Lectionary Calendar
Thursday, August 28th, 2025
the Week of Proper 16 / Ordinary 21
Attention!
For 10¢ a day you can enjoy StudyLight.org ads
free while helping to build churches and support pastors in Uganda.
Click here to learn more!

Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

2 Samuel 12:6

He must pay four times the price of the lamb because he did this terrible thing and because he had no mercy."

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - David;   Minister, Christian;   Nathan;   Parables;   Reproof;   Self-Condemnation;   Thompson Chain Reference - Bible Stories for Children;   Children;   David;   Home;   Pleasant Sunday Afternoons;   Religion;   Stories for Children;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Poor, the;   Prophets;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Parable;   Theft;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Bathsheba;   Nathan;   Prophecy, prophet;   Wisdom literature;   Easton Bible Dictionary - David;   Tekoa, Tekoah;   Theft;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Nathan;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Court Systems;   David;   Jonah;   King, Kingship;   Parables;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ammon, Ammonites;   Nathan;   Poverty;   Samuel, Books of;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Nathan ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Nathan;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Chief parables and miracles in the bible;   David;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Na'than;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Nathan;   Thief;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Fourfold;   Nathan (1);   Pity;   Samuel, Books of;   Sin (1);   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Allegory;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Bath-Sheba;   Judge;   Nathan;   Satire;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Because he has done this thing and shown no pity, he must pay four lambs for that lamb.”
Hebrew Names Version
He shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity!"
King James Version
And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.
Lexham English Bible
He shall restore the ewe lamb fourfold because he has done this thing, and because he had no pity."
English Standard Version
and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity."
New Century Version
He must pay for the lamb four times for doing such a thing. He had no mercy!"
New English Translation
Because he committed this cold-hearted crime, he must pay for the lamb four times over!"
Amplified Bible
"He shall make restitution for the ewe lamb four times as much [as the lamb was worth], because he did this thing and had no compassion."
New American Standard Bible
"So he must make restitution for the lamb four times over, since he did this thing and had no compassion."
Geneva Bible (1587)
And he shall restore the lambe foure folde, because he did this thing, and had no pitie thereof.
Legacy Standard Bible
And he must make restitution for the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing and had no compassion."
Contemporary English Version
And because he didn't have any pity on the poor man, he will have to pay four times what the lamb was worth."
Complete Jewish Bible
For doing such a thing, he has to pay back four times the value of the lamb — and also because he had no pity."
Darby Translation
and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.
George Lamsa Translation
And he shall restore the ewe lamb fourfold because he did this thing and because he had no pity.
Good News Translation
For having done such a cruel thing, he must pay back four times as much as he took."
Literal Translation
And he shall repay fourfold for the ewe lamb, because he has done this thing, and because he had no pity.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The shepe also shal he make good foure folde, because he hath done soch a thinge, and not spared it.
American Standard Version
and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.
Bible in Basic English
And he will have to give back four times the value of the lamb, because he has done this and because he had no pity.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
He shal restore the lambe foure folde, because he did this thyng and had no pitie.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.'
King James Version (1611)
And he shall restore the Lambe fourefold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pittie.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he shall restore the lamb seven-fold, because he has not spared.
English Revised Version
and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.
Berean Standard Bible
Because he has done this thing and has shown no pity, he must pay for the lamb four times over."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
he schal yelde the scheep in to foure folde, for he dide this word, and sparide not.
Young's Literal Translation
and the ewe-lamb he doth repay fourfold, because that he hath done this thing, and because that he had no pity.'
Update Bible Version
and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.
Webster's Bible Translation
And he shall restore the lamb four-fold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.
World English Bible
He shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity!"
New King James Version
And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity."
New Living Translation
He must repay four lambs to the poor man for the one he stole and for having no pity."
New Life Bible
And he must pay four times the worth of the lamb, because he did this thing without pity."
New Revised Standard
he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and, the lamb, shall he pay back sevenfold, - because he did this thing, and, for that he had no pity.
Douay-Rheims Bible
He shall restore the ewe fourfold, because he did this thing, and had no pity.
Revised Standard Version
and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"He must make restitution for the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing and had no compassion."

