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Wednesday, August 13th, 2025
the Week of Proper 14 / Ordinary 19
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Read the Bible

New Life Version

2 Samuel 12:16

David begged God to make the child well. He went without food and lay all night on the ground.

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.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Dauid therefore besought God for the childe, and fasted, and went in, & laye all night vpon the earth.
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 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 Then Nathan went home. The Lord sent trouble upon the child of Uriah's wife and David, so that he was very sick. 16 David begged God to make the child well. He went without food and lay all night on the ground. 17 The leaders of his family stood beside him to lift him up from the ground. But David was not willing. He would not eat food with them. 18 The child died on the seventh day. And David's servants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, "See, we spoke to him while the child was still alive, and he did not listen to us. So how can we tell him the child is dead? He might hurt himself." 19 But when David saw his servants speaking together in secret, he understood that the child was dead. He asked his servants, "Is the child dead?" And they said, "He is dead." 20 So David got up from the ground, washed, poured oil on himself, and changed his clothes. Then he came into the house of the Lord and worshiped. He returned to his own house and asked for food. So they set food in front of him, and he ate. 21 Then his servants said to him, "What is this that you have done? While the child was alive, you went without food and cried. But when the child died, you got up and ate food." 22 David said, "I went without food and cried while the child was still alive, for I said, ‘Who knows? The Lord might be kind to me and let the child live.' 23 But now he has died. Why should I go without food? Can I bring him to life again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me." 24 Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba. He went in and lay with her, and she gave birth to a son. He gave him the name Solomon. The Lord loved 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 that you are my sister. Then it may go well with me because of you. And because of you they will not kill me."
Genesis 12:14
When Abram came into Egypt, the men of Egypt saw that the woman was very beautiful.
Genesis 12:15
Pharaoh's rulers saw her and told Pharaoh of her beauty. So the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house.
Genesis 13:2
Now Abram was very rich in cattle, silver and gold.
Genesis 20:14
Then Abimelech gave to Abraham sheep and cattle, and men and women servants. And he returned his wife Sarah to him.
Genesis 24:35
And the Lord has brought much good to my boss. He has become rich. The Lord has given him flocks and cattle, silver and gold, men and women servants, and camels and donkeys.
Genesis 26:14
For he had flocks and many cattle and many people working in his house. The Philistines became jealous of him.
Genesis 32:5
I have cattle and donkeys and flocks and men and women servants. And I have sent to tell my lord, hoping to find favor in your eyes.'"
Job 1:3
He had 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 1,000 oxen, 500 female donkeys, and many servants. He was the greatest of all the men of the east.
Job 42:12
The Lord brought more good to Job in his later years than in his beginning. He had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 2,000 oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys.

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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