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Sunday, December 21st, 2025
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THE MESSAGE

2 Samuel 12:6

This verse is not available in the MSG!

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

1and sent Nathan to David. Nathan said to him, "There were two men in the same city—one rich, the other poor. The rich man had huge flocks of sheep, herds of cattle. The poor man had nothing but one little female lamb, which he had bought and raised. It grew up with him and his children as a member of the family. It ate off his plate and drank from his cup and slept on his bed. It was like a daughter to him. 4 "One day a traveler dropped in on the rich man. He was too stingy to take an animal from his own herds or flocks to make a meal for his visitor, so he took the poor man's lamb and prepared a meal to set before his guest." 5David exploded in anger. "As surely as God lives," he said to Nathan, "the man who did this ought to be lynched! He must repay for the lamb four times over for his crime and his stinginess!" 7"You're the man!" said Nathan. "And here's what God , the God of Israel, has to say to you: I made you king over Israel. I freed you from the fist of Saul. I gave you your master's daughter and other wives to have and to hold. I gave you both Israel and Judah. And if that hadn't been enough, I'd have gladly thrown in much more. So why have you treated the word of God with brazen contempt, doing this great evil? You murdered Uriah the Hittite, then took his wife as your wife. Worse, you killed him with an Ammonite sword! And now, because you treated God with such contempt and took Uriah the Hittite's wife as your wife, killing and murder will continually plague your family. This is God speaking, remember! I'll make trouble for you out of your own family. I'll take your wives from right out in front of you. I'll give them to some neighbor, and he'll go to bed with them openly. You did your deed in secret; I'm doing mine with the whole country watching!" 13Then David confessed to Nathan, "I've sinned against God ." Nathan pronounced, "Yes, but that's not the last word. God forgives your sin. You won't die for it. But because of your blasphemous behavior, the son born to you will die."

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 had Sidon his firstborn, Heth, the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. Later the Canaanites spread out, going from Sidon toward Gerar, as far south as Gaza, and then east all the way over to Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and on to Lasha.
Genesis 12:18
Pharaoh called for Abram, "What's this that you've done to me? Why didn't you tell me that she's your wife? Why did you say, ‘She's my sister' so that I'd take her as my wife? Here's your wife back—take her and get out!"
Genesis 33:18
And that's how it happened that Jacob arrived all in one piece in Shechem in the land of Canaan—all the way from Paddan Aram. He camped near the city. He bought the land where he pitched his tent from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. He paid a hundred silver coins for it. Then he built an altar there and named it El-Elohe-Israel (Mighty Is the God of Israel).
Genesis 35:4
They turned over to Jacob all the alien gods they'd been holding on to, along with their lucky-charm earrings. Jacob buried them under the oak tree in Shechem. Then they set out. A paralyzing fear descended on all the surrounding villages so that they were unable to pursue the sons of Jacob.
Joshua 20:7
They set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hills of Naphtali, Shechem in the hills of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the hills of Judah.
Joshua 24:32
Joseph's bones, which the People of Israel had brought from Egypt, they buried in Shechem in the plot of ground that Jacob had purchased from the sons of Hamor (who was the father of Shechem). He paid a hundred silver coins for it. It belongs to the inheritance of the family of Joseph.
Judges 7:1
Jerub-Baal (Gideon) got up early the next morning, all his troops right there with him. They set up camp at Harod's Spring. The camp of Midian was in the plain, north of them near the Hill of Moreh.
Judges 9:1
Abimelech son of Jerub-Baal went to Shechem to his uncles and all his mother's relatives and said to them, "Ask all the leading men of Shechem, ‘What do you think is best, that seventy men rule you—all those sons of Jerub-Baal—or that one man rule? You'll remember that I am your own flesh and blood.'"
1 Kings 12:1
Rehoboam traveled to Shechem where all Israel had gathered to inaugurate him as king. Jeroboam had been in Egypt, where he had taken asylum from King Solomon; when he got the report of Solomon's death he had come back.
Acts 7:16
Stephen, Full of the Holy Spirit Then the Chief Priest said, "What do you have to say for yourself?" Stephen replied, "Friends, fathers, and brothers, the God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was still in Mesopotamia, before the move to Haran, and told him, ‘Leave your country and family and go to the land I'll show you.' "So he left the country of the Chaldees and moved to Haran. After the death of his father, he immigrated to this country where you now live, but God gave him nothing, not so much as a foothold. He did promise to give the country to him and his son later on, even though Abraham had no son at the time. God let him know that his offspring would move to an alien country where they would be enslaved and brutalized for four hundred years. ‘But,' God said, ‘I will step in and take care of those slaveholders and bring my people out so they can worship me in this place.' "Then he made a covenant with him and signed it in Abraham's flesh by circumcision. When Abraham had his son Isaac, within eight days he reproduced the sign of circumcision in him. Isaac became father of Jacob, and Jacob father of twelve ‘fathers,' each faithfully passing on the covenant sign. "But then those ‘fathers,' burning up with jealousy, sent Joseph off to Egypt as a slave. God was right there with him, though—he not only rescued him from all his troubles but brought him to the attention of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. He was so impressed with Joseph that he put him in charge of the whole country, including his own personal affairs. "Later a famine descended on that entire region, stretching from Egypt to Canaan, bringing terrific hardship. Our hungry fathers looked high and low for food, but the cupboard was bare. Jacob heard there was food in Egypt and sent our fathers to scout it out. Having confirmed the report, they went back to Egypt a second time to get food. On that visit, Joseph revealed his true identity to his brothers and introduced the Jacob family to Pharaoh. Then Joseph sent for his father, Jacob, and everyone else in the family, seventy-five in all. That's how the Jacob family got to Egypt. "Jacob died, and our fathers after him. They were taken to Shechem and buried in the tomb for which Abraham paid a good price to the sons of Hamor.

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.


 
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