What remains after Nathan tells David the Lord has taken away his sin?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Nathan says David will not die, but the child will surely die because David has given the Lord’s enemies occasion to blaspheme. The earlier message also says the sword will never leave David’s house and evil will arise within it.

Chapter breakdown

The Lord sends Nathan to David. Nathan tells him of a rich man and a poor man in one city. The rich man has very many sheep and oxen; the poor man has only one little ewe lamb, which he bought and raised. It grows up with his children, eats his bread, drinks from his cup and sleeps in his bosom, like a daughter to him. When a stranger visits the rich man, he spares his own sheep and oxen and instead takes and prepares the poor man’s lamb for his guest. David becomes very angry. Swearing by the living Lord, he says the man deserves death and must restore the ewe fourfold because he did this and had no pity.

Nathan tells David he is the man. Speaking the word of the Lord God of Israel, he recalls that the Lord anointed David king over Israel, delivered him from Saul, gave him his master’s house and wives into his bosom, and gave him the house of Israel and Juda. If these are little, the Lord says he will add far greater things. He asks why David has despised the Lord’s word and done evil in his sight. David killed Urias the Hethite with the sword, took his wife as his own and killed him by the sword of the children of Ammon. Therefore the sword will never depart from David’s house, because he despised the Lord and took Urias’s wife. The Lord says he will raise evil against David from his own house, take David’s wives before his eyes and give them to his neighbour, who will lie with them in the sight of the sun.

Challoner’s separate note says these evils, considered as punishments, came on David by God’s just judgment for his sin, which explains the words about raising them. Considered as sins by Absalom and his associates, however, God was not their author but only permitted them.

The Lord contrasts David’s secret act with what he will do in the sight of all Israel and the sun. David tells Nathan he has sinned against the Lord. Nathan answers that the Lord has taken away his sin and he will not die. Nevertheless, because David has given the Lord’s enemies occasion to blaspheme, the child born to him will surely die.

Nathan returns home. The Lord strikes the child whom Urias’s wife bore to David, and his life is despaired of. David begs the Lord for the child, fasts and goes in alone to lie on the ground. The elders of his house try to make him rise, but he refuses and does not eat with them. On the seventh day the child dies. David’s servants fear to tell him: while the child was alive he would not listen to them, and they ask how much more he will afflict himself on hearing of the death. David sees them whispering and understands that the child has died. He asks, and they confirm the death.

David rises from the ground, washes and anoints himself, changes clothes, enters the Lord’s house and worships. He then goes home, calls for bread and eats. His servants ask why he fasted and wept while the child lived but rose and ate after the death. David explains that while the child lived he fasted and wept because he thought the Lord might give him back the child alive. Now the child is dead, he asks why he should fast and whether he can bring him back. David says he will go to the child, but the child will not return to him.

David comforts his wife Bethsabee and sleeps with her. She bears a son, and he names him Solomon. The Lord loves him. The passage says he sends by Nathan the prophet and calls the child Amiable to the Lord, because the Lord loves him.

Challoner’s separate note gives beloved of the Lord as another way to say Amiable to the Lord, and gives the Hebrew name Jedidiah.

Joab fights against Rabbath of the children of Ammon and closely besieges the royal city. He sends David messengers saying he has fought against Rabbath and the city of waters is about to be taken.

Challoner’s separate note says Rabbath, the royal city of the Ammonites, is called the city of waters because it is surrounded by waters.

Joab asks David to gather the rest of the people, besiege the city and take it, lest the victory be credited to Joab’s name when he lays it waste. David gathers all the people, goes against Rabbath and takes it after fighting. He takes the crown from their king’s head. It weighs a talent of gold and is set with very precious stones; it is placed on David’s head. He carries away the city’s very great spoils.

David brings out the city’s people. The passage says he saws them, drives chariots armed with iron over them, divides them with knives and makes them pass through brickkilns. He does this to all the cities of the children of Ammon. David returns to Jerusalem with the whole army.

The story inside

Nathan first tells David about the rich man taking the poor man’s sole lamb. David condemns that man and demands fourfold restoration because he had no pity. Nathan then identifies David as the man and states both the Lord’s gifts and David’s acts against Urias. David confesses, and Nathan announces forgiveness and that David will not die, while retaining the child’s death sentence and its stated reason. The child’s death changes David’s conduct: his servants expect greater affliction, but he rises, worships and eats. When they ask why, he distinguishes the hope he had while the child lived from his inability to bring the child back. Solomon’s birth follows. The chapter then turns to Rabbath, where Joab’s message calls David to finish the capture so the victory will bear David’s name. The crown, spoils and violent treatment of the people are all recorded. The three actual Challoner notes remain separate from these events.

Lessons worth keeping

1
David’s judgment on the lamb prepares Nathan’s charge. David demands death and fourfold restoration for the man’s lack of pity; Nathan immediately identifies David and names his actions against Urias. No invented inner monologue is needed to connect the two parts.
2
Forgiveness does not erase the other words Nathan speaks here. David is told his sin is taken away and he will not die; the child’s sentence and its reason still stand. Challoner separately explains punishment and permission of Absalom’s sins, without calling God their author.
3
Exact wording changes the account of Rabbath. Joab says the city of waters is about to be taken, and asks David to take it so Joab will not receive the credit. The closing treatment of the people is violent in this admitted text; replacing it with ordinary labour changes what the passage says.

