David sits in his house of cedar and would build a house for the ark; through Nathan, Hashem promises instead to build David a house: 'Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure for ever before you' — and David sits before Hashem in wonder.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
And it came to pass, when the king dwelt in his house, and Hashem had given him rest from all his enemies round about,
verse value 1262
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 42 letters. The shortest word is "and·it·was" (וַיְהִ֕י, 4 letters) and the longest is "from·all·his·enemies" (מִכׇּל־אֹיְבָֽיו, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "when·dwelt" (כִּֽי־יָשַׁ֥ב), "had·given·rest·to·him" (הֵנִיחַֽ־ל֥וֹ), "from·around" (מִסָּבִ֖יב). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king" (root מלך, 242x in II Samuel); "and·it·was" (root היה, 153x in II Samuel); "and·Hashem" (root יהוה, 151x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root נוח ("had·given·rest·to·him") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·his·house', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֕י [and·it·was] (31) + כִּֽי־יָשַׁ֥ב [when·dwelt] (342) + הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ [king] (95) + בְּבֵית֑וֹ [in·his·house] (420) + וַיהֹוָ֛ה [and·Hashem] (32) + הֵנִיחַֽ־ל֥וֹ [had·given·rest·to·him] (109) + מִסָּבִ֖יב [from·around] (114) + מִכׇּל־אֹיְבָֽיו [from·all·his·enemies] (119) = 1262.
Rashi
And the Lord gave him rest. He said, behold it has been fulfilled (Deuteronomy 12:10): 'And the Lord gives you rest from all your enemies around'; what is written after it? 'And the place which the Lord will choose'—now it is incumbent upon us to build the chosen house.
Radak
“‘When the king sat in his house’” — this means that he was no longer required to go out to war, as it is stated, “And the Lord granted him rest.” At that time, he considered building the Temple, for it is a commandment upon Israel to build the Temple once they have rested from their wars, as it is written, “And the Lord shall grant you rest from all your enemies around you,” and further, “And it shall be that the place which the Lord your God shall choose to cause His name to dwell there, there you shall seek.” Moreover, it is incumbent upon the king to perform and to command Israel to perform [this duty]. Therefore, it states, “And the king said to Nathan the prophet,” implying that he should inquire of the word of the Lord regarding the building of the House, and in which place it should be built. Even though he had wars afterward, as it is stated, “And it came to pass afterward, that David smote the Philistines,” until then his enemies had been coming upon him. But once God granted him success and he defeated all his enemies, his enemies feared him and did not come upon him; rather, he went out against them and took Gath from the hands of the Philistines, which had already belonged to Israel. And he fought with Aram, with Edom, and with the children of Ammon on the basis of a legal claim.
Metzudat David
In his house. That is fitting for him according to his exalted station:
Metzudat Zion
He gave rest. From the word rest.
Malbim
And it was already explained by our Sages of blessed memory that the building of the Temple required two conditions: a. that they have a king, b. that they have rest from their enemies, as it is written, “And it shall come to pass, when the Lord gives you rest from all your enemies around, and the place which the Lord shall choose,” etc. Now, David reasoned that the two conditions had already been fulfilled: on the one hand, from the perspective of his kingship, concerning which he said, “And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house”—the house that Hiram built for him was for him a sign that God had established him as king over Israel, as stated above (II Samuel 5:12); on the other hand, from the perspective that at that time they had rest, concerning which he said, “And the Lord gave him rest all around.” Therefore,
that the king said to Nathan the prophet: ‘See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells within curtains.’
verse value 3673
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 65 letters. The shortest word is "please" (נָ֔א, 2 letters) and the longest is "God" (הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "and·ark·of" (וַֽאֲרוֹן֙), "curtain" (הַיְרִיעָֽה). The root ישב appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "king" (root מלך, 242x in II Samuel); "to·Nathan" (root איל, 202x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root נביא ("the·prophet") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'cedars', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 5 words.
Radak
"In a house of cedars." In a house roofed with cedar trees. And Targum Yonatan: "beita di metalel be-khiyorei arzaya" [a house that is roofed with cedar beams].
He was dwelling within the curtain. His intent was not solely upon this Ark, but also upon the altar, the other Ark, and the vessels of the Tabernacle that were in Gibeon in the Tent of Meeting, for all were dwelling within the curtain. He mentioned the Ark because the curtain was drawn specifically for it, and furthermore, it is the primary element of all and more honored than all the vessels of the Tabernacle. He said to himself, “I have built a house of cedar for Myself, yet for the Ark of the Lord I have only stretched a curtain.” This is not fitting, and I must build it a house. And Nathan said to him, “Go and do all that is in your heart.” He said this according to his own understanding, for he saw that the Lord was with you and that you were a worthy and upright king. He thought that you would build the house that was destined to be built. This is because a prophet does not know concerning any individual except what is told to him through the spirit of prophecy. For even the prophet Samuel, who was greater than him, of whom it is written, “All that he spoke came to pass,” and it is written, “Not one of his words fell to the ground,” did not know among the sons of Jesse who would be king, and he thought that Eliab was the king. How much more so for the prophet Nathan.
Ralbag
And David was already aroused to build a house for God in which the ark of God would be, and he consulted with Nathan the prophet about this, and he answered him in general that he should do all that was in his heart, for God was with him.
Metzudat David
"In a house of cedars" – as befits the stature of his position.
"Within the curtain." This is the tent mentioned above, and he wishes to say: Is this the dwelling worthy for the Ark of God?
Metzudat Zion
The curtain. A drape.
Malbim
"And the king said to Nathan" — he inquired of the prophet whether God would agree to this, and that he [Nathan] should inform him of the place that God would choose to cause His Name to dwell there. And he said to him, "Behold, I dwell..." etc. — meaning: the reasoning dictates that it should be built; now see with the prophetic eye whether the matter is good before the Lord.
And Nathan said to the king: ‘Go, do all that is in your heart; for Hashem is with you.’
verse value 2101
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 38 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "all" (כֹּ֛ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·the·king" (אֶל־הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 50: all, go. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "in·your·heart" (בִּֽלְבָבְךָ֖). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "to·the·king" (root איל, 202x in II Samuel); "that" (root אשר, 188x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root לבב ("in·your·heart") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'do', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֤אמֶר [and·said] (257) + נָתָן֙ [Nathan] (500) + אֶל־הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ [to·the·king] (126) + כֹּ֛ל [all] (50) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [that] (501) + בִּֽלְבָבְךָ֖ [in·your·heart] (56) + לֵ֣ךְ [go] (50) + עֲשֵׂ֑ה [do] (375) + כִּ֥י [for] (30) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + עִמָּֽךְ [with] (130) = 2101.
Metzudat David
All that is in your heart. As though saying: if you desire to build a house for the Lord, do your desire:
Malbim
"And Nathan said" [to David] — since the word of the LORD had not yet come to restrain him from this, he answered according to the way of reason, "Whatever is in your heart, go and do," for the great righteous can rely on the agreement of their heart, which is only good (unlike the intermediate, in whom it may be imagined that the evil inclination clings to them, and all the more so the wicked, whose heart is only evil, as it is stated: "The evil inclination judges the wicked, the good inclination judges the righteous, and both judge the intermediate ones"). Therefore he said that he [David] should rely specifically on his own heart, "for the LORD is with you" — and the thought of your heart is the stirring of the Holy Spirit that accompanies you always.
And it came to pass the same night, that the word of Hashem came to Nathan, saying:
verse value 1190
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "and·it·was" (וַיְהִ֖י, 4 letters) and the longest is "the·word·of·Hashem" (דְּבַר־יְהֹוָ֔ה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 31: and·it·was, and·it·was. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "in·the·night" (בַּלַּ֣יְלָה), "the·word·of·Hashem" (דְּבַר־יְהֹוָ֔ה). The root היה appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "to·Nathan" (root איל, 202x in II Samuel); "and·it·was" (root היה, 153x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'that', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֖י [and·it·was] (31) + בַּלַּ֣יְלָה [in·the·night] (77) + הַה֑וּא [that] (17) + וַֽיְהִי֙ [and·it·was] (31) + דְּבַר־יְהֹוָ֔ה [the·word·of·Hashem] (232) + אֶל־נָתָ֖ן [to·Nathan] (531) + לֵאמֹֽר [saying] (271) = 1190.
Rashi
And it came to pass on that night. Rabbi Chanina bar Papa said: the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Nathan, 'This man to whom I am sending you is quick to act -- perhaps he will hire workers, and I will end up causing him a loss; hurry and tell him, "You shall not build the house."' Rabbi Simon says: this man to whom I am sending you is one who makes vows, as it is said (Psalms 132:2-3): 'who swore unto the Lord, vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob: surely I will not come into the tent of my house...' -- perhaps he will say, 'I will not eat and I will not drink until I do so,' and I will end up causing him a loss (Yalkut Shimoni, remez 143).
Radak
"And it came to pass on that night." Perhaps his prophecy was in a dream, a vision of the night, as it is said regarding Aaron: "In a vision I will make Myself known to him, in a dream I will speak with him" (Numbers 12:6), and as it is said regarding Jacob: "In the visions of the night" (Genesis 46:2). And in the midrashic exposition: Why [does it say] 'on that night'? Rabbi Simon said: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Nathan: This man is one who makes vows, as in the matter of which it is stated: "[David] who swore to the LORD, vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob: 'If I enter the tent of my house...'" (Psalm 132:2). Lest he say, 'I will not eat and I will not drink until I build the House of the Lord' — hurry, tell him: 'It will not be you who builds it.'
Ralbag
And afterward the word of God came to him through Nathan the prophet that it is not fitting to build God a house, for from the day that He brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, the ark moved in a tent and in a tabernacle, and God did not send to say to any of the shepherds and the judges, 'Why have you not built Me a house of cedars?' And now it is enough for David -- God took him from behind the sheep to be a prince over the house of Israel, and He was with him in all that he went, and cut off his enemies, and made for him a great name like the name of the great ones who are on earth, for the abundance of his success and the abundance of the duration of his kingship, and He placed through him a place of rest for Israel, and Israel's enemies did not distress them as they did at first and in the days of the judges, and God gave him rest from all his enemies. And God told him that a house will be made for him, enduring, in a way that his kingship shall continue as long as kingship endures. And when the matter is so, it is enough for him in what has come to him of success, and he should not ask for great things that the Temple be built through him, but rather his son who will reign after him will build it, and he is Solomon. And it was already explained in the book of Chronicles that the cause that God did not agree that David build the Temple is because he shed much blood.
