Lectionary Calendar
Wednesday, July 30th, 2025
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
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Read the Bible

Bishop's Bible

2 Samuel 12:16

Dauid therefore besought God for the childe, and fasted, and went in, & laye all night vpon the earth.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Afflictions and Adversities;   Bereavement;   Children;   David;   Fasting;   Mourning;   Parents;   Seven;   Thompson Chain Reference - Children;   David;   Family;   Fasting;   Fathers';   Home;   Love;   Parental;   Parents;   Paternal Love;   Prayer;   Religion;   Self-Indulgence-Self-Denial;   Worship;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Afflicted Saints;   Beds;   Diseases;   Fasting;   Parents;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Fasting;   Mourning;   Nathan;   Parable;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Bathsheba;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Fast, Fasting;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Bath-Sheba;   David;   Fast;   Mourn;   Holman Bible Dictionary - David;   Diseases;   Intercession;   Samuel, Books of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ammon, Ammonites;   Child, Children;   Fasting;   Samuel, Books of;   Sin;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Nathan ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Fasting;   Nathan;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - David;   Mourning;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Fasting;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Fast;   Nathan (1);   Samuel, Books of;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Bathsheba;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Fasting and Fast-Days;   Judge;   Repentance;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
David pleaded with God for the boy. He fasted, went home, and spent the night lying on the ground.
Hebrew Names Version
David therefore begged God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night on the eretz.
King James Version
David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.
Lexham English Bible
David pleaded with God on behalf of the boy and David fasted. He went to spend the night and lay upon the ground.
English Standard Version
David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground.
New Century Version
David prayed to God for the baby. David fasted and went into his house and stayed there, lying on the ground all night.
New English Translation
Then David prayed to God for the child and fasted. He would even go and spend the night lying on the ground.
Amplified Bible
David therefore appealed to God for the child [to be healed]; and David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground.
New American Standard Bible
David therefore pleaded with God for the child; and David fasted and went and lay all night on the ground.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Dauid therefore besought God for the childe, and fasted and went in, and lay all night vpon the earth.
Legacy Standard Bible
David therefore sought God about the boy; and David fasted and went and spent the night lying on the ground.
Contemporary English Version
So David went without eating to show his sorrow, and he begged God to make the boy well. David would not sleep on his bed, but spent each night lying on the floor.
Complete Jewish Bible
David prayed to God on behalf of the child; David fasted, then came and lay all night on the ground.
Darby Translation
And David besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night on the earth.
Easy-to-Read Version
David prayed to God for the baby. David refused to eat or drink. He went into his house and stayed there and lay on the ground all night.
George Lamsa Translation
David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground.
Good News Translation
David prayed to God that the child would get well. He refused to eat anything, and every night he went into his room and spent the night lying on the floor.
Literal Translation
And David sought God for the child. And David fasted a fast, and went in and stayed the night, and lay on the earth.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And Dauid besoughte God for the childe, and fasted, and wente in, and laie all nighte vpon the earth.
American Standard Version
David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.
Bible in Basic English
So David made prayer to God for the child; and he took no food day after day, and went in and, stretching himself out on the earth, was there all night.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and as often as he went in, he lay all night upon the earth.
King James Version (1611)
Dauid therfore besought God for the childe, and Dauid fasted, and went in, and lay all night vpon the earth.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And David enquired of God concerning the child, and David fasted, and went in and lay all night upon the ground.
English Revised Version
David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.
Berean Standard Bible
David pleaded with God for the boy. He fasted and went into his house and spent the night lying in sackcloth on the ground.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Dauid preiede the Lord for the litil child; and Dauid fastide bi fastyng, and entride asidis half, and lai on the erthe.
Young's Literal Translation
and David seeketh God for the youth, and David keepeth a fast, and hath gone in and lodged, and lain on the earth.
Update Bible Version
David therefore implored God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night on the earth.
Webster's Bible Translation
David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.
World English Bible
David therefore begged God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night on the earth.
New King James Version
David therefore pleaded with God for the child, and David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground.
New Living Translation
David begged God to spare the child. He went without food and lay all night on the bare ground.
New Life Bible
David begged God to make the child well. He went without food and lay all night on the ground.
New Revised Standard
David therefore pleaded with God for the child; David fasted, and went in and lay all night on the ground.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
David therefore earnestly sought God in behalf of the boy, - and David kept a fast, and used to go in and pass the night, and lie upon the ground.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And David besought the Lord for the child: and David kept a fast, and going in by himself lay upon the ground.
Revised Standard Version
David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in and lay all night upon the ground.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
David therefore inquired of God for the child; and David fasted and went and lay all night on the ground.

Contextual Overview

15 And Nathan departed vnto his house: And the Lorde strake the childe that Urias wyfe bare vnto Dauid, and it sickened sore. 16 Dauid therefore besought God for the childe, and fasted, and went in, & laye all night vpon the earth. 17 And the elders of his house arose and went to him, to take him vp from the earth: But he would not, neither did he eate meate with them. 18 And the seuenth day the childe dyed, and the seruauntes of Dauid feared to tell him that the childe was dead: For they said, beholde, while the childe was yet alyue we spake vnto hym, and he would not hearke vnto our voyce: how will he then vexe him selfe, if we tell him that the childe is dead? 19 But Dauid seing his seruautes whispering, perceaued that the childe was dead: & Dauid said vnto his seruauntes, Is the childe dead? They saide: He is dead. 20 And Dauid arose from the earth, and washed and annoynted him selfe, and chaunged his apparell, and came into the house of the Lord, and worshipped: and afterward came to his owne house, & bad that they should set bread before him, and he dyd eate. 21 Then said his seruauntes vnto him: What thing is this that thou hast done? Thou diddest fast & weepe for the childe while it was alyue, & assoone as it was dead, thou diddest ryse vp & eate meate. 22 He said: While the childe was yet ailue I fasted and wept: for this I thought, Who can tell whether God wyll haue mercy on me, that the childe may lyue? 23 But now seeing it is dead, wherefore should I fast? Can I bring him againe any more? I shall go to him, rather then he shall come againe to me. 24 And Dauid comforted Bethsabe his wyfe, & went in vnto her and lay with her, and she bare a sonne, and he called his name Solomon, and the Lord loued him,

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

besought: 2 Samuel 12:22, Psalms 50:15, Isaiah 26:16, Joel 2:12-14, Jonah 3:9

fasted: Heb. fasted a fast, Esther 4:16, Psalms 69:10, Isaiah 22:12, Acts 9:9

lay all night: 2 Samuel 13:31, Job 20:12-14

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 9:18 - I fell down Joshua 7:6 - fell 1 Samuel 1:8 - why weepest 1 Kings 18:42 - he cast himself Job 1:20 - fell Daniel 6:18 - and passed Joel 1:13 - lie Matthew 6:16 - when Mark 5:23 - besought John 11:31 - She goeth 1 Corinthians 2:15 - yet 2 Corinthians 12:8 - I besought

Cross-References

Genesis 12:13
Say I pray thee, that thou art my sister, that I may fare well for thy sake, and that my soule may liue through thy occasion.
Genesis 12:14
And so when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians behelde the woman, for she was very fayre.
Genesis 12:15
The princes also of Pharao sawe her, and comended her before Pharao, and the woman was taken into Pharaos house.
Genesis 13:2
And Abram was very ryche in cattell, in siluer, and in golde.
Genesis 20:14
Then toke Abimelech sheepe and oxen, men seruauntes and women seruauntes, & gaue [them] vnto Abraham, and delyuered hym Sara his wyfe agayne.
Genesis 24:35
And God blessed my maister merueylously, that he is become great, and hath geuen him sheepe and oxen, siluer and golde, men seruauntes, and maydeseruauntes, camelles and asses.
Genesis 26:14
For he had possessio of sheepe, of oxen, and a myghtie housholde: and therfore the Philistines had enuie at hym.
Genesis 32:5
And haue oxen, asses, and sheepe, menseruauntes, and womenseruauntes: and haue sent to shewe [it] my Lord, that I may finde grace in thy sight.
Job 1:3
His substaunce also was seuen thousand sheepe, and three thousand camels, fiue hundred yoke of oxen, and fiue hundred shee asses, and a very great householde: so that he was one of the most principall men among all them of the east [countrey.]
Job 42:12
So the Lorde blessed the last dayes of Iob more then the first: for he had fourteene thousand sheepe, sixe thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses:

Gill's Notes on the Bible

David therefore besought God for the child,.... Perhaps went into the tabernacle he had built for the ark, and prayed to the Lord to restore the child, and spare its life; for though the Lord had said it should die, he might hope that that was a conditional threatening, and that the Lord might be gracious and reverse it, 2 Samuel 12:22;

and David fasted: all that day:

and went in; to his own house from the house of God:

and lay all night upon the earth; would neither go into, nor lie upon a bed, but lay on the floor all night, weeping and praying for the child's life, and especially for its eternal welfare: he having through sin been the means of its coming into a sinful and afflicted state.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The death of the infant child of one of the numerous harem of an Oriental monarch would in general be a matter of little moment to the father. The deep feeling shown by David on this occasion is both an indication of his affectionate and tender nature, and also a proof of the strength of his passion for Bath-sheba. He went into his most private chamber, his closet Matthew 6:6, and “lay upon the earth” 2 Samuel 13:31, rather “the ground,” meaning the floor of his chamber as opposed to his couch.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Samuel 12:16. David - besought God for the child — How could he do so, after the solemn assurance that he had from God that the child should die? The justice of God absolutely required that the penalty of the law should be exacted; either the father or the son shall die. This could not be reversed.


 
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