2 Samuel 7:18 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 2 Samuel 7:18-29

We have here the solemn address David made to God, in answer to the gracious message God had sent him. We are not told what he said to Nathan; no doubt he received him very kindly and respectfully as God's messenger. But his answer to God he took himself, and did not send by Nathan. When ministers deliver God's message to us, it is not to them, but to God, that our hearts must reply; he understands the language of the heart, and to him we may come boldly. David had no sooner received the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Samuel 7:18

Then went King David in ,.... Into the tabernacle where the ark was, which he had prepared for it, 2 Samuel 6:17 , and sat before the Lord ; before the ark, the symbol of his presence, and prayed, and gave thanks, as follows: from whence it appears that a sitting posture was sometimes used in prayer, of which we have other instances, Exodus 17:11 . It is said F25 Vid. D. Herbert. de Cherbury de Relig. Gent. c. 7. p. 65. that Pythagoras, and also Numa, ordered that worshippers... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 2 Samuel 7:18

Sat before the Lord - Sometimes, when a Hindoo seeks a favor from a superior, he sits down in his presence in silence; or if he solicits some favor of a god, as riches, children, etc., he places himself before the idol, and remains in a waiting posture, or repeats the name of the god, counting the beads in his necklace. - Ward. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Samuel 7:12-29

The facts are: 1 . The prophet declares to David 2 . David, in response to the message, acknowledges ,the condescension and bounty of God in what he had done and promised. 3 . He confesses that all is of the free unmerited loving kindness of God, and regards this wonderful superhuman goodness as being an illustration of the existence of a love transcending all that is known to man. 4 . He recognizes the blessedness of Israel in being under the care and guidance of One so... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Samuel 7:18

David … sat before the Lord. The word "sat" is usually explained by commentators as meaning "tarried." The rabbins give the word its ordinary meaning, and say that it was the privilege of kings to pray in a sitting posture. But we cannot possibly believe that kings at this early stage had established a special etiquette for observance in prayer, and the difficulty is merely imaginary. Because the Jews prayed standing, and we moderns pray kneeling, we both assume that to pray sitting was an... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Samuel 7:18

Meditation before the Lord. David, with a heart filled with wonder and gratitude by the message from heaven communicated to him by Nathan, "went in and sat before the Lord," and poured forth his thoughts and feelings in the words which follow. He probably went into the tent in which he had placed the ark, and there meditated and prayed. But the phrase, "before the Lord," is very frequently employed with out any reference to the ark, the tabernacle, or the temple. God is everywhere, and... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Samuel 7:18-19

Effects of God's goodness on the heart. (Suitable for a birthday or the new year.) David, having retired into the presence of God, pours out before him the feelings of his heart, in view of what God had done for him, and what he had just promised to do. I. THE MERCIES CONTEMPLATED . 1 . Past leading. "Thou hast brought me hitherto." How much this included in David's case! How much in the case of every one of us! Each should recall in God's presence the particulars of his... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Samuel 7:18-24

( 1 Chronicles 17:16-22 ). ( THE TABERNACLE ON ZION .) Thanksgiving and praise. The duty of rendering thanksgiving and praise to God is seldom disputed, though its performance is often neglected. It is beneficial to the offerer himself, as well as to others. The conduct and language of David, on receiving the Divine communication here recorded, famish an admirable example of the spirit in which "the sacrifice of thanksgiving" should be presented. I. DEEP HUMILITY ... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 2 Samuel 7:18

Sat before the Lord - In the tent where the ark was. Standing or kneeling was the usual attitude of prayer (1Ki 8:22, 1 Kings 8:54-55; but compare Exodus 17:12). Modern commentators mostly take the word here in the sense of waiting, abiding, not sitting: but sat is the natural rendering. David sat down to meditate, and then rose up to pray. read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - 2 Samuel 7:18

2 Samuel 7:18. Then went King David in Into the tabernacle. And sat before the Lord That is, before the ark, the symbol of the divine presence, and where God was then peculiarly present, and was believed by David to be so. David probably sat for a season, while he meditated on these things, and then altered his posture and betook himself to prayer. It must be observed, however, that the Hebrew word, ישׁב , jashab, here rendered sat, may with equal propriety be translated, remained ... read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 2 Samuel 7:18-29

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Samuel 7:18

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 2 Samuel 7:18

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Samuel 7:12-29

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Samuel 7:18

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Samuel 7:18

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Samuel 7:18-19

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Samuel 7:18-24

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 2 Samuel 7:18

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - 2 Samuel 7:18

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