Malbim
And it came to pass on that night, yet the Lord hastened to inform the seer that He would not agree to this, and our Sages of blessed memory explained that therefore He informed him immediately that David should not begin his undertaking either by means of a vow or by hiring workers, just as it was in truth, as it is stated: “Who has vowed to the Lord that I will not enter the tent of my house.”
’Go and tell My servant David: Thus says Hashem: Shall you build Me a house for Me to dwell in?
verse value 3213
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 45 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "go" (לֵ֤ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·my·servant" (אֶל־עַבְדִּ֣י, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "to·my·servant" (אֶל־עַבְדִּ֣י), "you·shall·build·Me" (תִּבְנֶה־לִּ֥י), "for·me·to·dwell" (לְשִׁבְתִּֽי). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·you·shall·say" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "to·my·servant" (root איל, 202x in II Samuel); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 151x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: לֵ֤ךְ [go] (50) + וְאָֽמַרְתָּ֙ [and·you·shall·say] (647) + אֶל־עַבְדִּ֣י [to·my·servant] (117) + אֶל־דָּוִ֔ד [to·David] (45) + כֹּ֖ה [thus] (25) + אָמַ֣ר [said] (241) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + הַאַתָּ֛ה [are·you] (411) + תִּבְנֶה־לִּ֥י [you·shall·build·Me] (497) + בַ֖יִת [house·of] (412) + לְשִׁבְתִּֽי [for·me·to·dwell] (742) = 3213.
Metzudat David
Will you. And will you build Me a house, in astonishment, and means: it is enough for you in all the goodness that I have already done for you, as he finishes and continues in the verses following:
Malbim
The Questions: In Nathan's prophecy, in its entirety, there are many repetitions, and many words that are disordered and irrelevant to the subject on account of which he was sent. For what does it matter that He said, "I have not dwelt in a house," etc.? Did they not know that it is a positive commandment to build the Temple, and that it would necessarily be built in the days of one king? And regarding His claim, "I took you from the pasture," etc., "and I was with you and cut off your enemies, and I will make for you a name"—all of this does not necessitate that the house not be built. And why, up to "ve'asiti lecha" [and I will make for you a name], does it speak in a past form inverted to future — "vaeheyeh imcha" and "va'akhritah" [I was with you, and I cut off (your enemies)] — whereas from "ve'asiti" [I will make] onward it speaks in the plain past form, and does not say "ve'e'eseh lecha shem" [and I will make for you a name, in future form]? And how is this connected to the future prophecy, "and I will appoint a place"? And what is said, "And from the day that I commanded judges," is difficult to understand. And what is said, "And the Lord has declared to you," is an unrefined expression, implying that He had already declared this to him. Yet in the verse where it is clarified that the Lord said to David, "Because you have shed much blood and have made many wars, you shall not build the house," when did He declare this to him? And why is this reason not mentioned here?
"Shall you build Me a house to dwell in?" This implies that you needed two conditions for the building of the House: 1. That there be a king in Israel who would reign with an established, uninterrupted kingdom; 2. That they have definitive rest. Now, until this time, they had judges who were also chosen by all Israel. There was a difference between them and the king in that the judge was only for a temporary time, and his authority did not extend to his sons after him, unlike the king, whose kingdom is inherited by his sons, as it is written, "That he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his sons." Now, although David was chosen as king and anointed by the word of a prophet (whereas the judge was not chosen and anointed by the word of a prophet), nevertheless, since it was not yet assured that the kingdom would be his by inheritance, his status was close to that of the judges or to the kingdom of Saul, which was not an established kingdom. Therefore, it was not yet fitting to build a reliable and enduring house. Likewise, regarding the second condition of rest, although he had rest at that time, it was only for a temporary period. Were it not that even in the days when the judges judged, they also had rest, as it is written (Judges 2:18): "And the Lord raised up judges, and the Lord was with the judge and saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge... and it came to pass when the judge died..." Since, upon the death of the judge, their enemies returned to harass them with war, and the enemy was not completely cut off but only subdued before the judge while he was alive, not before the children of Israel, who immediately upon the death of the judge were fought against—this is not called rest. Likewise, even in the days of David, the enemies were not cut off but only subdued before David, not before the people of Israel, and he himself was still prepared for many wars, as it is written in the following chapter. Now, the house built permanently depicts the rest and permanence in which the Lord will dwell among His people in rest and tranquility, opposite the tent and the Tabernacle, which indicated that He still would not dwell permanently. This was either because the people had not yet purified themselves from their sins and were sinning time and again, as it is written there, "And it came to pass when the judge died, they returned and corrupted themselves more than their fathers," whereby He would remove His Divine Presence from them each time. Or because, through their sins, they were sold into the hand of the enemy, and upon their return in repentance, He would need to fly over them like flying birds to redeem them from distress, which is depicted by movement and dwelling in a temporary tent. According to this, the time was not yet for the Temple to be built, neither on account of David's kingdom, which until then was not fixed, and this is what is written, "Shall you build Me a house," nor on account of rest, for the time had not yet come to dwell in rest, and this is what is written, "to dwell in."
for I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle.
verse value 4398
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 69 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "from·Egypt" (מִמִּצְרַ֔יִם, 6 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "I·have·dwelt" (יָשַׁ֙בְתִּי֙), "to·day·of" (לְ֠מִיּ֠וֹם), "I·brought·up" (הַעֲלֹתִ֞י). The root יום appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·I·was" (root היה, 153x in II Samuel); "for" (root כי, 110x in II Samuel); "in·the·house·of" (root בית, 97x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root בני ("the·sons·of") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'this', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 4 words.
Rashi
In a tent and in a tabernacle. The Tabernacle of Shiloh did not have a roof—only a house of stones below, and curtains above.
Metzudat David
For I have not dwelt. That I have not dwelt in a house from the day etc., means: behold until now I have not dwelt etc., and you will build Me, in astonishment:
Malbim
For he did not explain that in these two matters their nature has not changed now; if regarding the matter of rest he says, "For I have not sat in a house since the day I brought up [the children of Israel from the land of Egypt]," meaning that My Presence was always unsettled, concerning which he said, "And I was walking in a tent and a tabernacle," meaning in a tent in the wilderness and in a tabernacle in the days of Shiloh, Nob, and Gibeon, for there was no rest until now, as it is stated in verse 9:
Cross-references: I Samuel 2:35; I Chronicles 17:5
In all places wherein I have walked among all the children of Israel, spoke I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed My people Israel, saying: Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?
verse value 8956
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 96 letters. The shortest word is "to·me" (לִ֖י, 2 letters) and the longest is "wherein·I·walked·about" (אֲשֶֽׁר־הִתְהַלַּ֘כְתִּי֮, 10 letters). Words sharing gematria 541: Israel, Israel. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "wherein·I·walked·about" (אֲשֶֽׁר־הִתְהַלַּ֘כְתִּי֮), "among·all·sons·of" (בְּכׇל־בְּנֵ֣י), "I·spoke" (דִּבַּ֗רְתִּי). The root כל appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "wherein·I·walked·about" (root אשר, 188x in II Samuel); "word" (root דבר, 107x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'saying', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 5 words.
Rashi
Did I speak. It is a language of wonder; therefore it is pointed with a hatef patach on the heh, and the dalet is without a dagesh (rafe).
Radak
"one of the tribes of Israel." The judges of Israel and their king, as it is said, "The scepter shall not depart from Judah," just as it is stated, "Whom I commanded to shepherd My people Israel," and the judge or the king is the shepherd. Likewise, in its place in Chronicles, it says, "one of the judges of Israel."
Metzudat David
In all that I walked. In all the places that I walked etc., did I speak to the special one among them, the judge who was appointed to shepherd My people, and say to him: Why have you not built Me a house in this place, and I will no longer dwell in a tent? And if so, know from this that the building of the house is reserved for the one who will build it, and not everyone who wishes to build may come and build, for if it were entrusted to all, I would have commanded it long ago:
Malbim
"In every case, and if the matter concerns the king, is it not true that in all the ways I walked among all the children of Israel, when they already had judges ruling over Israel like you, I spoke the word to one of the tribes of Israel (from the language of 'tribe' meaning rulers, and in Chronicles it is written 'judges of Israel'). Even though I commanded them to shepherd My people, nevertheless I spoke the word, saying: 'Why have you not built Me a house of cedars?' If it had been possible to build a house of cedars in the days of the judges, I would have spoken and warned about this. And therefore, since it was not possible in their days because they were not established, for this very same reason it is also not possible to build it in your days, as will be explained."
Now therefore thus shall you say to My servant David: Thus says Hashem of hosts: I took you from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over My people, over Israel.
verse value 4657
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 77 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֤ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "upon·Israel" (עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "to·my·servant" (לְעַבְדִּ֣י), "I·brought·you" (לְקַחְתִּ֙יךָ֙), "from·the·pasture" (מִן־הַנָּוֶ֔ה). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "thus·you·shall·say" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "of·David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "to·be" (root היה, 153x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root צאן ("the·flock") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·flock', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 4 words.
Rashi
From the fold. The shepherds' fold, as (Zephaniah 2:6): 'meadows, wells of the shepherds.'
Radak
"From the fold." Sheepfolds are called "naveh," as it is stated: "Pastures, cottages for shepherds, and folds for flocks" [Zeph. 2:6]. And Targum Yonatan: "min dira" ["from the fold"], as it is stated in the Mishnah: "One who gathers a flock into the fold [dir]."
Metzudat David
And now. Meaning: since it is a great matter, say to My servant David: behold much goodness have I done with you, for I took you from the pasture etc.:
Metzudat Zion
The fold. Sheepfolds, as (Isaiah 65:10): "and Sharon shall become a pasture of flocks."
Malbim
"And now, thus shall you say to My servant David," to show him that the two reasons mentioned, for which the Temple had not been built until now, still apply to him even at this time: whether from the perspective of the king, whose kingdom is still not firmly established. And this is explained both from the perspective of the beginning of his kingship, "I took you from the pasture, from behind the sheep," meaning you are not a king, son of a king, for you were a shepherd of sheep; and from the perspective of your current kingship, "I took you to be a ruler over My people," meaning you are currently only a ruler over them, and they have not accepted you in such a manner that you would reign an enduring kingdom for generation after generation (for until now, this had not been promised to him).