Test your recall

Why does David fast while the child lives, and why does he stop after learning of the death?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 32764–32791
2 Kings Chapter 12 Nathan’s parable. David confesseth his sin, and is forgiven: yet so as to be sentenced to most severe temporal punishments. The death of the child. The birth of Solomon. The taking of Rabbath. 12:1. And the Lord sent Nathan to David: and when he was come to him, he said to him: There were two men in one city, the one rich, and the other poor. 12:2. The rich man had exceeding many sheep and oxen. 12:3. But the poor man had nothing at all but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up, and which had grown up in his house together with his children, eating of his bread, and drinking of his cup, and sleeping in his bosom: and it was unto him as a daughter. 12:4. And when a certain stranger was come to the rich man, he spared to take of his own sheep and oxen, to make a feast for that stranger, who was come to him, but took the poor man’s ewe, and dressed it for the man that was come to him. 12:5. And David’s anger being exceedingly kindled against that man, he said to Nathan: As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this is a child of death. 12:6. He shall restore the ewe fourfold, because he did this thing, and had no pity.
Lines 32793–32813
12:7. And Nathan said to David: Thou art the man. Thus saith the Lord the God of Israel: I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee from the hand of Saul, 12:8. And gave thee thy master’s house and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and Juda: and if these things be little, I shall add far greater things unto thee. 12:9. Why therefore hast thou despised the word of the Lord, to do evil in my sight? Thou hast killed Urias the Hethite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. 12:10. Therefore the sword shall never depart from thy house, because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Urias the Hethite to be thy wife. 12:11. Thus saith the Lord: Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thy own house, and I will take thy wives before thy eyes and give them to thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.
Lines 32815–32819
I will raise, etc.... All these evils, inasmuch as they were punishments, came upon David by a just judgment of God, for his sin, and therefore God says, I will raise, etc.; but inasmuch as they were sins, on the part of Absalom and his associates, God was not the author of them, but only permitted them.
Lines 32821–32830
12:12. For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing in the sight of all Israel, and in the sight of the sun. 12:13. And David said to Nathan: I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said to David: The Lord also hath taken away thy sin: thou shalt not die. 12:14. Nevertheless, because thou hast given occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, for this thing, the child that is born to thee, shall surely die.
Lines 32832–32850
12:15. And Nathan returned to his house. The Lord also struck the child which the wife of Urias had borne to David, and his life was despaired of. 12:16. And David besought the Lord for the child: and David kept a fast, and going in by himself lay upon the ground. 12:17. And the ancients of his house came, to make him rise from the ground: but he would not, neither did he eat meat with them. 12:18. And it came to pass on the seventh day that the child died: and the servants of David feared to tell him, that the child was dead. For they said: Behold when the child was yet alive, we spoke to him, and he would not hearken to our voice: how much more will he afflict himself if we tell him that the child is dead? 12:19. But when David saw his servants whispering, he understood that the child was dead: and he said to his servants: Is the child dead? They answered him He is dead.
Lines 32852–32867
12:20. Then David arose from the ground, and washed and anointed himself: and when he had changed his apparel, he went into the house of the Lord: and worshipped, and then he came into his own house, and he called for bread, and ate. 12:21. And his servants said to him: What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it was alive, but when the child was dead, thou didst rise up, and eat bread. 12:22. And he said: While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept for him: for I said: Who knoweth whether the Lord may not give him to me, and the child may live? 12:23. But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Shall I be able to bring him back any more? I shall go to him rather: but he shall not return to me.
Lines 32869–32874
12:24. And David comforted Bethsabee his wife, and went in unto her, and slept with her: and she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon, and the Lord loved him. 12:25. And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet, and called his name, Amiable to the Lord, because the Lord loved him.
Lines 32876–32876
Amiable to the Lord.... Or, beloved of the Lord. In Hebrew, Jedidiah.
Lines 32878–32882
12:26. And Joab fought against Rabbath of the children of Ammon, and laid close siege to the royal city. 12:27. And Joab sent messengers to David, saying: I have fought against Rabbath, and the city of waters is about to be taken.
Lines 32884–32885
The city of waters.... Rabbath the royal city of the Ammonites, was called the city of waters, from being encompassed with waters.
Lines 32887–32897
12:28. Now therefore gather thou the rest of the people together, and besiege the city and take it: lest when the city shall be wasted by me, the victory be ascribed to my name. 12:29. Then David gathered all the people together, and went out against Rabbath: and after fighting, he took it. 12:30. And he took the crown of their king from his head, the weight of which was a talent of gold, set with most precious stones, and it was put upon David’s head, and the spoils of the city which were very great he carried away.
Lines 32899–32904
12:31. And bringing forth the people thereof he sawed them, and drove over them chariots armed with iron: and divided them with knives, and made them pass through brickkilns: so did he to all the cities of the children of Ammon: and David returned, with all the army to Jerusalem.