2 Samuel 12:1

Geneva Bible (1560)

Then the Lorde sent Nathan vnto Dauid, who came to him, and sayd vnto him, There were two men in one citie, the one riche, and the other poore.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וַיִּשְׁלַ֧ח יְהוָ֛ה אֶת־נָתָ֖ן אֶל־דָּוִ֑ד וַיָּבֹ֣א אֵלָ֗יו וַיֹּ֤אמֶר לוֹ֙ שְׁנֵ֣י אֲנָשִׁ֗ים הָיוּ֙ בְּעִ֣יר אֶחָ֔ת אֶחָ֥ד עָשִׁ֖יר וְאֶחָ֥ד רָֽאשׁ

Transliteration

wə-yišlaḥ YHWH ʾet-nātān ʾel-dāwid wə-yābōʾ to-him wə-yōʾmer to-him, šənê ʾănāšîm hāyû in-ʿîr one, one ʿāšîr wə-ʾeḥād rāʾš

Grammar Details

• *wə-yišlaḥ*: conjunction + Qal imperfect 3rd masculine singular - and he sent
• *YHWH*: proper noun - Yahweh, the LORD
• *ʾet-nātān*: direct object marker + proper noun - Nathan (literally: 'the one who gives')
• *ʾel-dāwid*: preposition + proper noun - to David
• *wə-yābōʾ*: conjunction + Qal imperfect 3rd masculine singular - and he came
• *wə-yōʾmer*: conjunction + Qal imperfect 3rd masculine singular - and he said
• *šənê*: cardinal number, construct state - two of
• *ʾănāšîm*: common noun, masculine plural - men
• *hāyû*: Qal perfect 3rd common plural - they were
• *ʿîr*: common noun, feminine singular - city
• *ʿāšîr*: adjective, masculine singular - rich
• *wə-ʾeḥād*: conjunction + cardinal number - and one
• *rāʾš*: adjective, masculine singular - poor

Word Meanings

• *ʾet-nātān*: Nathan (lit: 'gift', 'the one who gives')
• *rāʾš*: poor/impoverished/destitute

Referenced Verses

• 1 Kgs 20:35-41 : 35 Then a certaine man of the children of the Prophets sayd vnto his neighbour by the comandement of the Lord, Smite me, I pray thee. But the man refused to smite him. 36 Then sayd he vnto him, Because thou hast not obeyed the voyce of the Lorde, beholde, as soone as thou art departed from me, a lyon shall slay thee. So when he was departed from him, a lyon found him and slew him. 37 Then he founde another man, and sayde, Smite mee, I pray thee; the man smote him, and in smiting wounded him. 38 So the Prophet departed, & wayted for the King by the way, & disguised himselfe with ashes vpon his face. 39 And when the King came by, he cried vnto the King, and said, Thy seruant went into the middes of the battel: and beholde, there went away a man, whom another man brought vnto me, and sayd, Keepe this man: if he be lost, and want, thy life shall go for his life, or els thou shalt pay a talent of siluer. 40 And as thy seruant had here and there to do, he was gone: And the King of Israel said vnto him, So shall thy iudgement be: thou hast giuen sentence. 41 And hee hasted, and tooke the ashes away from his face: and the King of Israel knewe him that he was of the Prophets:
• 2 Kgs 1:3 : 3 Then the Angel of the Lord said to Eliiah the Tishbite, Arise, and goe vp to meete the messengers of the King of Samaria, and say vnto them, Is it not because there is no God in Israel, that ye goe to enquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron?
• Ps 51:1-9 : 1 To him that excelleth. A Psalme of Dauid, when the Prophet Nathan came vnto him, after he had gone in to Bath-sheba. Haue mercie vpon me, O God, according to thy louing kindnes: according to the multitude of thy compassions put away mine iniquities. 2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquitie, and clense me from my sinne. 3 For I know mine iniquities, and my sinne is euer before me. 4 Against thee, against thee onely haue I sinned, and done euill in thy sight, that thou mayest be iust when thou speakest, and pure when thou iudgest. 5 Beholde, I was borne in iniquitie, and in sinne hath my mother conceiued me. 6 Beholde, thou louest trueth in the inwarde affections: therefore hast thou taught mee wisedome in the secret of mine heart. 7 Purge me with hyssope, & I shalbe cleane: wash me, and I shalbe whiter then snowe. 8 Make me to heare ioye and gladnes, that the bones, which thou hast broken, may reioyce. 9 Hide thy face from my sinnes, and put away all mine iniquities. 10 Create in mee a cleane heart, O God, and renue a right spirit within me. 11 Cast mee not away from thy presence, and take not thine holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the ioy of thy saluation, and stablish me with thy free Spirit. 13 Then shall I teache thy wayes vnto the wicked, and sinners shalbe conuerted vnto thee. 14 Deliuer me from blood, O God, which art the God of my saluation, and my tongue shall sing ioyfully of thy righteousnes. 15 Open thou my lippes, O Lorde, and my mouth shall shewe foorth thy praise. 16 For thou desirest no sacrifice, though I would giue it: thou delitest not in burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a contrite spirit: a contrite and a broken heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. 18 Bee fauourable vnto Zion for thy good pleasure: builde the walles of Ierusalem. 19 Then shalt thou accept ye sacrifices of righteousnes, euen the burnt offering and oblation: then shall they offer calues vpon thine altar.
• Isa 5:1-7 : 1 Nowe will I sing to my beloued a song of my beloued to his vineyarde, My beloued had a vineyarde in a very fruitefull hill, 2 And hee hedged it, and gathered out the stones of it, and he planted it with the best plants, and hee builte a towre in the middes thereof, and made a wine presse therein: then hee looked that it should bring foorth grapes: but it brought foorth wilde grapes. 3 Now therefore, O inhabitants of Ierusalem and men of Iudah, iudge, I pray you, betweene me, and my vineyarde. 4 What coulde I haue done any more to my vineyard that I haue not done vnto it? why haue I looked that it should bring foorth grapes, and it bringeth foorth wilde grapes? 5 And nowe I will tell you what I will do to my vineyarde: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten vp: I will breake the wall thereof, and it shall be troden downe: 6 And I will laye it waste: it shall not be cut, nor digged, but briers, and thornes shall growe vp: I will also commande the cloudes that they raine no raine vpon it. 7 Surely the vineyard of the Lord of hostes is the house of Israel, and the men of Iudah are his pleasant plant, and hee looked for iudgement, but beholde oppression: for righteousnesse, but beholde a crying.
• Isa 57:17-18 : 17 For his wicked couetousnesse I am angry with him, and haue smitten him: I hid mee and was angry, yet he went away, and turned after the way of his owne heart. 18 I haue seene his wayes, and wil heale him: I wil leade him also, & restore comfort vnto him, and to those that lament him.
• Matt 21:33-45 : 33 Heare another parable, There was a certaine housholder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, & made a winepresse therein, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a strange countrey. 34 And when the time of the fruite drewe neere, hee sent his seruants to the husbandmen to receiue the fruites thereof. 35 And ye husbandmen tooke his seruants and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. 36 Againe hee sent other seruants, moe then the first: and they did the like vnto them. 37 But last of all he sent vnto them his owne sonne, saying, They will reuerence my sonne. 38 But when the husbandmen saw the sonne, they saide among themselues, This is the heire: come, let vs kil him, & let vs take his inheritance. 39 So they tooke him, and cast him out of the vineyarde, and slewe him. 40 When therefore the Lorde of the vineyarde shall come, what will hee doe to those husbandmen? 41 They saide vnto him, Hee will cruelly destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard vnto other husbandmen, which shall deliuer him the fruites in their seasons. 42 Iesus saide vnto them, Read ye neuer in the Scriptures, The stone which the builders refused, the same is made the head of the corner? This was the Lordes doing, and it is marueilous in our eyes. 43 Therefore say I vnto you, The kingdome of God shalbe taken from you, and shalbe giuen to a nation, which shall bring foorth the fruites thereof. 44 And whosoeuer shall fall on this stone, he shalbe broken: but on whomsoeuer it shal fall, it will dash him a pieces. 45 And when the chiefe Priestes and Pharises had heard his parables, they perceiued that hee spake of them.
• Luke 15:11-32 : 11 He sayde moreouer, A certaine man had two sonnes. 12 And the yonger of them sayde to his father, Father, giue mee the portion of the goods that falleth to mee. So he deuided vnto them his substance. 13 So not many daies after, when the yonger sonne had gathered all together, hee tooke his iourney into a farre countrey, and there hee wasted his goods with riotous liuing. 14 Nowe when hee had spent all, there arose a great dearth throughout that land, and he began to be in necessitie. 15 Then hee went and claue to a citizen of that conntrey, and hee sent him to his farme, to feede swine. 16 And hee would faine haue filled his bellie with the huskes, that the swine ate: but no man gaue them him. 17 Then he came to him selfe, & said, Howe many hired seruaunts at my fathers haue bread ynough, and I die for hunger? 18 I wil rise and goe to my father, and say vnto him, Father, I haue sinned against heaue, and before thee, 19 And am no more worthy to be called thy sonne: make me as one of thy hired seruants. 20 So hee arose and came to his father, and when hee was yet a great way off, his father sawe him, and had compassion, and ranne and fell on his necke, and kissed him. 21 And the sonne sayde vnto him, Father, I haue sinned against heauen, and before thee, and am no more worthie to be called thy sonne. 22 Then the father said to his seruaunts, Bring foorth the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feete, 23 And bring the fat calfe, and kill him, & let vs eate, and be merie: 24 For this my sonne was dead, and is aliue againe: and he was lost, but he is found; they began to be merie. 25 Nowe the elder brother was in the fielde, and when he came and drewe neere to the house, he heard melodie, and dauncing, 26 And called one of his seruaunts, and asked what those things meant. 27 And hee sayde vnto him, Thy brother is come, and thy father hath killed the fatte calfe, because he hath receiued him safe and sound. 28 Then he was angry, and would not goe in: therefore came his father out and entreated him. 29 But he answered & said to his father, Loe, these many yeeres haue I done thee seruice, neither brake I at any time thy commadement, and yet thou neuer gauest mee a kidde that I might make merie with my friends. 30 But when this thy sonne was come, which hath deuoured thy good with harlots, thou hast for his sake killed the fat calfe. 31 And he said vnto him, Sonne, thou art euer with me, and al that I haue, is thine. 32 It was meete that we shoulde make merie, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is aliue againe: and hee was lost, but he is found.
• Judg 9:7-9 : 7 And when they told it to Iotham, he went and stoode in the top of mount Gerizim, & lift vp his voyce, and cryed, & sayd vnto them, Hearken vnto mee, you men of Shechem, that God may hearken vnto you. 8 The trees went foorth to anoynt a King ouer them, and sayde vnto the oliue tree, Reigne thou ouer vs. 9 But the oliue tree said vnto them, Should I leaue my fatnes, wherewith by me they honour God & man, & go to aduance me aboue ye trees? 10 Then the trees sayde to the fig tree, Come thou, and be King ouer vs. 11 But the fig tree answered them, Should I forsake my sweetenesse, and my good fruite, and goe to aduance me aboue the trees? 12 Then sayd the trees vnto the Vine, Come thou, and be king ouer vs. 13 But the Vine sayde vnto them, Should I leaue my wine, whereby I cheare God and man, and goe to aduance me aboue the trees? 14 Then said all the trees vnto the bramble, Come thou, and reigne ouer vs. 15 And the bramble said vnto the trees, If ye will in deede anoynt me King ouer you, come, and put your trust vnder my shadowe: and if not, the fire shall come out of the bramble, and consume the Cedars of Lebanon.
• 2 Sam 7:1-5 : 1 Afterwarde when the King sate in his house and the Lorde had giuen him rest rounde about from all his enemies, 2 The King saide vnto Nathan the Prophet, Beholde, nowe I dwel in an house of cedar trees, and the Arke of God remayneth within the curtaines. 3 Then Nathan sayde vnto the King, Go, and doe all that is in thine heart: for the Lord is with thee. 4 And the same night the worde of the Lorde came vnto Nathan, saying, 5 Goe and tell my seruant Dauid, Thus saieth the Lord, Shalt thou buylde me an house for my dwelling?
• 2 Sam 7:17 : 17 According to all these wordes, and according to all this vision, Nathan spake thus vnto Dauid.
• 2 Sam 11:10-17 : 10 Then they tolde Dauid, saying, Vriah went not downe to his house: and Dauid saide vnto Vriah, Commest thou not from thy iourney? why didst thou not go downe to thine house? 11 Then Vriah answered Dauid, The Arke and Israel, and Iudah dwell in tents: and my lord Ioab and the seruants of my lord abide in the open fields: shal I then go into mine house to eate and drinke, & lie with my wife? by thy life, and by the life of thy soule, I will not do this thing. 12 Then Dauid sayd vnto Vriah, Tary yet this day, & to morow I will send thee away. So Vriah abode in Ierusalem that day, and the morowe. 13 Then Dauid called him, and hee did eate and drinke before him, & he made him drunke: and at euen he went out to lie on his couch with the seruants of his Lorde, but went not downe to his house. 14 And on the morowe Dauid wrote a letter to Ioab, and sent it by the hand of Vriah. 15 And he wrote thus in the letter, Put ye Vriah in the forefront of the strength of the battell, and recule ye backe from him, that he may be smitten, and die. 16 So when Ioab besieged the citie, he assigned Vriah vnto a place, where he knewe that strong men were. 17 And the men of the citie came out, and fought with Ioab: and there fell of the people of the seruants of Dauid, and Vriah the Hittite also dyed.
• 2 Sam 11:25 : 25 Then Dauid said vnto the messenger, Thus shalt thou say vnto Ioab, Let not this thing trouble thee: for the sworde deuoureth one as well as another: make thy battell more strong against the citie & destroy it, & encourage thou him.
• 2 Sam 14:5-9 : 5 Then the King sayd vnto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, I am in deede a widow, and mine husband is dead: 6 And thine handmayd had two sonnes, & they two stroue together in the fielde: (and there was none to part them) so the one smote the other, and slew him. 7 And beholde, the whole familie is risen against thine handmayde, and they sayde, Deliuer him that smote his brother, that we may kill him for the soule of his brother whome hee slewe, that we may destroy the heire also: so they shall quenche my sparkle which is left, and shall not leaue to mine husband neither name nor posteritie vpon the earth. 8 And the King said vnto the woman, Go to thine house, and I wil giue a charge for thee. 9 Then the woman of Tekoah said vnto the King, My lord, O King, this trespas be on me, & on my fathers house, and the King and his throne be giltlesse. 10 And the King sayde, Bring him to me that speaketh against thee, and he shall touche thee no more. 11 Then said she, I pray thee, let the King remember the Lorde thy God, that thou wouldest not suffer many reuengers of blood to destroy, lest they slay my sonne; he answered, As the Lord liueth, there shal not one heare of thy sonne fall to the earth.
• 2 Sam 14:14 : 14 For we must needes dye, and we are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered vp againe: neither doeth God spare any person, yet doeth he appoynt meanes, not to cast out from him, him that is expelled.
• 2 Sam 24:11-13 : 11 And when Dauid was vp in the morning, the worde of the Lord came vnto the Prophet Gad Dauids Seer, saying, 12 Go, & say vnto Dauid, Thus saith ye Lord, I offer thee three thinges, chuse thee which of them I shall doe vnto thee. 13 So Gad came to Dauid, and shewed him, and said vnto him, Wilt thou that seuen yeeres famine come vpon thee in thy lande, or wilt thou flee three moneths before thine enemies, they following thee, or that there bee three dayes pestilence in thy land? nowe aduise thee, and see, what answere I shal giue to him that sent me.
• 1 Kgs 13:1 : 1 And beholde, there came a man of God out of Iudah (by the commaundement of the Lorde) vnto Beth-el, and Ieroboam stoode by the altar to offer incense.
• 1 Kgs 18:1 : 1 After many dayes, the worde of the Lorde came to Eliiah, in the third yeere, saying, Goe, shewe thy selfe vnto Ahab, and I will sende rayne vpon the earth.
• Luke 16:19-31 : 19 There was a certaine riche man, which was clothed in purple and fine linnen, and fared well and delicately euery day. 20 Also there was a certaine begger named Lazarus, which was laide at his gate full of sores, 21 And desired to bee refreshed with the crommes that fell from the riche mans table: yea, and the dogges came and licked his sores. 22 And it was so that the begger died, and was caried by the Angels into Abrahams bosome. The rich man also died, and was buried. 23 And being in hell in torments, he lift vp his eyes, and sawe Abraham a farre off, and Lazarus in his bosome. 24 Then he cried, and saide, Father Abraham, haue mercie on mee, and sende Lazarus that hee may dippe the tip of his finger in water, & coole my tongue: for I am tormented in this flame. 25 But Abraham saide, Sonne, remember that thou in thy life time receiuedst thy pleasures, and likewise Lazarus paines: now therefore is he comforted, and thou art tormented. 26 Besides all this, betweene you & vs there is a great gulfe set, so that they which would goe from hence to you, can not: neither ca they come from thence to vs. 27 Then he said, I pray thee therfore, father, that thou wouldest sende him to my fathers house, 28 (For I haue fiue brethren) that he may testifie vnto them, least they also come into this place of torment. 29 Abraham said vnto him, They haue Moses and the Prophets: let them heare them. 30 And he sayde, Nay, father Abraham: but if one came vnto them from the dead, they will amend their liues. 31 Then he saide vnto him, If they heare not Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rise from the dead againe.