And I have been with you whithersoever you did go, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make you a great name, like to the name of the great ones that are in the earth.
verse value 4956
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 67 letters. The shortest word is "name" (שֵׁ֣ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·enemy" (אֶת־כׇּל־אֹיְבֶ֖יךָ, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, that. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "you·went" (הָלַ֔כְתָּ), "and·I·cut·off" (וָאַכְרִ֥תָה), "all·enemy" (אֶת־כׇּל־אֹיְבֶ֖יךָ). The root אשר appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 188x in II Samuel); "and·I·was" (root היה, 153x in II Samuel); "you·went" (root הלך, 96x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·your·face', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 7 words.
Rashi
Like the name of the great ones. This is what they call 'Shield of David.'
And I have cut off all your enemies. And therefore it came to your mind to build the house, as is written in the Torah.
Radak
Like the great ones. The great kings, as it is stated, “And the fame of David went out into all lands.” And our Sages of blessed memory expounded this as referring to those who say “Magen David,” just as they say “Magen Avraham.”
Metzudat David
A great name. To become famous throughout the world, like all the great ones of all time, men of renown. And our Sages of blessed memory said (Pesachim 117b): this is what is said, the Shield of David:
Malbim
"And I was, and if from the aspect of rest, behold, the enemies of the Lord have not ceased even now; rather, I have been with you in all that you went, and I have cut off all your enemies before you, because you prevailed over them, and they were not utterly destroyed, for wars will dwell throughout all days, only that you will defeat them. And they did not cease because of Israel, but only because of you. And this is like the example that was in the days of the Judges, which is not rest. And I did after speaking with him rebukes, and showed him that his kingdom and his rest would still be shaken like a hut. He returned to announce to him that even though its beginning is small, its end will be exceedingly great. (1) If in the matter of kingship, and I did (meaning: I will do) for you a great name like the name of the great ones who are in the land, whose name is preserved forever, so will I establish for you an eternal kingdom. And so in the matter of rest as well, the matter will change for the good. And about this it said:"
And I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be disquieted no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as at the first,
verse value 5774
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 77 letters. The shortest word is "and·not" (וְלֹ֥א, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·not·again" (וְלֹֽא־יֹסִ֤יפוּ, 8 letters). 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "and·I·will·put" (וְשַׂמְתִּ֣י), "place" (מָ֠ק֠וֹם), "to·my·people" (לְעַמִּ֨י). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "as" (root אשר, 188x in II Samuel); "to·my·people" (root עם, 90x in II Samuel); "for·Israel" (root ישראל, 77x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root שום ("and·I·will·put") in II Samuel. First appearance of the root רגז ("tremble") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'again', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 5 words.
Rashi
And I will appoint a place. I still desire to grant rest, that it be calm and peaceful for My people in the days of your son.
Radak
“And I will give them a place.” Yet He had already given them a place, for they were in the Land of Israel. Rather, its meaning is as its Targum: “And I will prepare a place,” meaning that their dwelling will be secure and good: the heavens will yield their dew, and the earth will yield its produce, and the land will be a blessing. Similarly, “And I will plant them,” as its Targum renders: “And I will establish them,” meaning that just as I settled them in the land, they shall be firmly rooted in it, so that they will not be exiled from it. This is akin to what is said regarding the future: “And I will plant them upon their land,” just as a planted tree remains fixed in the earth in its place. Likewise, he explains the subsequent phrase, “And it shall dwell under it,” meaning in its place, just as [it says], “they dwelt, each man in his place.”
“And they shall tremble no more.” This means that they shall not be displaced from their place, as the Targum [Yonatan] renders: “and they shall not shake again.” For trembling (rogez) is the opposite of rest, as it is written: “I had no rest, and trouble came.” “The foundations of the heavens shall shake.”
“to afflict them.” And in Chronicles it is written “to destroy them,” and the matter is one. And in the words of our Sages of blessed memory, it is written “to afflict them” and it is written “to destroy them.” Initially, “to afflict them,” and finally, “to destroy them,” for they interpreted: “And I will set a place for My people” regarding the Temple. And so it is said in the midrash: Rabbi Shmuel bar Rabbi Yitzhak said: When the Temple is rebuilt, its foundations will be established forever, as it is said, “And I will set a place for My people Israel, and I will plant them,” etc. And he said: Initially, when the Temple is built, He said that the enemy will not afflict them; but finally, when they sinned after the Temple was built, He said that He will not destroy them completely, but the enemy will afflict them as punishment for their sins.
"As at the first." Before I had appointed judges for them, and even from the day that I commanded them to have judges, iniquitous people would oppress them; but from now on, since kingship has come upon them, iniquitous people will no longer oppress them, and I will give you rest from all your enemies.
Metzudat David
"And I will set a place." In your days, I established a fixed and permanent resting place for My people Israel, and I planted them upon their land, and they dwelled in their place.
And it shall not tremble. It shall no longer quake to be shaken from it:
"As at the first." This means: before the establishment of the judges.
Metzudat Zion
He shakes. A matter of movement from the place where it rests, and so (I Samuel 28:15): why have you disturbed me?
To afflict him. From the word affliction.
Malbim
“And I will appoint a place” means to say that from the days of Moses until the completion of the conquest and the division [of the land] at the end of the days of Joshua, Israel had no fixed place at all; rather, they were moving and wandering. This was depicted in the Tabernacle in the wilderness, which traveled in a tent that was moved from place to place. Afterwards, when they conquered and divided [the land], they already had a place in the Land of Israel, but they did not have rest, because they had to battle enemies at their gates all the days of the Judges until the days of Solomon. This was depicted in the Tabernacles of Shiloh, Nob, and Gibeon, in that although there was a house below, it was under a tent above. Now everything will change for the good: “And I will appoint a place for My people Israel,” that they will be fixed in their place and not be driven out by the foot of an enemy.
2. “And I will plant them, and they shall dwell under it” — that they will be like a tree planted by streams of water, dwelling in its place; so too they will not need to go outside their borders to fight with their enemies. “And they shall not be shaken” — these verses parallel one another: “And I will appoint a place” corresponds to “and they shall not be shaken anymore,” as in the time when they were moving and wandering, sated with trembling. “And I will plant them, and they shall dwell under it,” etc., “and the children of evil shall not afflict them anymore,” as in the beginning.
even from the day that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel; and I will cause you to rest from all your enemies. Moreover Hashem tells you that Hashem will make you a house.
verse value 4083
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 74 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·you" (לְךָ֖, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·from·the·day" (וּלְמִן־הַיּ֗וֹם, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 50: to·you, to·you. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "and·from·the·day" (וּלְמִן־הַיּ֗וֹם), "judgment" (שֹֽׁפְטִים֙), "and·I·will·give·rest" (וַהֲנִיחֹ֥תִי). The root לך appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 188x in II Samuel); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 151x in II Samuel); "upon·nation" (root על, 121x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root שפט ("judgment") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·all·your·enemies', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 6 words.
Rashi
And from the day that I commanded. Attached to the upper [statement]—and they shall not afflict him any more as at first, before the judges, and as they did from the days of the judges until now.
And I will give you rest. Even more, until you rest from all your enemies.
And the Lord makes known to you. Today through me—that a house shall be made for you to set your son upon your throne, and a royal house shall be established for you, and he shall build the house.
Radak
“For the LORD will make a house for you.” A royal house; and Targum [Yonatan] renders: “For a house of kingship the LORD will establish for you.”
Metzudat David
"And from that day." This refers back to the preceding scriptural verse, to say: They shall no longer afflict Israel in your days, as they afflicted them at first, before the judges were established, and [even] during the time of the judges.
"And I will grant you rest." For it says, "I will grant you rest from all your enemies."
"And the Lord has told you." Furthermore, this is what the Lord has done for you: He has told you that He will make a house for you, meaning a royal house for you and your descendants after you, as Abigail said (1 Samuel 25:28): "For [the Lord] will surely make etc. a sure house." If so, how greatly has He done good to you, and these things alone are sufficient for you, even if you do not build the House.
Malbim
And from the day that I commanded judges: The sense of the verse is that he would not tremble, and the children of iniquity would not continue to afflict him, as it was at first, before the judges judged; and also afterward, from the day that I commanded judges onward, he had constant trembling and affliction. And here too the statements are parallel: “he would not tremble” as at first, and “the children of iniquity would not continue to afflict him” (as) from the day that I commanded judges. It informed him that at the end of his days he would find rest from his enemies, as it is stated, “And I will give you rest from all your enemies.” And then he would establish a place for the people of Israel, so that they would have definitive rest. This would be depicted in a fixed place chosen for the Temple of the Lord, in the threshing floor of Ornan, which would be built in the days of Solomon. From then on, when the place of the Temple was revealed, the wars ceased, and his son Solomon was a man of rest. Now, at that time when He showed him the place of the Temple in the threshing floor of Ornan, David began to prepare all the needs of the House, as it is stated (in I Chronicles 22). But why he himself did not build the House in his old age is not explained here. And in Chronicles there it is written: “And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: ‘You have shed much blood and waged great wars; you shall not build a house to My name. Behold, a son shall be born to you; he shall be a man of rest,’” etc., “he shall build a house to My name.” Since he was a man of wars until his old age, he was not called a man of rest who would build the House, which signifies peace and rest — only Solomon, who had rest from his youth, [was fit for this]. And here this is not explained, because He told him this detail in another, specific prophecy, or revealed it to him through the Holy Spirit (for wherever it says, “And the word of the Lord came to me,” it is a lesser degree of prophecy, as I have written elsewhere). And this is what is written: “And the Lord will tell you” — meaning that this was told on another occasion: “For the Lord will make you a house,” meaning that you will not build His house, but He will build your house, in place of your desire to build His house; and there He told you the reason, as mentioned in Chronicles.
When your days are fulfilled, and you shall sleep with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, that shall proceed out of your body, and I will establish his kingdom.
verse value 5487
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 67 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "kingdom" (אֶת־מַמְלַכְתּֽוֹ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, and·I·will·establish. 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "are·fulfilled" (יִמְלְא֣וּ), "your·days" (יָמֶ֗יךָ), "and·you·shall·lie·down" (וְשָֽׁכַבְתָּ֙). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 188x in II Samuel); "for" (root כי, 110x in II Samuel); "your·days" (root יום, 78x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root מלא ("are·fulfilled") in II Samuel. First appearance of the root מעה ("from·your·loins") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·your·loins', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 2 words. Full calculation: כִּ֣י [for] (30) + יִמְלְא֣וּ [are·fulfilled] (87) + יָמֶ֗יךָ [your·days] (80) + וְשָֽׁכַבְתָּ֙ [and·you·shall·lie·down] (728) + אֶת־אֲבֹתֶ֔יךָ [with·your·fathers] (834) + וַהֲקִימֹתִ֤י [and·I·will·maintain] (571) + אֶֽת־זַרְעֲךָ֙ [seed] (698) + אַחֲרֶ֔יךָ [after·you] (239) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [that] (501) + יֵצֵ֖א [will·go·out] (101) + מִמֵּעֶ֑יךָ [from·your·loins] (180) + וַהֲכִינֹתִ֖י [and·I·will·establish] (501) + אֶת־מַמְלַכְתּֽוֹ [kingdom] (937) = 5487.
Radak
"When they are filled." This is not language of blessing; rather, its meaning is: "When your days are filled and you lie down with your fathers, I will establish your seed after you." And it is possible to interpret it as language of blessing, promising that he will die an old man, full of days, and these are the long days of human life, which are generally seventy years, as it is written: "The days of our years are in them seventy years." And David lived seventy years, as it is written: "He was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years." And similarly, he interpreted "I will fill the number of your days" as it is written in the verse: "Or his day will come and he will die." And in the midrash: "When your days are filled" — I count for you complete days, not deficient days.
“Which came out of your womb.” From here we learn that Absalom and Adonijah were not [the ones referred to], for they had already been born in Hebron. And regarding the one who was still to be born, it was said that he would be king, yet David still did not know who he was until Solomon was born, and He [God] sent to him, by the hand of the prophet Nathan, that he should be named Jedidiah. Only then did David know that Solomon would reign. This is what he said to Bathsheba: “Your son Solomon shall reign after me.” Or perhaps He told him explicitly through the prophet Nathan. And although it is not stated in Nathan's prophecy, neither in this book nor in the Book of Chronicles, behold, it is written in Chronicles when David recounts the prophecy that Nathan told him, as it says: “And the word of the Lord came to me, saying... 'Solomon shall be his name, and I will grant peace and quiet to Israel in his days.'”
Ralbag
And it relates that David's seed that will arise after him will establish his kingdom's throne forever, and even though he sin to Him, His kindness shall not depart from him in a way that the kingdom cease from him completely, as it ceased from Saul.
Metzudat David
When your days are fulfilled. Rather, when your days are fulfilled etc.:
Malbim
For after He had informed him concerning the matter of the rest, He promised him concerning the matter of the kingdom that it would be eternal for him. Regarding this it is said, “The Lord will make you a house.” And He explained to him in this matter seven things: 1. “When your days are fulfilled” — that his days would be fulfilled until the age of seventy years; 2. “And you shall lie down with your fathers” — that he would not be killed in battle; 3. “And I will establish your seed after you” — and not that his son would reign over him during his lifetime, as was the case with Absalom; 4. “Who comes out of your loins” — He informed him that the son destined to reign had not yet been born, as it is stated in Chronicles: “Behold, a son is born to you,” etc.; 5. “And I will establish his kingdom” — that immediately upon his accession to the throne, he would establish his kingdom firmly in his hand with all strength.
Cross-references: I Kings 1:8; Psalms 21:4; Psalms 119:25; I Chronicles 17:11
He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever.
verse value 2645
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 37 letters. The shortest word is "he" (ה֥וּא, 3 letters) and the longest is "he·will·build·house" (יִבְנֶה־בַּ֖יִת, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 536: and·I·will·establish, his·kingdom. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "he·will·build·house" (יִבְנֶה־בַּ֖יִת), "to·My·name" (לִשְׁמִ֑י), "and·I·will·establish" (וְכֹנַנְתִּ֛י). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·My·name" (root שם, 63x in II Samuel); "he" (root הוא, 53x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·My·name', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: ה֥וּא [he] (12) + יִבְנֶה־בַּ֖יִת [he·will·build·house] (479) + לִשְׁמִ֑י [to·My·name] (380) + וְכֹנַנְתִּ֛י [and·I·will·establish] (536) + אֶת־כִּסֵּ֥א [throne] (482) + מַמְלַכְתּ֖וֹ [his·kingdom] (536) + עַד־עוֹלָֽם [until·long duration] (220) = 2645.
Metzudat David
"He shall build." For it is to him that the magnification of the Name in the building of the Temple is ascribed.
“Forever.” “To his seed after him.”
Malbim
6. "He shall build a house for My name," because he will establish his kingdom in such a manner that he will be able to build the Temple, for he will have great wealth and servants to bear burdens. Moreover, he will be able to build it with intent for the sake of Heaven, which David could not do, as he had no rest. And the reason for this is stated in *Artzot HaShalom*, Derush 2, and in the commentary on Kings (section 5). 7. "And I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever." The word *vekhonanti* ("and I will establish") denotes the completion of the building. For after He said *vehakhinothi* ("and I will prepare"), wherein "preparation" refers to the beginning of the kingdom, He states that He will establish the throne in such a way that the kingdom will endure forever.
Cross-references: Psalms 21:5; Psalms 89:3; I Chronicles 17:12
I will be to him for a father, and he shall be to Me for a son; if he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men;
verse value 2728
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 62 letters. Notable word values: "and·he" (וְה֖וּא) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "I" (אֲנִי֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·chasten·him" (וְהֹֽכַחְתִּיו֙, 7 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "I·will·be·to·him" (אֶֽהְיֶה־לּ֣וֹ), "to·father" (לְאָ֔ב), "shall·be·to·Me" (יִֽהְיֶה־לִּ֣י). The root היה appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 188x in II Samuel); "I·will·be·to·him" (root היה, 153x in II Samuel); "man" (root איש, 140x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root עוה ("in·his·committing·iniquity") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·son', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 8 words. Full calculation: אֲנִי֙ [I] (61) + אֶֽהְיֶה־לּ֣וֹ [I·will·be·to·him] (57) + לְאָ֔ב [to·father] (33) + וְה֖וּא [and·he] (18) + יִֽהְיֶה־לִּ֣י [shall·be·to·Me] (70) + לְבֵ֑ן [to·son] (82) + אֲשֶׁר֙ [that] (501) + בְּהַ֣עֲוֺת֔וֹ [in·his·committing·iniquity] (489) + וְהֹֽכַחְתִּיו֙ [and·I·will·chasten·him] (455) + בְּשֵׁ֣בֶט [in·rod·of] (313) + אֲנָשִׁ֔ים [man] (401) + וּבְנִגְעֵ֖י [and·with·stripes·of] (141) + בְּנֵ֥י [son] (62) + אָדָֽם [man] (45) = 2728.
Rashi
With a rod of men. This is Hadad and Rezon the son of Eliada.
And the blows of men. This is Ashmedai, who removed him from his kingdom; and the demons are the offspring of the first man—for all the hundred and thirty years that Adam separated from his wife after the death of Hevel, the spirits would go into heat and bear from him (Yalkut Shimoni, remez 146).
Radak
“With a rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men.” Just as people discipline their sons with a rod and strike them with a rod of discipline, not to kill them—as it is stated, “If you strike him with the rod, he shall not die,” and “do not set your heart on his death”—therefore He said, “I will be to him as a father, and he shall be to Me as a son,” and I will chastise him in his error, just as a father disciplines his son. And not that I will withdraw My kindness from him, as I did with Saul, from whom I took the kingship. Rather, the kingship shall be for his sons forever. And this applies to all the seed of David—not only to Solomon, but also to Rehoboam and to those who descend from him, their sons and their sons' sons. And our Sages of blessed memory interpreted it regarding Solomon, and they said: “With a rod of men” refers to Hadad and Rezon son of Eliada, as it is stated, “And the Lord raised up an adversary to Solomon…” And “with the stripes of the children of men” refers to the harmful spirits that drove him from his kingdom, as they said: “Ashmedai came and drove him from his kingdom.” And they explained “children of men” because they said that demons were born from Adam in that 130-year period during which he was separated from his wife.
Metzudat David
"לאב" – like a father who disciplines his son with a rod, and not to kill him, meaning he should not take his life.
“Beha’oto” – When he sins before Me, I will afflict him with the rod and with sores, by which people are afflicted.
Metzudat Zion
In his transgression. From the word sin.
And I will correct him. A matter of the discipline of striking, as (Habakkuk 1:12): "and O Rock, You have established him to correct."
With a rod. With a staff.
And with the stripes. Meaning: with the blow, and it doubles the matter in different words.
Malbim
"I—inasmuch as He promised him the eternity of the kingship, and we have already explained in the commentary on Tehillim (Psalm 89), which is specific to this matter, that the kingdom of the House of David was established upon two pillars, which are kindness and faithfulness. And faithfulness is that which will be done for him by virtue of the promise and in consideration of his deeds, and kindness is that which will be done from the aspect of kindness alone, without any consideration of his deeds. And these two can be conceived to be nullified at times: if the faithfulness, it will be nullified if he returns and corrupts his deeds in a manner such that he will not be worthy of that good which was decreed for him according to his deeds; and if the kindness, it will be nullified if another person is found more worthy of this kindness, as was the case with Saul and David. He informed him that he need not worry about this. Regarding the aspect that the faithfulness might be nullified due to evil deeds, He said, 'I will be to him a father,' etc., 'when he errs,' meaning that He will watch over him with compassion, like a father over his son; immediately as he begins to corrupt his path, immediately He will reprove him and return him to the good path, in a matter such that He will not allow him to collapse to the extent that He would remove His faithfulness from him. And He was precise to say that He would be to him a father first, and thereby he would be to Me a son, and not the reverse. For every one who serves the Lord out of love is considered to the Lord as a son on account of his deeds. But when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness, he will no longer be called a son, but rather a servant who has sinned against his master. But here, 'I will be to him a father' first, not in consideration of his deeds, but like a natural father, in whom the fact that he is a father precedes the fact that the other is his son. And from this aspect, I will watch over him so that I will always be to him a father, and that he will not come to commit great sins, for immediately when he errs, I will reprove him. And He explained that by virtue of reproving him immediately through His supervision over him, He will not need to discipline him with cruel anger and a flood of wrath, but only to reprove him with the rod of men, meaning with a rod with which men are struck, not with a whip for horses, and with natural afflictions common to human beings, meaning in the human species according to its nature, not afflictions that depart from human nature. And in the aforementioned psalm, He explained, 'I will punish their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with afflictions,' meaning that for transgression, which is rebellion, He will reprove with the rod, and for iniquity, which is denial and corruption of intellect, He will reprove him with afflictions that cling to his body, just as iniquity is more internal than transgression, for it is a sin of the intellect, which is the essence of man."
