the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but God’s ark dwells within curtains.”
Parallel Translations
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the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but God’s ark dwells within curtains.”
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That the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.
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that the king said unto Nathan the prophet: 'See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.'
Cross-references (15)
Passages linked to 2 Samuel 7:2 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- 2 Samuel 5:11 Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, with cedar trees, carpenters, and masons; and they built David a house.
- 1 Chronicles 16:1 They brought in God’s ark, and set it in the middle of the tent that David had pitched for it; and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God.
- 2 Samuel 12:1 Yahweh sent Nathan to David. He came to him, and said to him, “There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.
- Haggai 1:4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies waste?
- John 2:17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will eat me up.”
- Acts 7:46 who found favor in the sight of God, and asked to find a habitation for the God of Jacob.
- Exodus 26:1-14 “Moreover you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, with cherubim. You shall make them with the work of a skillful workman. The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits: all the curtains shall have one measure. Five curtains shall be coupled together to one another, and the other five curtains shall be coupled to one another. You shall make loops of blue on the edge of the one curtain from the edge in the coupling, and you shall do likewise on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second coupling. You shall make fifty loops in the one curtain, and you shall make fifty loops in the edge of the curtain that is in the second coupling. The loops shall be opposite one another. You shall make fifty clasps of gold, and couple the curtains to one another with the clasps. The tabernacle shall be a unit. “You shall make curtains of goats’ hair for a covering over the tabernacle. You shall make eleven curtains. The length of each curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits: the eleven curtains shall have one measure. You shall couple five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves, and shall double over the sixth curtain in the forefront of the tent. You shall make fifty loops on the edge of the one curtain that is outermost in the coupling, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain which is outermost in the second coupling. You shall make fifty clasps of bronze, and put the clasps into the loops, and couple the tent together, that it may be one. The overhanging part that remains of the curtains of the tent—the half curtain that remains—shall hang over the back of the tabernacle. The cubit on the one side and the cubit on the other side, of that which remains in the length of the curtains of the tent, shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle on this side and on that side, to cover it. You shall make a covering for the tent of rams’ skins dyed red, and a covering of sea cow hides above.
- 1 Chronicles 29:29 Now the acts of David the king, first and last, behold, they are written in the history of Samuel the seer, and in the history of Nathan the prophet, and in the history of Gad the seer,
- Exodus 40:21 He brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the veil of the screen, and screened the ark of the covenant, as Yahweh commanded Moses.
- 2 Samuel 6:17 They brought in Yahweh’s ark, and set it in its place, in the middle of the tent that David had pitched for it; and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before Yahweh.
- 2 Samuel 7:17 Nathan spoke to David all these words, and according to all this vision.
- 1 Chronicles 14:1 Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David with cedar trees, masons, and carpenters, to build him a house.
- 2 Chronicles 1:4 But David had brought God’s ark up from Kiriath Jearim to the place that David had prepared for it; for he had pitched a tent for it at Jerusalem.
- Psalms 132:5 until I find out a place for Yahweh, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
- Jeremiah 22:13-15 “Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his rooms by injustice; who uses his neighbor’s service without wages, and doesn’t give him his hire; who says, ‘I will build myself a wide house and spacious rooms,’ and cuts out windows for himself; with a cedar ceiling, and painted with red. “Should you reign, because you strive to excel in cedar? Didn’t your father eat and drink, and do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (13 sources)
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain Within the Tabernacle covered with skins, Exod. 26:7.
Within the Tabernacle covered with skins, Exod. 26:7.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 2Sa 7:2 That the king said unto Nathan the…
2Sa 7:2 That the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.
Ver. 2. That the king said unto Nathan the prophet.] This he said out of that ardent devotion and zeal kindled and increased in him by his late religious joy at the removal of the ark; by the presence whereof he tasted more and more how good the Lord was: and thereupon consulted with himself and Nathan about a fit retribution: saying in effect as Psa 116:12. The building of a temple non tantum voluit, sed et vovit, he both designed and vowed, {Psa 132:2} but herein he failed, that he would run before the Lord’s commandment. So hard it is to hold the golden mean, and not to mingle some sin with our best actions.
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See now, I dwell in an house of cedar.] Ahab dwelt in a palace of ivory, and yet had no thoughts of heart for God and his service. The thoughts of the wicked are little worth. {Pro 10:20}
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain i.e. In a tent or tabernacle, 1Sa 7:6 composed…
i.e. In a tent or tabernacle, 1Sa 7:6 composed of several curtains, Exo 26:1, &c.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain That the king said unto Nathan the prophet,.... This…
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 tradition (t) that he was the same with Jonathan the son of Shimea, the brother of David, Sa2 21:21; which is not very likely:
see now, I dwell in an house of cedar; made of the cedars of Lebanon; see what a spacious palace it is:
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but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains; in a tabernacle within curtains, as the Targum; not the tabernacle of Moses, for that was at Gibeon, Ch1 21:29; but that which David had made for it, which consisted of curtains that were drawn around it, Sa2 6:17. It gave him a concern that he should dwell in so magnificent a palace, and the ark of God should have so mean an habitation; wherefore it was upon his mind to build a grand edifice for it, and this he suggested hereby to Nathan, and so he understood him, as appears by what follows; and the rather he was led to such a thought, being now at rest and in peace; for then it was an house was to be built for God, in which he would cause his name to dwell, as David might easily learn from Deu 12:9; and who so proper to set forward such a work as a king, and he when at rest from his enemies?
(t) Hieron. Trad. Heb. in 2 Reg. fol. 79. M. & in lib. Paralipom. fol. 89. B. F.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain Curtains - That is, in a tent or tabernacle,…
Curtains - That is, in a tent or tabernacle, ver. 6, composed of several curtains.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 2. I dwell in a house of cedar]…
Verse 2. 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, Ex 26:14.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain Nathan the prophet - Here first mentioned, but playing…
Nathan the prophet - Here first mentioned, but playing an important part afterward (e. g. 2Sa 12:1; 1Ki 1:10; 1Ch 29:29; 2Ch 9:29). From the two last passages it appears that he wrote the history of David’s reign, and a part at least of Solomon’s. His distinctive title is the prophet, that of Gad the seer (compare 1Sa 9:9). He was probably nuch younger than David. In 2Sa 7:3, he spoke his own private opinion; in 2Sa 7:4, this was corrected by the word of the Lord.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Nathan. An admirable courier, (Grotius) and a great saint,…
Nathan. An admirable courier, (Grotius) and a great saint, Ecclesiasticus xlvii. He was neither too rough, nor too complaisant. --- Cedar. This was the most esteemed species of wood. The palace of the Persian kings, at Ecbatana, was chiefly built of it, and of cypress wood. (Polybius x.) --- Houses were not there built in such a solid manner, as they are in colder climates. They consisted mostly of wood. --- Skins. The outer veils of the tabernacle were made of skins, as others generally were. (Calmet) --- Hebrew and Chaldean, "of curtains."
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 2. I dwell in a house of cedar, but…
2. I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark… within curtains — A compunctious thought and feeling. He had housed himself right royally, while the sacred symbol of Jehovah’s presence had been quite neglected.
Within curtains — Literally, in the midst of the curtain, (1Ch_17:1,) under curtains, that is, tent-coverings, woven of goat’s hair. Exo_26:7. On the tent in which the ark then abode, see note on
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2Sa_6:17.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 2. Nathan the prophet] The first mention of one…
2. Nathan the prophet] The first mention of one of the most eminent men in the reigns of David and Solomon. It was he who rebuked David for his sin with Bathsheba (ch. 2Sa_12:1 ff.); who became Solomon’s tutor (ch. 2Sa_12:25, note), and took a leading part in securing his succession to the throne (1Ki_1:22 ff.); who wrote a history of the reign of David and of part at least of the reign of Solomon (1Ch_29:29; 2Ch_9:29), from which in all probability a large portion of the books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles, is derived.
within curtains] The term applied in Exo_26:1 ff; Exo_36:8 ff., to the coverings of the tabernacle.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (2) Nathan.—This is the first mention of him, but…
(2) Nathan.—This is the first mention of him, but he was already a confidential counsellor of the king, and became prominent later in this reign and in the opening of that of Solomon (2 Samuel 12; 1Ki_1:10; 1Ki_1:12; 1Ki_1:34; 1Ki_1:38). Nathan “the prophet” and Gad “the seer” wrote parts of the history of this and the succeeding reign (1Ch_29:29; 2Ch_9:29).
Within curtains.—This is the word used in Exodus 26 and 36 for the covering of the tabernacle. The ark was not now within that, but in a similar temporary structure. David’s heart is moved by a comparison of his own royal residence with the inferior provision for the ark. Compare the opposite state of things among the returned exiles in Hag_1:10.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain A house of cedar; Hebrew, cedars. As these trees…
A house of cedar; Hebrew, cedars. As these trees were sent by Hiram, and as the house was built, and David now settled in it, some considerable time must have elapsed since his accession. Moreover, the league with Hiram would be the result of David"s successes recorded in 2Sa_8:1; for the bond of union between the two was their mutual fear of the Philistines. As we have seen before, the alliance with Tyro had a very civilizing effect upon the Hebrews, who were far inferior to the Tyrians in the mechanical arts; and David"s house of hewn cedar logs was marvellous in the eyes of a people who still dwelt chiefly in tents. David purposed to build even a more sumptuous palace for Jehovah, and advised with Nathan as his chief counsellor, and the person to whom subsequently the education of Solomon was confided. Within curtains; Hebrew, the curtain; that is, the tent. The tabernacle prepared by Moses for the ark was formed of ten curtains, (Exo_26:1) but the significance lay, not in their number, hut in the dwelling of Jehovah still being a mere temporary lodging, though his people had received from him a settled land.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 7:2 Nathan is recorded in David’s life on three…
7:2 Nathan is recorded in David’s life on three occasions: (1) here with a promise for David; (2) in 12:1-15 with a parable of judgment against David; (3) in 1 Kgs 1:11-27 with a plan for installing Solomon as David’s successor. • A cedar palace would have been made of stone with cedar paneling inside.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.