (verses 8–16) addresses a different issue, succession to David's throne, linked to the first by the same historical setting (verses 1–3) and by employing the word bayit ("house") in two different ways: David was not allowed to build for YHWH a 'house' (bayit, verses 5, 6, 13), but YHWH was going to establish for David a 'dynasty' (bayit, verses 11, 16; thus, "house" of David). In 1 Kings 5:3–4, Solomon explained that while David was given "rest" from his enemies, it was not to the higher degree of "rest" given to Solomon, with neither "adversary nor misfortune" to impede the Temple's construction, as the fulfillment of God's covenant to 'give Israel rest from its adversaries' (Deuteronomy 12:10 and 25:19), to 'fight Israel's battles' (Deuteronomy 3:22), and to 'bestow on them the Promised Land'.[20]
Verses 1–2
- 1 Now it came to pass when the king was dwelling in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies all around, 2 that the king said to Nathan the prophet, "See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains."[21]
- "Nathan the prophet", first mentioned here,[22] played important roles in three key junctures of David's reign: his oracle in this chapter on the House of God and House of David, he later conveyed God's rebuke for David's adultery with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12), and he prompted the aged David to declare Solomon as his successor (1 Kings 1), while being a prophetic advisor for David (2 Chronicles 29:25) and a biographer of David and Solomon (1 Chronicles 29:29; 2 Chronicles 9:29).[23]
- The construction of David's house using cedar logs supplied by Hiram, King of Tyre, was recounted in 2 Samuel 5:9-12.
- At what period in his reign David formed this resolution to build a temple cannot be exactly determined.[22]
Verse 14
- [YHWH says] "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:"[24]
- "stripes": "blows" (NKJV) or "strokes".[25]
Verse 16
- [YHWH says] "And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever."[26]
- "Before you": Septuagint reads "before me".[27]
The prayer of David (7:18–29)
The second half of the chapter contains David's prayer, which could be connected with bringing the ark to Jerusalem (6:1–19) rather than with the dynastic oracle in 7:1–7.[18] In addition there were allusions to God's promise and its 'eternal' nature (verses 22, 28–29), God's redemption of his people from Egypt (verses 23–24), and several Deuteronomistic themes (verses 22b–26).[18]
Verse 23
- And who is like Your people, like Israel, the one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people, to make for Himself a name—and to do for Yourself great and awesome deeds for Your land—before Your people whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, the nations, and their gods?[28]
- "For Your land": according to Masoretic Text. Septuagint version reads "to drive out" (τοῦ ἐκβαλεῖν σε) as in 1 Chronicles 17:21.[29]
See also
- Ark of the Covenant
- Children of Israel
- Saul
- Solomon's Temple
- Tabernacle
- Tribes of Israel
- United Monarchy of Israel
Notes
- ^ The whole book of 2 Samuel is missing from the extant Codex Sinaiticus.[14]
References
- ^ Halley 1965, p. 184.
- ^ Hirsch, Emil G. "SAMUEL, BOOKS OF". www.jewishencyclopedia.com.
- ^ Knight 1995, p. 62.
- ^ Jones 2007, p. 197.
- ^ Jones 2007, p. 216.
- ^ Coogan 2007, p. 450 Hebrew Bible.
- ^ Jones 2007, p. 215.
- ^ Würthwein 1995, pp. 35–37.
- ^ Ulrich 2010, pp. 298–299.
- ^ Dead sea scrolls - 2 Samuel
- ^ Fitzmyer 2008, p. 35.
- ^ 4Q51 at the Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library
- ^ Würthwein 1995, pp. 73–74.
- ^
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Codex Sinaiticus". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- ^ a b 2 Samuel 7, Berean Study Bible
- ^ Steinmann 2017, p. 131.
- ^ a b Steinmann 2017, p. 138.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Jones 2007, p. 219.
- ^ a b Morrison 2013, p. 93.
- ^ Morrison 2013, p. 94.
- ^ 2 Samuel 7:1–2: New King James Version
- ^ a b Kirkpatrick, A. F. (1890), Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges on 2 Samuel 7, accessed 24 December 2023
- ^ Steinmann 2017, p. 132.
- ^ 2 Samuel 7:14: King James Version
- ^ Note on 2 Samuel 7:14 in NKJV
- ^ 2 Samuel 7:16: NKJV
- ^ Note on 2 Samuel 7:16 in NKJV
- ^ 2 Samuel 7:23: NKJV
- ^ Steinmann 2017, p. 129.
Sources
Commentaries on Samuel
- Auld, Graeme (2003). "1 & 2 Samuel". In James D. G. Dunn and John William Rogerson (ed.). Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible. Eerdmans. ISBN 9780802837110.
- Bergen, David T. (1996). 1, 2 Samuel. B&H Publishing Group. ISBN 9780805401073.
- Chapman, Stephen B. (2016). 1 Samuel as Christian Scripture: A Theological Commentary. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. ISBN 978-1467445160.
- Collins, John J. (2014). "Chapter 14: 1 Samuel 12 – 2 Samuel 25". Introduction to the Hebrew Scriptures. Fortress Press. pp. 277–296. ISBN 978-1451469233.
- Evans, Paul (2018). Longman, Tremper (ed.). 1-2 Samuel. The Story of God Bible Commentary. Zondervan Academic. ISBN 978-0310490944.
- Gordon, Robert (1986). I & II Samuel, A Commentary. Paternoster Press. ISBN 9780310230229.
- Hertzberg, Hans Wilhelm (1964). I & II Samuel, A Commentary (trans. from German 2nd edition 1960 ed.). Westminster John Knox Press. p. 19. ISBN 978-0664223182.
- Morrison, Craig E. (2013). Berit Olam: 2 Samuel. Liturgical Press. ISBN 978-0814682913.
- Steinmann, Andrew (2017). 2 Samuel. Concordia commentary: a theological exposition of sacred scripture. Concordia Publishing House. ISBN 9780758650061.
General
- Breytenbach, Andries (2000). "Who Is Behind The Samuel Narrative?". In Johannes Cornelis de Moor and H.F. Van Rooy (ed.). Past, Present, Future: the Deuteronomistic History and the Prophets. Brill. ISBN 9789004118713.
- ISBN 978-0195288810.
- ISBN 9780802862419.
- ISBN 0-310-25720-4.
- Hayes, Christine (2015). Introduction to the Bible. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0300188271.
- Jones, Gwilym H. (2007). "12. 1 and 2 Samuel". In ISBN 978-0199277186. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
- Klein, R.W. (2003). "Samuel, books of". In Bromiley, Geoffrey W (ed.). The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Eerdmans. ISBN 9780802837844.
- Knight, Douglas A (1995). "Chapter 4 Deuteronomy and the Deuteronomists". In James Luther Mays, David L. Petersen and Kent Harold Richards (ed.). Old Testament Interpretation. T&T Clark. ISBN 9780567292896.
- McKane, William (1993). "Samuel, Book of". In ISBN 978-0195046458.
- Ulrich, Eugene, ed. (2010). The Biblical Qumran Scrolls: Transcriptions and Textual Variants. Brill.
- ISBN 0-8028-0788-7. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
External links
- Jewish translations:
- Samuel II - II Samuel - Chapter 7 (Judaica Press). Hebrew text and English translation [with Rashi's commentary] at Chabad.org
- Christian translations:
- Online Bible at GospelHall.org (ESV, KJV, Darby, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English)
- 2 Samuel chapter 7. Bible Gateway