Cross-references: I Samuel 17:55; Psalms 2:7; Psalms 89:33; Proverbs 4:3
but My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before you.
verse value 3620
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 45 letters. The shortest word is "with" (מֵעִ֣ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "not·shall·turn·aside" (לֹא־יָס֣וּר, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 675: I·removed, I·put·away. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "and·my·mercy" (וְחַסְדִּ֖י), "not·shall·turn·aside" (לֹא־יָס֣וּר), "from·your·face" (מִלְּפָנֶֽיךָ). The root סור appears 3 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "as" (root אשר, 188x in II Samuel); "with" (root עם, 90x in II Samuel); "from·your·face" (root פנים, 68x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 7 words. Full calculation: וְחַסְדִּ֖י [and·my·mercy] (88) + לֹא־יָס֣וּר [not·shall·turn·aside] (307) + מִמֶּ֑נּוּ [from·him] (136) + כַּאֲשֶׁ֤ר [as] (521) + הֲסִרֹ֙תִי֙ [I·removed] (675) + מֵעִ֣ם [with] (150) + שָׁא֔וּל [Saul] (337) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [that] (501) + הֲסִרֹ֖תִי [I·put·away] (675) + מִלְּפָנֶֽיךָ [from·your·face] (230) = 3620.
Metzudat David
And My steadfast love. But I will not remove My steadfast love from him to loathe him, as I removed My steadfast love from Saul, who on account of his sin I removed him from before you, that you should take his kingship:
Malbim
And My kindness: Likewise, the kindness is not revoked because another person is found who is more worthy of that kindness. Regarding this it is said, “And My kindness shall not depart from him, as I removed it from Saul” — [Saul,] whom I removed from before you, because you were more worthy of the kindness.
And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure for ever before you; your throne shall be established for ever.’
verse value 2022
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 45 letters. The shortest word is "your·house" (בֵּיתְךָ֧, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·your·kingdom" (וּמַֽמְלַכְתְּךָ֛, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 220: until·long duration, until·long duration. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "and·will·be·supported" (וְנֶאְמַ֨ן), "your·house" (בֵּיתְךָ֧), "and·your·kingdom" (וּמַֽמְלַכְתְּךָ֛). The root עולם appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "it·will·be" (root היה, 153x in II Samuel); "your·house" (root בית, 97x in II Samuel); "to·your·face" (root פנים, 68x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·your·face', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְנֶאְמַ֨ן [and·will·be·supported] (147) + בֵּיתְךָ֧ [your·house] (432) + וּמַֽמְלַכְתְּךָ֛ [and·your·kingdom] (556) + עַד־עוֹלָ֖ם [until·long duration] (220) + לְפָנֶ֑יךָ [to·your·face] (190) + כִּֽסְאֲךָ֔ [throne] (101) + יִהְיֶ֥ה [it·will·be] (30) + נָכ֖וֹן [established] (126) + עַד־עוֹלָֽם [until·long duration] (220) = 2022.
Radak
“And your house shall be established.” It is in the nifal past tense, like “it was established” from “I will fasten him as a peg in a sure place,” and Targum [Yonatan] renders: “and your house shall be established.”
Before You. As Your throne is established before You today, so shall it be forever.
Metzudat David
And your house shall be established. And the permanence of your house and your kingdom shall be forever, as it is today before you, so shall your throne be established forever:
Metzudat Zion
And established. A matter of establishment, as (Isaiah 22:23): a nail in a sure place.
Malbim
"And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you" means to say that although it may be conceivable, as stated above, that the covenant of kindness and faithfulness might cease, this is not conceivable here. For the covenant of kindness and faithfulness that I have promised to the generations of your descendants is contingent upon the faithfulness, which is the promise that I have made to you. According to this, "your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you" means that since Your Name is called upon it, and it is the reward of Your righteousness, as in the verse "Your righteousness shall go before You," therefore it is faithful and shall not depart at any time. Likewise, although the throne may be interrupted at times during the period of the exiles, nevertheless it shall not be interrupted forever. And if the throne of your descendants is interrupted, your throne shall not be interrupted, in accordance with what I explained regarding the verse "I will establish your throne for all generations," namely that the throne of David, upon which King David himself will sit in the days of the Messiah, who is David himself, remains standing. And this is what is written: "Your throne shall be established forever."
According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak to David. .
verse value 1372
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 39 letters. Notable word values: "vision" (הַחִזָּי֣וֹן) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "so" (כֵּ֛ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·words" (הַדְּבָרִ֣ים, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 70: as·them·of, so. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "the·words" (הַדְּבָרִ֣ים), "and·according·to·all" (וּכְכֹ֖ל), "vision" (הַחִזָּי֣וֹן). The root כל appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·David" (root איל, 202x in II Samuel); "the·words" (root דבר, 107x in II Samuel); "as·them·of" (root כל, 95x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'this', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: כְּכֹל֙ [as·them·of] (70) + הַדְּבָרִ֣ים [the·words] (261) + הָאֵ֔לֶּה [these] (41) + וּכְכֹ֖ל [and·according·to·all] (76) + הַחִזָּי֣וֹן [vision] (86) + הַזֶּ֑ה [this] (17) + כֵּ֛ן [so] (70) + דִּבֶּ֥ר [spoke] (206) + נָתָ֖ן [Nathan] (500) + אֶל־דָּוִֽד [to·David] (45) = 1372.
Metzudat David
Thus said Nathan. Meaning: even though at first he agreed with him and said to him: all that is in your heart, do it, he was not ashamed to return and rebuke him regarding the word of the Lord:
Metzudat Zion
The vision. A matter of seeing, as (Exodus 18:21): and you shall see, and it means the sight of prophecy.
Malbim
Just as all the speech was half words of reproof, and this is the first speech up to “and I will make for you a great name,” and regarding this it said “according to all the words,” and the second half from “and I will make for you” is a vision of the future that will be in the future, and regarding this it said “according to all this vision,” thus Nathan spoke to David, and he was not ashamed to say to him also the words of reproof as they were said to him:
Then David the king went in, and sat before Hashem; and he said: ‘Who am I, O Lord Hashem, and what is my house, that You have brought me thus far?
verse value 2246
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 62 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "who?" (מִ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "you·brought·me" (הֲבִאֹתַ֖נִי, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: Hashem, Hashem. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "you·brought·me" (הֲבִאֹתַ֖נִי), "until·here" (עַד־הֲלֹֽם). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "king" (root מלך, 242x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root מי ("who?") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 10 words.
Rashi
And he sat before the Lord. Before the ark.
Until here. Until the point that You made me king.
Radak
“And he sat before the Lord.” Before the Ark. And from here our Sages of blessed memory derived that there is no sitting in the Temple Court except for the kings of the House of David. And from them, it was said that even for the kings of the House of David there is no sitting, for above there is no sitting, as it is stated: “Seraphim stood above Him,” and it is written: “And all the host of heaven stood beside Him,” and it is written: “Among these standing ones.” Above there is no sitting, yet David sat. What is the meaning of “and he sat before the Lord”? From them, it was said that he leaned himself, and from them, it was said that he settled himself in prayer.
"Who am I?" That I was worthy of kingship.
“And who is my house?” [Does this refer to] my father's house, or did he [David] say “my house” referring to his sons, meaning: “who among my sons would be worthy of the kingship?”
“Thus far.” Up to this place which You have given me the kingdom, and to my sons after me. And in the midrash: “Who am I?”—surely I come from Ammon and Moab. “Thus far”—it is not merely that I have entered the congregation, but that You have made me a king. And “thus far” refers only to kingship, as it is said: “Has another man come here yet?” And the LORD said, “Behold, he is hidden among the baggage.”
Ralbag
for You have brought me until here. That is to say, You have brought me to this station at which I am today, and I was before this a shepherd of sheep, and from there You took me. And not only is this enough for You, but You have also spoken concerning Your servant's house for the distant future, that is to say, that the kingdom shall continue for me even when my seed sin to You and distance themselves from You.
Metzudat David
"Before the Lord." Before the Ark:
And what is my house? For behold, I come from Ruth the Moabite.
Thus far. Up to the level at which I am currently situated:
Metzudat Zion
Here. Here, as (there 3:5): do not draw near here.
Malbim
And King David came and sat before the Lord, because Nathan had informed him of great tidings — that the Lord would build for him a faithful house, lasting for generations and generations, and that the kingdom would be an eternal inheritance for his seed. He came to offer praise and thanks for this, and to pray for the future. Our Sages of blessed memory said that he sat himself down in prayer, and said, "Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house?" He meant to say that kingship comes to a man either on account of his own merit or on account of the merit of his family, and neither of these was found in me. For You have brought me thus far to kingship, behold, this is only kindness.
And this was yet a small thing in Your eyes, O Lord Hashem; but You have spoken also of Your servant’s house for a great while to come; and this too after the manner of great men, O Lord Hashem.
verse value 4445
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 67 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "also" (גַּ֥ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "concerning·house·of·Your·servant" (אֶל־בֵּֽית־עַבְדְּךָ֖, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 65: my·lord, my·lord. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "and·it·was·small" (וַתִּקְטַן֩), "concerning·house·of·Your·servant" (אֶל־בֵּֽית־עַבְדְּךָ֖), "for·a·long·time" (לְמֵרָח֑וֹק). The root זאת appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "concerning·house·of·Your·servant" (root איל, 202x in II Samuel); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 151x in II Samuel); "but·You·have·spoken" (root דבר, 107x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'for·a·long·time', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 5 words.
Rashi
Also for the house of Your servant. To make my son king after me.
And this is the manner of man. In wonder—is it fitting for flesh and blood to be told thus? Another explanation: You have done for me as You did for the first man, to whom You showed the generations that would come from him.
Radak
"And You spoke also to the house of Your servant from afar." This means that I was distant and then drew near.
"Yet this seemed too little." The kingship that You have given me is not sufficient, but You have spoken of giving the kingship to the house of Your servant forever; this is [the meaning of] "to the future." And the Targum renders "to the future" as "to the World to Come."
"And this is the law of man." [I.e.,] the character of man: that is, this that You have spoken about me is [fit for] the character of a great man, and not a lowly and despised man like myself, as it is said, "Who am I, and what is my house?" (II Samuel 7:18); and likewise in Chronicles, "and You have regarded me according to the estate of a man of high degree" (I Chronicles 17:17). And the Targum: "and this befits mankind." And in the midrash: "according to the estate of a man of high degree" refers to the most excellent of the prophets. And who is this? Moses our teacher, as it is stated, "And Moses went up to God" (Exodus 19:3). Moses is the most distinguished of the prophets, and David is the most distinguished of the kings; you find that whatever Moses did, David also did: Moses brought Israel out of Egypt, and David brought Israel out of subjugation to the kingdoms; Moses split the sea for Israel, and David split the rivers for Israel, as it is stated, "when he strove with Aram Naharaim..." (Psalms 60:2); and Moses gave Israel the five books of the Torah, and David gave Israel the five books that are in Psalms.
Ralbag
And behold, this is human law, that some of them are righteous and some are wicked, and have regard for me, that Your goodness and Your love and Your kindness not be lost from my seed because of the wicked.
Metzudat David
“And it was small.” This act of kindness is still considered small in Your eyes, to the extent that You spoke concerning the house of Your servant for distant times, meaning: for future generations, in giving the kingdom to my seed forever.
"And this is the law of man." What You have spoken concerning me is the nature and description of the great man of high stature, who is distinguished among human beings, and not the nature of a lowly and despised man like me.
Metzudat Zion
Manner. A matter of description and form, and so it also says in I Chronicles (17:17): and You have regarded me according to the manner of a man of high degree; and close to this matter (Song of Songs 1:10): your cheeks are comely with rows [of jewels], and it means the pearls arranged in a beautiful form and quality.
The man. Meaning: the unique and distinguished man.
Malbim
The Questions: The words that David spoke are wondrous in their general sense and in their particulars. What was his intent in stating, "This is the law of man," and in stating, "For the sake of Your word and according to Your own heart [of Your own accord]," etc.? And how did he proceed from this to say that the Lord is great and there is none like Him? And there is no connection in his words to the matter of Israel and the Exodus from Egypt, yet he said, "The word that You spoke, establish it forever." And he added, "And do as You have spoken." And he said a second time, "And let Your word be true," and he added, "And speak to Your servant this good thing." And he said a third time, "Be pleased to bless," etc., "For You, O Lord, have spoken." For all of this is language that is doubled and redoubled.
“And it shall be small,” meaning that if a man were to ascend to kingship from a side where there is none better than him, it might be imagined that through the influence of kindness he would add to his people by bequeathing this kingship (which he merited through justice) to his seed after him. But if the kingship itself is merely an act of kindness, how could this be considered small in Your sight, that You added kindness to me and also spoke concerning the house of Your servant for distant times, to announce to me about the kingship of the descendants of my loins, who are distant in a far-off time, until the end of days? And this is the instruction for mankind. From this it is proven that this kindness and this prophecy were not for his sake alone, but rather it is the instruction for mankind in general. That is to say, that what the Lord chose in the house of David, and “the stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner,” is not a particular kindness toward David, but rather a general matter among the comprehensive affairs that the Lord prepared in His hidden wisdom for the course of the perfection of the human species in general. Just as He chose Israel from among all nations, and the house of Aaron from among all the seed of Israel, to serve Him and to bless in His name, so too He chose a permanent royal house to endure forever, in such a way that He prepared this in His hidden wisdom and will for the sake of the general public. It is a link in the great chain of causes and effects that encompass all existents, times, and species, for the sake of their perfection until the end of days. To the extent that our Sages of blessed memory attributed this to the seven things that were created before the world, one of which is the name of the Messiah, for upon him depends the existence and perfection of the world in general. And this is what is written: “And this is the instruction for mankind.”
And what can David say more to You? for You know Your servant, O Lord Hashem.
verse value 2092
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 44 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "David" (דָּוִ֛ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·what·can·he·add" (וּמַה־יּוֹסִ֥יף, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "and·what·can·he·add" (וּמַה־יּוֹסִ֥יף). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 151x in II Samuel); "Your·servant" (root עבד, 109x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·You', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: וּמַה־יּוֹסִ֥יף [and·what·can·he·add] (217) + דָּוִ֛ד [David] (14) + ע֖וֹד [more] (80) + לְדַבֵּ֣ר [to·speak] (236) + אֵלֶ֑יךָ [to·You] (61) + וְאַתָּ֛ה [and·you] (412) + יָדַ֥עְתָּ [you·knew] (484) + אֶֽת־עַבְדְּךָ֖ [Your·servant] (497) + אֲדֹנָ֥י [my·lord] (65) + יֱהֹוִֽה [Hashem] (26) = 2092.
Rashi
And what more can David ask of You. What more can I ask?
You know Your servant. You have given me all my needs, as (Proverbs 12:10): 'A righteous man knows the life of his beast.'
Radak
"And You know Your servant." You know the heart of Your servant, and I do not know how to speak of what is in my heart, but You know. And the Targum: "And You have granted the request of Your servant." The explanation is that "know" here is used in the sense of "What is man, that You should know him?"
Metzudat David
And what more will he add? Henceforth, I have no further question to ask you, neither concerning myself nor concerning my descendants.
"And you." Since you have known and shown compassion to your servant, to do for me such a thing without my asking or requesting it:
Metzudat Zion
Known. A matter of love and mercy, as (Amos 3:2): only you have I known.
Malbim
And what, and if so, what will David add from the fact that he is David, an individual person, to speak further to You? For if I were to marvel and ask, "Who am I, and what is my house?"—is it not so that You know Your servant? Is it not a matter that is placed within Your supreme knowledge, which is infinite?
For Your word’s sake, and according to Your own heart, have you wrought all this greatness, to make Your servant know it.
verse value 2903
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "Your·word" (דְּבָֽרְךָ֙, 4 letters) and the longest is "all·the·greatness" (כׇּל־הַגְּדוּלָּ֖ה, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "Your·word" (דְּבָֽרְךָ֙), "and·like·Your·heart" (וּֽכְלִבְּךָ֔), "all·the·greatness" (כׇּל־הַגְּדוּלָּ֖ה). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Your·servant" (root עבד, 109x in II Samuel); "Your·word" (root דבר, 107x in II Samuel); "you·did" (root עשה, 79x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'this', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 2 words.
Rashi
For Your word. To fulfill what You said to Samuel—to make me king.
And according to Your heart. It is Your will, not that I am worthy.
To make known to Your servant. The good tidings that You told me.
Radak
"Because of Your word and Your heart." "Because of Your word" that You said to Samuel, to make me king, and "Your heart," and according to Your will You acted, for I am not worthy of this, but rather You desired me. And it is also possible to interpret "because of Your word and Your desire" as a repetition of the idea in order to strengthen it.
“all the greatness.” It is written with a vav and a dagesh, and its partners we have written in the book Miklal and in the section of grammar:
"To make known to Your servant" – that is, You desired to make known to Your servant all this greatness that You spoke concerning me and my seed after me.
Metzudat David
For Your word's sake. Meaning: behold I am not worthy of all this greatness, but on account of Your decree and will You have done this greatness for me, and even to inform me of all these things, as though they came to fulfill the reward of my deeds. And he was marveling to himself saying, and was the kindness not enough for me, until You also informed me of what will be afterward:
Malbim
"Because of Your word and of Your own accord, You have done this": He added to strengthen this matter from the aspect that the Lord informed him of this specifically through a prophet, for a prophet is not sent except either to warn against impending evil in order to bring [people] to repentance, or to warn and advise concerning the matter of the Lord—what to do and from what to refrain—and the like. But to inform an individual of a good that is destined to come upon him and his offspring, the Lord does not send a prophet specifically, for a prophet is not sent by the Lord except for a necessity (only if it is necessary that the prophet be tested thereby, that he is a true prophet, since he is not tested except through prophecy of good), as all this is written in detail in the commentary on Jeremiah (chapter 28) in Jeremiah's argument with Hananiah ben Azzur. And according to this, it was wondrous in David's eyes why the Lord sent [a prophet] to inform him of this matter through a prophet. And from this he understood that it is one of the comprehensive matters concerning the perfection of the nation from beginning to end, and it is like all the prophecies that the prophets prophesied concerning the days of the Messiah and the rectification of the world in the future time. That the Lord informed [us] of these great consolations and promises through many prophets was not for the sake of that generation, but rather to inform [us] of His counsel, His thoughts, and His governance from beginning to end. And this is what is written: "Because of Your word and of Your own accord, You have done this great thing," to inform Your servant that this information is not for my sake, but for the sake of Your word and Your hidden will—to reveal what You desired and decreed from the beginning to the end.
Cross-references: I Samuel 13:14; I Chronicles 17:19
Therefore You are great, O Hashem God; for there is none like You, neither is there any God beside You, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
verse value 2657
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 58 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "in·them" (בְּכֹ֥ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "that·we·heard" (אֲשֶׁר־שָׁמַ֖עְנוּ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 86: God, like·you, God. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "you·are·great" (גָּדַ֖לְתָּ), "for·nothing" (כִּֽי־אֵ֣ין), "like·you" (כָּמ֗וֹךָ). The root אין appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·we·heard" (root אשר, 188x in II Samuel); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 151x in II Samuel); "therefore" (root על, 121x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root גדל ("you·are·great") in II Samuel. First appearance of the root כמו ("like·you") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'God', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 8 words. Full calculation: עַל־כֵּ֥ן [therefore] (170) + גָּדַ֖לְתָּ [you·are·great] (437) + יְהֹוָ֣ה [Hashem] (26) + אֱלֹהִ֑ים [God] (86) + כִּֽי־אֵ֣ין [for·nothing] (91) + כָּמ֗וֹךָ [like·you] (86) + וְאֵ֤ין [and·nothing] (67) + אֱלֹהִים֙ [God] (86) + זוּלָתֶ֔ךָ [beside·You] (463) + בְּכֹ֥ל [in·them] (52) + אֲשֶׁר־שָׁמַ֖עְנוּ [that·we·heard] (967) + בְּאׇזְנֵֽינוּ [in·our·ears] (126) = 2657.
Radak
"Therefore You are great, O Lord God." "Therefore"—since I comprehend Your understanding and Your will, I have come to know that You are great over all, and none can know Your thoughts; and I have come to know that there is none like You, nor any God besides You.
"As all that we have heard with our ears, and as all that we have known from our hearts, we have recognized that there is none like You, and there is no God besides You." And the Targum: "As all that we have heard said before us," meaning: what we have heard the ancients who preceded us say, in the manner of "Ask your father, and he will tell you; your elders, and they will say to you."
Ralbag
Great, therefore, O Lord God. That is to say, the knowledge of the future is Yours alone, and You call the generations from the beginning, as mentioned in the book of Isaiah. And there is none like You who knows with certainty all that is renewed, for the other intellects have knowledge of some of the laws of existents and their order and their correctness. But comprehensive knowledge of it [i.e., of all that occurs] is not possible except for God alone, may He be blessed, as we explained in the fifth [book] of the Wars of the Lord.
Metzudat David
Therefore. This means: Because we cannot attain to know the depth of the thoughts of Your kindness, therefore we know that You are exceedingly great, and human understanding cannot reach the end of Your deeds.
"For there is none like You." In order to evaluate from Him the depth of Your thoughts:
As we have heard. As all the wondrous things that we have heard:
Malbim
Therefore, You have been magnified, O Lord God, and this is Your greatness: that the Lord is described as great because He is the One who connects all causes and effects, and His will shines upon them from beginning to end. He is the beginning of causes and the end of effects, for there is none like You. For all the powers to which You have given dominion within existence have limits, measures, and bounds. And there is no God besides You, for even those gods—namely, all the exalted powers, the upper princes, the stars, and their dominion—are not other than You. For Your spirit is that which gives life and guides them all, in such a way that You determine all things, even to the end of their effects, from the beginning of antiquity.
And who is like Your people, like Israel, a nation one in the earth, whom God went to redeem to Himself for a people, and to make Him a name, and to do for Your land great things and tremendous, even for you, [in driving out] from before Your people, whom You did redeem to You out of Egypt, the nations and their gods?
verse value 7045
Insights
Verse structure: 26 words, 112 letters. Notable word values: "one" (אֶחָ֖ד) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "to·Himself" (ל֣וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "went·God" (הָלְכֽוּ־אֱ֠לֹהִ֠ים, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, that. 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "like·your·people" (כְעַמְּךָ֙), "like·Israel" (כְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל), "nation" (גּ֥וֹי). The root עם appears 3 times in this verse. 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 188x in II Samuel); "went·God" (root הלך, 96x in II Samuel); "like·your·people" (root עם, 90x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root גוי ("nation") in II Samuel. First appearance of the root לכם ("to·you") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·land', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 20 words.
Rashi
Who went, a god. Moshe and Aharon, as is said (Exodus 7:1): 'I have made you a god to Pharaoh'; and so Yonatan translated: 'That messengers went from before the Lord.'
To redeem for Himself a people. Thus the messengers said to Israel: the Holy One Blessed Be He sent us to redeem for Himself a people, and to set for Himself a name, and to do for you greatness.
And awesome things. You did to Your land after they went out from there; and what are the awesome things? 'Before Your people'—to drive out nations and their gods; and this verse lacks 'to drive out,' and in Chronicles (I 17:21) it is explained: 'To drive out, from before Your people whom You redeemed from Egypt, the nations and their gods'—and it is not a deficiency, for from what is heard in 'before Your people, nations,' we hear the language of troubling and driving out.
Radak
"And who is like Your people, like Israel?" Just as there is none like You among the gods, so too there is none like Your people, Israel, among the nations.
"Whom God went." [The Hebrew] "went" is in the plural, as an expression of honor, like "Let Israel rejoice in its Maker"; and in Chronicles [it is written in the singular], "whom God went." And the Targum: "that messengers went forth from before the LORD." And in the midrash: "whom God went" [singular] — this refers to the Holy One, blessed be He; "whom God went" [plural] — this refers to Moses and Aaron.
"And to make a name for Him." The explanation of "for Him" is that it refers to God, to magnify Him in the mouths of people who did not know Him, like Pharaoh, who said, "Who is the LORD, that I should heed His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD..." Therefore God said, "And I will be honored through Pharaoh." This is what is meant by "to make a name for Him"; and in Chronicles it says, "to make a name for Yourself."
"And to make for you." He speaks in reference to Israel.
“Ha-gedulah.” This too is with a vav and dagesh:
"To Your land." This refers either to Israel or to the Divine Name; and the explanation is: You performed great and awesome deeds for them until they came to Your land. And the Targum [Yonatan]: "until they went up to the land of the dwelling of Your Presence, which You gave to them."
“Before Your people.” When they entered Your land, You drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people, and [these are] the awesome deeds that You performed for them. And so it is stated in Chronicles: “to drive out before Your people.”
"Goyim and their gods." Explanation: From the nations and from their gods; and the letter mem in "from Egypt" serves in place of two or three [words]. Or the explanation is: "And You shall strike the nations and their gods," as it is written, "Against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments." Or the explanation is: "Goyim" refers to Israel, namely, those whom You redeemed from Egypt—the nations, their elders, and their leaders—and he said "goyim" in the plural language, meaning the tribes of Israel, as it says, "Benjamin among your peoples." And "their gods" is like "You shall not curse a judge," whose explanation is judges. And Jonathan did not translate "goyim and their gods." And it is possible that his opinion was like the opinion of some of our Sages of blessed memory, who explained "and their gods" as referring to the Name, Blessed be He, in the manner of "In all their affliction He was afflicted." And they said "goyim and their gods" as it were, that He is redeemed together with them. Because of this, they did not translate it.
Ralbag
And who is like Your people Israel, one nation on earth. Unique in the service of God, for He is going to redeem them for Himself as a people. And for this He did many miracles in bringing them out of the land of Egypt in order that they be His people, and He be their God. And He did also wonders and terrible things in giving them the land of Israel.
whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, from the peoples and their gods. That is to say, Israel destroyed peoples and their gods at the time they inherited the land. Or he means that those terrible things He did for His people, some of them were to destroy peoples and some to destroy their gods, as was explained concerning the matter of Dagon at the beginning of this book.
Metzudat David
"And who is like Your people" – This implies: Since there is none other than You, then who among the nations is as blessed and distinguished as Your people, Israel, who are a unique nation in the land?
"To redeem Him a people." To redeem [Israel] from Egypt, so that they would be a people for Him.
“And to give him a name.” To publicize his name in the world.
"And to make for you." To Israel He speaks in the second person.
“And awesome things to Your land.” This refers to performing wondrous and awesome things for Your land at the time of the conquest, to drive them out from before Your people, etc. And this is a concise verse.
"Goyim and their gods." From "goyim" [we learn that] they were the men of Egypt, and from "their gods" [we learn that] they could not withstand them, neither they nor their gods.
Metzudat Zion
God went. Since in every place 'Elohim' is stated in the plural, it also says 'went' in the plural, to match the words; and so (I Samuel 4:8): these mighty gods, and there are many like it.
From Egypt, the nations and their gods. The mem of mi-Mitzrayim serves both 'goyim' and 'v'eilohav', as if he said 'from Egypt, from nations and from their gods'.
Malbim
And who is like Your people Israel, after He has clarified that this announcement is the eternity of the Kingdom of the House of David, which is the Torah of man and the path of perfection for all of the House of Israel as a whole. Since He saw in His wisdom and in His exalted will to choose the House of David to take from its seed a ruling scepter, He added that according to this, it is the path of perfection for the creation in its entirety. For after the House of Israel is the heart of the creation and its unique portion, and the House of David was prepared to be the heart and unique portion for the House of Israel, therefore from them life and perfection extend to existence in general. And regarding this He said, "And who is like Your people Israel, one nation on earth," meaning that they are the heart of all the nations of the lands, the idolaters and star-worshippers, and they are all like husks in comparison to them, just as the heart is the one that gives life to the body. And He explained this from three proofs:
1. From the aspect of its beginning, that God went Himself to redeem for Himself a people, like a king who goes himself to redeem his only son from the house of captivity, as it is stated (Isaiah 63:9), "In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them," meaning by Himself and not through an agent.
2. From the aspect of the multitude of signs and wonders, whose purpose was to establish for Him a name and to do for you greatness. Through them, the Name of the Lord became known, that He destroys nature and rules over it, and the greatness of Israel, that He did all this for their sake. In His presence, the Name of the Lord and the greatness of Israel are dependent on one another.
3. And terrors to Your land because of Your people, for afterward He performed terrors in the Holy Land, casting His fear upon the inhabitants of the land because of the people of the Lord whom He redeemed from Egypt. Nations and their gods (the Lamed of "to Your land" also refers downward to "terrors to Your land" regarding "nations and their gods")—He drove out before them many nations and their gods. And our Sages of blessed memory expounded that "and his God" is holy, connecting it back to "whom You redeemed": that He redeemed the nations, who are Israel, and his God, who was in exile [with them].
And You did establish to Thyself Your people Israel to be a people to You for ever; and You, Hashem, became their God.
verse value 3118
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 50 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·you" (לְ֠ךָ֠, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·You·established" (וַתְּכ֣וֹנֵֽן, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 50: to·you, to·you. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "and·You·established" (וַתְּכ֣וֹנֵֽן), "with" (אֶת־עַמְּךָ֨). The root לך appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "you·were" (root היה, 153x in II Samuel); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 151x in II Samuel); "to·the·people" (root עם, 90x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'until·long duration', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַתְּכ֣וֹנֵֽן [and·You·established] (532) + לְ֠ךָ֠ [to·you] (50) + אֶת־עַמְּךָ֨ [with] (531) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֧ל [Israel] (541) + לְךָ֛ [to·you] (50) + לְעָ֖ם [to·the·people] (140) + עַד־עוֹלָ֑ם [until·long duration] (220) + וְאַתָּ֣ה [and·you] (412) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + הָיִ֥יתָ [you·were] (425) + לָהֶ֖ם [to·them] (75) + לֵאלֹהִֽים [for·God] (116) = 3118.
Metzudat David
Forever. For He will not replace them nor exchange them:
Malbim
And having established, by way of this introduction, that Israel is one nation and the Lord’s treasure in His world, and that the House of David was prepared to be a treasure from among all Israel, he began to pray: Just as You have established Israel for Yourself as a people forever, so too may You establish the House of David forever. This is what is written: “And You have established Your people Israel for Yourself as a people forever.” Therefore,
And now, O Hashem God, the word that You have spoken concerning Your servant, and concerning his house, confirm You it for ever, and do as You have spoken.
verse value 4504
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 58 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֨ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·concerning·his·house" (וְעַל־בֵּית֔וֹ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 606: You·have·spoken, You·have·spoken. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "concerning·Your·servant" (עַֽל־עַבְדְּךָ֙), "and·concerning·his·house" (וְעַל־בֵּית֔וֹ). The root דבר appears 3 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 188x in II Samuel); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 151x in II Samuel); "concerning·Your·servant" (root עבד, 109x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'until·long duration', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְעַתָּה֙ [now] (481) + יְהֹוָ֣ה [Hashem] (26) + אֱלֹהִ֔ים [God] (86) + הַדָּבָ֗ר [the·word] (211) + אֲשֶׁ֨ר [that] (501) + דִּבַּ֤רְתָּ [You·have·spoken] (606) + עַֽל־עַבְדְּךָ֙ [concerning·Your·servant] (196) + וְעַל־בֵּית֔וֹ [and·concerning·his·house] (524) + הָקֵ֖ם [raise·up] (145) + עַד־עוֹלָ֑ם [until·long duration] (220) + וַעֲשֵׂ֖ה [and·do] (381) + כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר [as] (521) + דִּבַּֽרְתָּ [You·have·spoken] (606) = 4504.