Contextual Overview

1 The Lord sent Nathan to David. Nathan went to him and said, "There were two men in a city. One man was rich, but the other man was poor. 2 The rich man had lots of sheep and cattle. 3 But the poor man had nothing except one little female lamb that he bought. The poor man fed the lamb, and the lamb grew up with this poor man and his children. She ate from the poor man's food and drank from his cup. The lamb slept on the poor man's chest. The lamb was like a daughter to the poor man. 4 "Then a traveler stopped to visit the rich man. The rich man wanted to give food to the traveler, but he did not want to take any of his own sheep or cattle to feed the traveler. No, the rich man took the lamb from the poor man and cooked it for his visitor." 5 David became very angry with the rich man. He said to Nathan, "As the Lord lives, the man who did this should die! 6 He must pay four times the price of the lamb because he did this terrible thing and because he had no mercy." 7 Then Nathan said to David, "You are that rich man! This is what the Lord , the God of Israel, says: ‘I chose you to be the king of Israel. I saved you from Saul. 8 I let you take his family and his wives, and I made you king of Israel and Judah. As if that had not been enough, I would have given you more and more. 9 So why did you ignore my command? Why did you do what I say is wrong? You let the Ammonites kill Uriah the Hittite, and you took his wife. It is as if you yourself killed Uriah in war. 10 So your family will never have peace! When you took Uriah's wife, you showed that you did not respect me.'

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

restore: Exodus 22:1, Proverbs 6:31, Luke 19:8

because: James 2:13

Reciprocal: Leviticus 6:5 - restore 2 Samuel 14:8 - I will give Nehemiah 5:11 - Restore Job 20:10 - his hands Proverbs 19:17 - that hath Proverbs 28:8 - pity Matthew 7:3 - but

Cross-References

Genesis 10:15
Canaan was the father of Sidon. Sidon was Canaan's first son. Canaan was also the father of the Hittites,
Genesis 12:18
Pharaoh called Abram and said to him, "You have done a very bad thing to me! Why didn't you tell me Sarai was your wife?
Genesis 12:19
You said, ‘She is my sister.' Why did you say that? I took her so that she could be my wife, but now I give your wife back to you. Take her and go!"
Genesis 13:7
(The Canaanites and the Perizzites were also living in this land at the same time.) The shepherds of Abram and Lot began to argue.
Genesis 33:18
Jacob safely ended his trip from Paddan Aram when he came to the town of Shechem in Canaan. He made his camp in a field near the city.
Genesis 34:2
She was seen by Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite, who ruled that area. Shechem took Dinah and raped her.
Genesis 35:4
So the people gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had, and they gave him all the rings they were wearing in their ears. He buried everything under an oak tree near the town called Shechem.
Deuteronomy 11:30
These mountains are on the other side of the Jordan River in the land of the Canaanites living in the Jordan Valley. These mountains are toward the west, not far from the oak trees of Moreh near the town of Gilgal.
Joshua 20:7
So the Israelites chose some cities to be called cities of safety. These are the cities: Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali; Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim; Kiriath Arba (Hebron) in the hill country of Judah;
Joshua 24:32
When the Israelites left Egypt, they carried the bones from the body of Joseph with them. They buried the bones of Joseph at Shechem on the land that Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of the man named Shechem. Jacob had bought that land for 100 pieces of pure silver. This land belonged to Joseph's children.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he shall restore the lamb fourfold,.... Which was according to the law in Exodus 22:1; but Kimchi thinks, because the word is of the dual number, it signifies double the number, and that the sentence was to restore eight lambs, because he being a rich man stole from the poor man; so Mr. Weemse s renders it, twice four, twice as much as was commanded in the law; for the Hebrews, he observes, double in the dual number till they come to seven:

because he did this thing; committed this theft:

and because he had no pity; on the poor man, but took his all. The Jews observe, that accordingly David was punished with the loss of four of his children, that which was born of Bathsheba, Ammon, Tamar, and Absalom; so most of the commentators, but Ben Gersom, instead of Tamar, has Adonijah.

s Of the Moral Law, l. 2. ch. 10. p. 252. Vid. Gusset. Ebr. Comment. p. 776.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Fourfold - The exact number prescribed by the Law (see the marginal references), and acted upon by Zaccheus. The Septuagint has “sevenfold,” as in Proverbs 6:31.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile