And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house ,.... Which Hiram's servants had built for him, having no occasion to go out to war: and the Lord had given him rest round about from all his enemies ; both at home and abroad; though this rest and peace did not last long; for the next chapter gives an account of each of the people he was engaged in war with, 2 Samuel 8:1 . read more
That the king said unto Nathan the prophet ,.... This is the first time this prophet is made mention of, but often afterwards, yet who he was, and from whence he came, is not known; he appears to be a man of great piety and prudence, as well as endowed with a prophetic spirit, and was very familiar with David, and perhaps dwelt in his palace; being a man on all accounts fit for conversation with princes, to whom David imparted what he had been meditating upon in his heart. The Jews have a... read more
And Nathan said to the king, go, do till that is in thine heart ,.... He perceived it was in his heart to build an house for God; he knew an house was to be built at one time or another, by some person or another; he knew it was a good work, and fit for a king to do, and might think this was a proper time any, he being at leisure, and therefore encouraged him to it: but inasmuch as the time when and the person by whom this was to be built were not pointed out particularly in the word of... read more
When the king sat in his house - That is, when he became resident in the palace which Hiram, king of Tyre, had built for him. And the Lord had given him rest - This was after he had defeated the Philistines, and cast them out of all the strong places in Israel which they had possessed after the overthrow of Saul; but before he had carried his arms beyond the land of Israel, against the Moabites, Syrians, and Idumeans. See 2 Samuel 8:1-14 . read more
I dwell in a house of cedar - That is, a house whose principal beams, ceiling, and wainscot, were cedar. Dwelleth within curtains - Having no other residence but the tabernacle, which was a place covered with the skins of beasts, Exodus 26:14 . read more
Nathan said to the king - In this case he gave his judgment as a pious and prudent man, not as a prophet; for the prophets were not always under a Divine afflatus; it was only at select times they were thus honored. For the Lord is with thee - Thou hast his blessing in all that thou doest, and this pious design of thine will most certainly meet with his approbation. read more
EXPOSITION When the king sat in his house. The order is not chronological; for the words, Jehovah had given him rest from all his enemies round about (so the Revised Version, rightly), imply the successful termination, not of all wars necessarily, but certainly of something more than that with the Philistine invaders in the Rephaim valley. A general summary of all David's wars is given in 2 Samuel 8:1-18 ; and it was probably after he had subdued the Philistines and Moab, and his... read more
( 1 Chronicles 17:1 ). ( THE KING 'S PALACE IN ZION .) David's purpose to build a house for the Lord. (References : 1 Kings 5:3 ; 1 Kings 6:12 ; 1 Kings 8:17-19 ; 1 Chronicles 22:7-10 ; 1 Chronicles 28:2-7 ; 1 Chronicles 29:1-3 ; 2 Chronicles 6:7-9 .) The king's palace of cedar on Mount Zion had been completed. In the adjacent tabernacle or dwelling place of Jehovah ( 2 Samuel 7:6 ) the ark had found rest, and a regular order of public worship had been... read more
David's desire to build a temple. After the conquest of Jebus by David and his appointment of the spot to be the capital of the united kingdom of which he was now the ruler, it soon became his earnest purpose to bring thither the long-neglected ark of the covenant, that the city might be the sacred as well as the civil metropolis. This purpose was at length fulfilled. The ark was settled on Zion in a tent prepared for it, and a daily service established in connection with it. But the king... read more
Get Bible verse every day in your inbox
Read on Mobile
Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 2 Samuel 7:1-3
Here is, I. David at rest. He sat in his house (2 Sam. 7:1), quiet and undisturbed, having no occasion to take the field: The Lord had given him rest round about, from all those that were enemies to his settlement in the throne, and he set himself to enjoy that rest. Though he was a man of war, he was for peace (Ps. 120:7) and did not delight in war. He had not been long at rest, nor was it long before he was again engaged in war; but at present he enjoyed a calm, and he was in his element... read more