Metzudat David
Established forever. That the kingship shall be forever from his seed:
Malbim
"And You, O Lord, God, the word which You spoke concerning Your servant and concerning his house, establish it forever." And regarding the concern that perhaps they will sin, He did as He had said, as it is written: "I will be to him as a father, and he shall be to Me as a son; when he sins, I will reprove him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men. But My lovingkindness shall not depart from him."
And let Your name be magnified for ever, that it may be said: Hashem of hosts is God over Israel; and the house of Your servant David shall be established before You.
verse value 3030
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 63 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "your·name" (שִׁמְךָ֤, 3 letters) and the longest is "upon·Israel" (עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "and·be·magnified" (וְיִגְדַּ֨ל), "your·name" (שִׁמְךָ֤). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "it·will·be" (root היה, 153x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְיִגְדַּ֨ל [and·be·magnified] (53) + שִׁמְךָ֤ [your·name] (360) + עַד־עוֹלָם֙ [until·long duration] (220) + לֵאמֹ֔ר [saying] (271) + יְהֹוָ֣ה [Hashem] (26) + צְבָא֔וֹת [hosts] (499) + אֱלֹהִ֖ים [God] (86) + עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [upon·Israel] (641) + וּבֵית֙ [and·the·house·of] (418) + עַבְדְּךָ֣ [your·servant] (96) + דָוִ֔ד [David] (14) + יִהְיֶ֥ה [it·will·be] (30) + נָכ֖וֹן [established] (126) + לְפָנֶֽיךָ [to·your·face] (190) = 3030.
Metzudat David
And Your name shall be magnified. And thereby Your name shall be magnified forever, for all will say, that forever He is the God of Israel, and even the house of David is established before Him for rest forever, and there is no change, God forbid, to return from His word:
Malbim
"And Your name shall be great," meaning that through the children of Israel, with whom He conducted Himself in a wondrous, providential manner, He made for Himself a name. Just as the Lord established natural, orderly governance from the heavenly host as a decree that shall not pass, so too He established, in parallel to it, miraculous governance ordered according to the deeds of the people of the Lord and their service, whereby He will shatter all the celestial order. And this governance the Lord will conduct Himself, not through intermediaries, and thereby it will be known by name that He is the Master and the Guide. Just as in natural governance the sun rules the heavens and is the head of all the stars that emanate through it, so too in providential governance through Israel, He prepared the House of David, whose throne is like the sun before Him, to govern the Lord's order as the sun governs the celestial order, and they will all revolve around it. And just as the instruments through which He conducts natural governance are eternal, so too it is fitting that the instruments through which He conducts providential governance be everlasting, namely the House of Israel and the House of David. As Jeremiah wrote (31:35–36): "Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for light by day... If these decrees depart from before Me... then the seed of Israel shall cease," and there (33:20): "If you break My covenant of the day... so also will I break My covenant with David My servant, so that he shall have no son to reign on his throne." It is clear that both are similar to the instruments through which He conducts general governance, such that if they were abolished, all existence would cease. This is what is written: "And Your name shall be great forever," saying: "The Lord of Hosts, God over Israel," meaning that through them He is God, conducting a unique governance according to His desire and will. And "the house of Your servant David shall be established before You," referring to those who sit first in the kingdom of heaven in this divine governance.
For You, O Hashem of hosts, the God of Israel, have revealed to Your servant, saying: I will build you a house; therefore has Your servant taken heart to pray this prayer to You.
verse value 6148
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 87 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֨ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "house·of" (בַּ֖יִת, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·prayer" (אֶת־הַתְּפִלָּ֖ה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 96: your·servant, your·servant. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "you·uncovered" (גָּלִ֜יתָה), "ear" (אֶת־אֹ֤זֶן), "I·will·build·for·you" (אֶבְנֶה־לָּ֑ךְ). The root עבד appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 151x in II Samuel); "therefore" (root על, 121x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·will·build·for·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 8 words.
Radak
"A house I will build for you." As its Targum [Yonatan] renders it: "I will establish a kingdom for you."
"Therefore has Your servant found his heart." His finding [of heart] was directed toward praying to You.
Metzudat David
For You etc. have revealed. Meaning: since You have revealed to me that You will build me a house of kingship, for this I found my heart to pray concerning it, and had it not been so, my heart would not have been inclined to approach to pray concerning such a great matter:
Metzudat Zion
Prepare. A matter of provision, and so (Leviticus 9:13): and they brought the burnt offering.
Malbim
"Because You, and lest he consider this as arrogance and haughtiness of heart, that he exalts himself to this degree, he will say: 'I did not devise this from my own spirit; rather, it is You, O Lord, who are the God of Israel, through Your providence that clings to them, through Your wondrous guidance, that You revealed to the ear of Your servant, saying, "I will build you a house." From this I understood that You have chosen me for this rank. Therefore, Your servant found it in his heart...'"
And now, O Lord Hashem, You alone are God, and Your words are truth, and You have promised this good thing to Your servant;
verse value 3375
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 59 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "truth" (אֱמֶ֑ת, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·good·thing" (אֶת־הַטּוֹבָ֖ה, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "You·are·He" (אַתָּה־הוּא֙), "and·your·words" (וּדְבָרֶ֖יךָ), "truth" (אֱמֶ֑ת). The root דבר appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·your·servant" (root איל, 202x in II Samuel); "they·will·be" (root היה, 153x in II Samuel); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 151x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root אנתה ("You·are·He") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'truth', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְעַתָּ֣ה [now] (481) + אֲדֹנָ֣י [my·lord] (65) + יֱהֹוִ֗ה [Hashem] (26) + אַתָּה־הוּא֙ [You·are·He] (418) + הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים [God] (91) + וּדְבָרֶ֖יךָ [and·your·words] (242) + יִהְי֣וּ [they·will·be] (31) + אֱמֶ֑ת [truth] (441) + וַתְּדַבֵּר֙ [and·You·spoke] (612) + אֶֽל־עַבְדְּךָ֔ [to·your·servant] (127) + אֶת־הַטּוֹבָ֖ה [the·good·thing] (428) + הַזֹּֽאת [this] (413) = 3375.
Rashi
You are the God. You are the Ruler, and in Your hand is the power to fulfill.
Radak
"And your words shall be truth." He stated this as a form of prayer, or alternatively, it means that they are true; and so did Jonathan render it: "They are true."
Metzudat David
"You are God." If so, the power is in Your hand to fulfill Your words.
"And Your words shall be truth." I also know that You will fulfill Your words:
"And You have spoken, etc." I also knew that You, O Lord, have spoken this good thing concerning me, for the words of Nathan the prophet are the words of God.
Malbim
"And now, O Lord" – The explanation of Maharia [Abarbanel]: For an objector might say that, since David multiplied prayer concerning this matter, it indicates that there was a lack of faith in him, and that he was uncertain whether regarding God's power – that He could not prevail over him – or regarding a change of will that might be found in Him, or whether he was in doubt concerning the prophecy of the prophet, whether it was the word of God. Now, to remove this doubt, David further said, "And now, O Lord, You are God," and thereby he acknowledged God's power; "and Your words are true" – meaning that it is impossible for them to undergo change on Your part; "and You spoke to Your servant this good thing" – and thereby he acknowledged the truth of the prophecy that was spoken to him.
now therefore let it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue for ever before You; for You, O Lord Hashem, have spoken it; and through Your blessing let the house of Your servant be blessed for ever.’
verse value 5214
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 76 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "now" (וְעַתָּ֗ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·from·your·blessing" (וּמִבִּרְכָ֣תְךָ֔, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 176: to·ever, to·ever. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "be·pleased" (הוֹאֵל֙), "and·bless" (וּבָרֵךְ֙), "and·from·your·blessing" (וּמִבִּרְכָ֣תְךָ֔). The root ברך appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·be" (root היה, 153x in II Samuel); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 151x in II Samuel); "your·servant" (root עבד, 109x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·your·face', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 8 words.
Rashi
Be pleased. Be pleased.
Radak
"Ho'el." [This is] an expression of desire and will, as in "Vayo'el Moshe" ["and Moses agreed," Exodus 2:21], "Ho'el na velin" ["be willing, please, and lodge," Judges 19:6], "Hineh na ho'alti" ["behold, I have now ventured," Genesis 18:27]. And the Targum [Yonatan renders our verse] with the language of "beginning": "sharei," just as Onkelos translated "hineh ho'alti," the first [occurrence, Gen. 18:27], as "shareiti" ["I began"].
"to be forever before You" – that they shall serve before You.
"Your servant's house [shall be] forever." He said this about himself, like the others. And the Targum [renders]: "And from Your blessing, the righteous houses of Your servant shall be blessed forever."
Metzudat David
"And now." This implies: "Since this is so, there is no longer need to pray about the matter." However, my request is: "I pray, bless... that they may be forever before You." This implies: "Bless them with a pure heart to walk in Your Torah, so that they may be worthy to receive this great kindness."
"For You, etc., have spoken." And it shall not return void, but I only ask that the house of Your servants be blessed with Your blessings forever, so that they may be those who fear the Lord and contemplate His Name, lest the kingdom depart from them due to their sin.
Metzudat Zion
Willed. Wished and desired, as (Exodus 2:21): and Moses was willing.
Malbim
And now, however, he said that the need of his prayer was not that God should fulfill His word, but rather that He should will that the House of David be blessed so that they would always be righteous, in such a way that they would forever be before You worthy to receive divine grace. For he knew that the promise would not be revoked except on account of the recipients, since divine promises are conditional upon the preparation of those who receive them. And this is what is written: "For You, O Lord, have spoken and promised good," and it is impossible that this should change on Your part. And on this basis he said, "And by Your blessing the house of Your servant shall be blessed forever," meaning that through Your blessing of them, they would be forever before You—that is to say, righteous ones who walk before God—and thus they would always be worthy to receive blessing and good from You.
Rashi
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim