Poole on 2 Samuel 7:18-21: Thanksgiving to the Covenant God

Verse 18:[1]  Then went king David in, and sat before the LORD, and he said, (Gen. 32:10) Who am I, O Lord GOD? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?

[And he sat[2] (thus the Septuagint, Jonathan, Syriac, Arabic, Munster, Pagnine, Tigurinus)]  David sat, contrary to the custom of those praying (Rabbis in Serarius).  At which Simplicianus[3] marvels, but to him Augustine responds, Concerning Diverse Questions 2:4, that it has not been prescribed in what manner the body is to be composed for prayer, provided that the soul be present and fulfill its intention:  and so we are able to pray standing, or kneeling, or sitting, or lying prostrate (Serarius).  The Sacred Books command us to pray:  but they prescribe nothing concerning the comportment of the body (Martyr).  [To others these things do not satisfy:]  To sit here does not indicate a lazy and soft demeanor of the one praying, which was not at all fitting for the suppliant; but it signifies constancy in prayer; because a man perseveres for a longer time in sitting, rather than in standing, etc.  Unless you prefer that the King sat in the dust, as it is said in Isaiah 47; Lamentations 1; 2:10.  For David fell upon his face, says Josephus, Antiquities 7:4 (Sanchez).  [Therefore, others translate ‎יֵּשֶׁב:]  He remained (thus Osiander, Strigelius, Piscator, Vatablus) (or he stood [Vatablus]) or continued (Junius and Tremellius).  ‎יָשַׁב properly signifies this (Malvenda).  Before Jehovah, that is, he is going to be praying.  It was not lawful for anyone to pray to God sitting, except the King (Vatablus).  Thus to sit does not always signify the erect posture of the body, but rest, and abiding.  He sits (says Cajetan) quiet, more in soul than in body, before the Lord (Menochius out of Sà).  He sat, as if being about to converse longer and more familiarly with the Lord, with the Lord permitting (Menochius).

Sat:  this word may note either, first, His bodily posture, for there is no certain gesture to which prayer is limited and we have examples of saints praying in that posture, Exodus 17:12; 1 Kings 19:4; or he might sit for a season whilst he was meditating upon these things, and then alter his posture, (though it be not here expressed,) and betake himself to prayer.  Or rather, secondly, His continuance there, as this Hebrew word is oft used, as Genesis 27:44;[4] Leviticus 14:8;[5] 1 Samuel 1:22;[6] 20:19,[7] that he did not barely present himself before God but abode there for some competent time, that he might with God’s leave pour out his soul freely before him.  For howsoever one may in some cases pray sitting, yet it is most probable that David would in this holy place, and upon this occasion, use a more humble and reverent gesture, such as kneeling is, which therefore David prescribeth or adviseth, Psalm 95:6, and Solomon accordingly practiseth, 1 Kings 8:54; 2 Chronicles 6:13.

[Who am I?]  That is to say, I am of such a lowly condition!  A Synecdoche of genus (Piscator).

[O Lord God, ‎אֲדֹנָ֤י יֱהוִֺה֙]  The name ‎יְהוָה/Jehovah here has the points of ‎אֱלֹהִים/Elohim/God, because אֲדֹנָי/Adonai/Lord precedes:  which, when it occurs with יְהוָה/Jehovah, in the place of יְהוָה/Jehovah the Hebrews read אֱלֹהִים/Elohim/ God:  lest they be compelled to pronounce אֲדֹנָי/Adonai twice:  by which term they elsewhere read the word יְהוָה/Jehovah (Piscator).

[That thou hast brought me hitherto]  To such a height of dignity (Piscator).  The thou hast brought is emphatic; whereby he signifies that he was never able to aspire to that position by his own strength.  He understands, not only the royal dignity, but also all the superior blessings of God toward himself.  The impious are puffed up and are proud of the gifts of God:  but the pious are brought lower and lower.  If David was such a man and so holy a prophet; yet he was not able to merit those gifts from God, how insane are our little saints today to promise to themselves the kingdom of heaven for the sake of their own works, their own trifling little efforts (Martyr).

Who am I, O Lord GOD? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto? how indefinitely unworthy am I and my family of this great honour and happiness!

Verse 19:[8]  And this was yet a small thing in thy sight, O Lord GOD; (2 Sam. 7:12, 13) but thou hast spoken also of thy servant’s house for a great while to come.  (Is. 55:8) And is this the manner (Heb. law[9]) of man, O Lord GOD?

This, to wit, which thou hast already done for me, as he now said, that thou hast brought me hitherto, that is, to that pitch of honour, and peace, and prosperity, in which through thy favour I now stand.  This was yet a small thing in thy sight; though it was more than I deserved, or could expect, yet thou didst not think it enough for thee to give me.

[Unless thou didst speak concerning the house of thy servant for a long time[10] (similarly the Septuagint, Jonathan, Munster, Pagnine, Montanus, Junius and Tremellius, Tigurinus)]  Unto a time far in the future (Dutch, English, Menochius).  Unless thou didst predict things remote (Strigelius).  [Thus they expound ‎לְמֵרָחוֹק, from afar:]  By this term he explains what he had previously said, ‎עַד־עוֹלָם, forever (Sanchez).  The sense:  Thou hast also spoken concerning the Messiah to be born of me after many ages (Osiander).  [To which it appears to lend some support, that Jonathan renders לְמֵרָחוֹק, unto the age that comes, by which name the Hebrews are wont to indicate the age of the Messiah.]  The Syriac has it, that thou has spoken far beforehand concerning the house of thy servant.  The Arabic:  that concerning thy servant…thou hast promised, that posterity is going to continue to him.

For a great while to come; for many future ages and indeed to all eternity.

[For that is the law of Adam, O Lod God]  The sense:  just as thou entered into a covenant with Adam for himself and his posterity, so thou enterest into an agreement with me, and with my house, etc. (Menochius).  Or thus, Is this the law of Adam! that is to say, thou hast madest him liable to death, but me immortal, with the kingdom established in my family (Mariana).  ‎וְזֹ֛את תּוֹרַ֥ת הָאָדָ֖ם אֲדֹנָ֥י יֱהוִֺֽה׃, and this is the direction of Adam himself, O Lord God (Tigurinus).  And, or but, that is the law (this is the custom [Munster]) of man, O Lord God (Pagnine, Montanus).  And this is vision to the sons of man (or this was a human institution [Syriac], or this was reasonably to be reckoned to man [Arabic]), O Lord God (Jonathan).  This is the usage and custom of men, that they might abound with so great riches, honors, etc., yet not esteem themselves fully satisfied, unless it also be provided in like manner to their posterity (Tirinus out of Tostatus, Lapide, similarly Lyra).  תּוֹרַת/torah/ law here signifies scope/goal; that is to say, upon this goal men especially cast their eyes, that they might have honors, and transmit them to their offspring (certain interpreters in Martyr).  Junius and Tremellius thus translate it, and that in a human manner, etc., that is, through an altogether human institution.  Hebrew:  And this is the law, or doctrine/teaching, of man (Piscator).  The true sense:  Thou treatest familiarly with me, as men are wont to treat with men (Grotius after Junius, Menochius, Malvenda).  Thus he commends the blessings of God from their form and manner, as previously from the thing itself (Junius, Malvenda).  Such is human provision (Jonathan in Munster), that is, that they provide for their own concerning the stability of the Empire for a long time coming (Munster out of Kimchi).  תּוֹרַת/torah I take for תְּכוּנַת/arrangement (Kimchi in Munster).  By אָדָם/adam/man some understand a great man (Hebrews in Mariana).  [Yet which sort is wont rather to be called אִישׁ/man, if the ἐπίκρισις/judgment of the learned by true.]  The sense of the passage:  which is the law, that is, the condition or lot, of a man great and excellent, not of a man vile and abject, of which sort I am:  that is to say, that which thou hast spoken befits only a man noble and eminent (Vatablus).  Men great and noble promise and give great things (Serarius out of Vatablus).  But I doubt whether the name Adam might be taken in this sense.  Yet what is found in 1 Chronicles 17:17 supports this exposition (Malvenda).  Thou hast regarded me according to the disposition of excellent men, or of a distinguished man; which nevertheless could much more rightly be referred to Christ; that is to say, Thou givest to me those things, not according to my merits, but because of Christ, that select and excellent man (Martyr).  Contrariwise, to others Adam here signifies a vile man, so that the sense might be, Is this how thou dost cherish and adorn a man, earthly and vile?  Has not the law of death been brought against Adam and all mortals?  What is this, that thou willest me to be eternal in some manner? (Sanchez).  Others:  and this according to the law of men; that is, just as men are wont to dispose their house, goods, and posterity (Dutch).  Others:  Is this the custom, or manner, of men, O Lord God? (English, Dutch), that is, thus to treat with men?  The sense will be this:  Are men worthy, that thou shouldest address them in a friendly way concerning so great things?  This is too much, O too much, O Lord, Lord (Dutch).  It is an expression of admiration; that is to say, is this the condition of man, that thou shouldest embrace him with such charity? (Rabbi Salomon in Martyr).  That is best transferred to Christ:  Is this my condition, that Christ is going to be born of my stock? (Martyr).  [Others also refer this to Christ:]  I thus translate it, and this is the law of man, of God the Lord, or Jehovah; that is, I understand that thou hast spoken of such a Messiah, whose affairs shall require, that He be at one and the same time true man and eternal God (Osiander).  You see, therefore, that David rightly understood those words of God, …He shall be a son to me, and likewise, …I will set Him over my kingdom forever (Strigelius).  [Neither is it anything at which anyone would marvel, either that in this passage this was signified to David by God, who referred most things to Messiah in that ancient economy; or that this was understood by David, who was an eminent prophet; while other prophets both before and after David set forth even brighter testimonies concerning Messiah.]  And this is the institution of the man, who is the Lord God; that is to say, this is too lofty and glorious, what thou art promising, that of my blood is going to be born one equal to thee, the governor of thine eternal kingdom.  What a marvel!  Thus in 1 Chronicles 17:17 he says, Thou regardest me in the form of a man (that is, found in fashion as a man, Philippians 2:8), who in the heavenlies is the Lord God[11] (Strigelius out of Luther).  It is to be noted that the language of law among the Hebrews often signifies the mode or manner of a thing (Osiander).  Some derive תּוֹרַת/torah here from תּוֹר, to order, rather than יָרָה, to direct; and they render it, and this is the disposition, form, order, manner, series, state, degree, etc. (Malvenda).

Is this the manner of man, O Lord God? do men use to deal so freely and kindly with their inferiors, as thou hast, done with me?  No:  this is the prerogative of Divine grace, to give such promises and largesses as this.  So these are words of admiration; which very well suit with the foregoing and following words.  Or, Is this the manner, or law, or custom, of mean or obscure men, etc., as the Hebrew ‎אָדָם/adam is confessed and sometimes to signify as Psalm 49:2;[12] 62:9;[13] Isaiah 2:9;[14] that is, Is this the manner of men’s dealing with mean and obscure persons, such as I am?  So the Hebrew ‎הָאָדָם/ haadam is the genitive case of the object, which is frequent in the Hebrew and other languages.  And this seems more probable, because it exactly agrees with the parallel place, 1 Chronicles 17:17, where the words are, thou hast regarded me according to the estate of a man of high degree, that is, thou hast dealt with me as if I had been not a poor mean shepherd, but the son of some great monarch, to whom such honours best agree.

Verse 20:[15]  And what can David say more unto thee? for thou, Lord GOD, (Gen. 18:19; Ps. 139:1) knowest thy servant.

[And what will David be able yet to add, that he might speak, etc.?]  That is, What more shall David say? he is not able to say more, neither is more necessary, since thou knowest thy servant, etc. (Vatablus).  It is not necessary that I disclose with words before thee, who knowest all things, by how great a blessing I esteem myself obliged to thee; I open my heart to thee (Menochius).  Thou hast been so liberal, that there is nothing left that I might ask of thee hereafter; thou knowest thy servant, that is, what things I may require; loquaciousness is not necessary.  See Matthew 6.  This exposition is confirmed out of 1 Chronicles 17:18 (Sanchez).  What might I add to ask thee! He that promised that Christ is going to be born of my lineage, with Him will give all things[16] (Martyr).  What then, etc.?  That is to say, Thou hast given greater things than I would have dared to ask (Lyra).

[Thou knowest thy servant]  That is, thou carest for, lovest, directest, exaltest.  Thus it is explained in 1 Chronicles 17:18.  This knowledge is not speculative, but practical; just as in Matthew 25:12; 2 Timothy 2:19 (Lapide, similarly Sanchez, Martyr, Malvenda); Psalm 1:6 (Malvenda).

What can David say more unto thee? either, first, In way of gratitude and praise to thee; words cannot express my obligations to thee, nor my sense of these obligations.  Or rather, secondly, In way of prayer, as appears by the parallel place, 1 Chronicles 17:18.  What can I ask or desire of thee more than thou hast freely done?  Thou knowest thy servant; thou knowest, either, first, my deep sense of thy favours, and my obligations to thee; or rather, secondly, my condition and necessities, what I do or may need hereafter; and as thou knowest this, so I doubt not thou wilt be ready to supply me accordingly.  Compare Matthew 6:8, 32.

Verse 21:[17]  For thy word’s sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all these great things, to make thy servant know them.

[Because of thy word]  To me throught Nathan (Piscator), and through Samuel (Lapide, Sanchez, Munster):  that thou mightest fulfill thy promises (Vatablus).  Because of the promises made of old to the fathers, thou hast made me King, and hast promised the Messiah (Osiander).  Because of thy Word; that is, because of Christ, who is the eternal Word, ὁμοούσιος, of one substance, with the Father.  See 1 Samuel 3:21; 1 Chronicles 17:19.  He sets forth the cause and fountain of all the blessings of God toward the people, and toward himself, namely, the Christ (Menochius out of Junius).  The Septuagint has here, because of thy servant (but in the Complutensian it is, because of thy word), just as it occurs in 1 Chronicles 17:19.  Namely, so that thou mightest obtain a good name for him, etc.; or he speaks in this manner, because he wanted to receive the whole weight of the blessings upon himself, so that he might give thanks for them all the more (Sanchez).

For thy word’s sake; that thou mightest fulfil thy promises made to me by Samuel and Nathan, and thereby demonstrate thy faithfulness.

[And according to thine heart]  That is, thy will, thy good pleasure; because thus it was pleasing to thee (Mariana), because of thy will; that is to say, thou hast indeed wrought voluntarily; because it pleased thee (Vatablus).  That is to say, not only so that thou mightest fulfill thy promises, but voluntarily, etc.  Thus it is a correction (Malvenda); because thou art eminently good (Menochius).  This proceeds from thy liberality only, not from my dignity (Lyra).  Not one of the many blessings does David wish to be ascribed to his merits, but he relates all to the divine benignity received (Sanchez).  Thou hast furnished these things, not because of my merits, but because of thy promises (Lapide).

According to thine own heart, that is, of thine own mere liberality and good pleasure, without any desert of mine.  So far was David, though now a very gracious man, from thinking his actions meritorious.

[In such a way that thou hast made it known to thy servant, ‎לְהוֹדִ֖יעַ אֶת־עַבְדֶּֽךָ׃]  So that thou mightest make thy servant to know (Jonathan, similarly the Septuagint, Pagnine, Montanus, Munster, Tigurinus), namely, those great things, as it is read in 1 Chronicles 17:19, the greatness, that thou are going to give to my posterity (Vatablus, similarly Mariana, Piscator, Junius).  Thou art fulfilling all these things by making the greatest known to thy servant (Junius and Tremellius).  In such a way that thou hast made known, etc., through Nathan (Osiander).  By opening thy counsel to me, as a friend with a friend (Menochius).  I think אֶת־עַבְדֶּךָ, thy servant, is the dative of acquisition.  These great things are said to be known to David; that is, for David’s sake; so that men might observe and love him; or so that through those things He might show David to be His servant (Sanchez).  [This is favored by the Syriac, which thus translates it, so that thou mightest make thy servant known.]  Others thus:  so that thou mightest make known…this greatness to thy servant; he gives thanks to God, not only because he is able to enjoy and make use of the blessings of God; but because he is imbued with that illumination of soul, so that he is able to understand and to consider those things.  Thus in 1 Corinthians 2:12, we have received the Spirit, through whom we know the things that are given to us by God (Martyr).

To make thy servant know them, that is, that thy gracious and wonderful purposes of mercy towards me, which lay hid in thine own heart, might be manifested unto me and others by thy most kind words and actions.  So it agrees with 1 Chronicles 17:19.

[1] Hebrew:  ‎וַיָּבֹא֙ הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ דָּוִ֔ד וַיֵּ֖שֶׁב לִפְנֵ֣י יְהוָ֑ה וַיֹּ֗אמֶר מִ֣י אָנֹכִ֞י אֲדֹנָ֤י יְהוִה֙ וּמִ֣י בֵיתִ֔י כִּ֥י הֲבִיאֹתַ֖נִי עַד־הֲלֹֽם׃

[2] Hebrew:  ‎וַיֵּשֶׁב.

[3] Simplicianus (c. 320-c. 400) was the successor of Ambrose as Bishop of Milan.  He was instrumental in the conversions of Alypius and Augustine.

[4] Genesis 27:44:  “And tarry (‎וְיָשַׁבְתָּ, and sit) with him a few days, until thy brother’s fury turn away…”

[5] Leviticus 14:8:  “And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean:  and after that he shall come into the camp, and shall tarry (‎וְיָשַׁב, and shall sit) abroad out of his tent seven days.”

[6] 1 Samuel 1:22:  “But Hannah went not up; for she said unto her husband, I will not go up until the child be weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the Lord, and there abide (‎וְיָ֥שַׁב שָׁ֖ם, and there sit) for ever.”

[7] 1 Samuel 20:19:  “And when thou hast stayed three days, then thou shalt go down quickly, and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself when the business was in hand, and shalt remain (‎וְיָשַׁבְתָּ, and shalt sit) by the stone Ezel.”

[8] Hebrew: וַתִּקְטַן֩ ע֙וֹד זֹ֤את בְּעֵינֶ֙יךָ֙ אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֔ה וַתְּדַבֵּ֛ר גַּ֥ם אֶל־בֵּֽית־עַבְדְּךָ֖ לְמֵֽרָח֑וֹק וְזֹ֛את תּוֹרַ֥ת הָאָדָ֖ם אֲדֹנָ֥י יְהוִֽה׃

[9] Hebrew:  ‎תּוֹרַת.

[10] Hebrew:  ‎וַתְּדַבֵּ֛ר גַּ֥ם אֶל־בֵּֽית־עַבְדְּךָ֖ לְמֵֽרָח֑וֹק.

[11] 1 Chronicles 17:17:  “And yet this was a small thing in thine eyes, O God; for thou hast also spoken of thy servant’s house for a great while to come, and hast regarded me according to the estate of a man of high degree, O Lord God (וּרְאִיתַ֗נִי כְּת֧וֹר הָאָדָ֛ם הַֽמַּעֲלָ֖ה יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהִֽים׃).”

[12] Psalm 49:2:  “Both low and high (‎גַּם־בְּנֵ֣י אָ֭דָם גַּם־בְּנֵי־אִ֑ישׁ), rich and poor, together.”

[13] Psalm 62:9:  “Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie (‎אַ֤ךְ׀ הֶ֥בֶל בְּנֵֽי־אָדָם֘ כָּזָ֪ב בְּנֵ֫י אִ֥ישׁ):  to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity.”

[14] Isaiah 2:9:  “And the mean man boweth down, and the great man humbleth himself (‎וַיִּשַּׁ֥ח אָדָ֖ם וַיִּשְׁפַּל־אִ֑ישׁ):  therefore forgive them not.”

[15] Hebrew:  ‎וּמַה־יּוֹסִ֥יף דָּוִ֛ד ע֖וֹד לְדַבֵּ֣ר אֵלֶ֑יךָ וְאַתָּ֛ה יָדַ֥עְתָּ אֶֽת־עַבְדְּךָ֖ אֲדֹנָ֥י יְהוִֽה׃

[16] See Romans 8:32.

[17] Hebrew:  ‎בַּעֲב֤וּר דְּבָֽרְךָ֙ וּֽכְלִבְּךָ֔ עָשִׂ֕יתָ אֵ֥ת כָּל־הַגְּדוּלָּ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את לְהוֹדִ֖יעַ אֶת־עַבְדֶּֽךָ׃