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
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
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
The facts are: 1 . David, being settled in his kingdom and furnished with a permanent place of abode, is dissatisfied that the ark of the Lord should remain in a frail tent. 2 . He sends for Nathan, and intimates his desire to build a fitting house for the Lord, and receives encouragement from the prophet. 3 . During a vision of the night Nathan is directed to inform David that his desire cannot be realized; that all along it had been God's will to move from place to place in a... read more
There is no indication how soon after the bringing up of the ark these things occurred, but it was probably at no long interval. read more
2 Samuel 7:1-2. When the king sat in his house That is, was settled in the house which Hiram’s men had built for him; then he reflected upon the unsettled state of the ark. For, being a pious prince, he spent much of his time in holy meditations and the exercises of devotion; and among other subjects of consideration, thought upon the meanness of God’s habitation in comparison of the splendour of his own. See now, I dwell in a house of cedar Such as the rich Jews had in the days of... read more
God’s promise and David’s prayer (7:1-29)When David expressed his desire to build God a permanent symbolic dwelling place, God reminded him through the prophet Nathan that Israel’s God, Yahweh, was not limited to one land or one place. For that reason his symbolic dwelling place had been a tent, something that was movable and could be set up in any place at all (7:1-7).Nevertheless, because the people of Israel were not spiritually in a condition where the ideal for them could work, God would... read more
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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