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the Week of Proper 9 / Ordinary 14
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Updated Bible Version

2 Samuel 12:16

David therefore implored God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night on 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.
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.
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 to his house. And Yahweh struck the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and it was very sick. 16 David therefore implored God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night on the earth. 17 And the elders of his house arose, [and stood] beside him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat bread with them. 18 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died. And the slaves of David feared to tell him that the child was dead; for they said, Look, while the child was yet alive, we spoke to him, and he didn't listen to our voice: how he will then vex himself, if we tell him that the child is dead! 19 But when David saw that his slaves were whispering together, David perceived that the child was dead; and David said to his slaves, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead. 20 Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel; and he came into the house of Yahweh, and worshiped: then he came to his own house; and when he required, they set bread before him, and he ate. 21 Then his slaves said to him, What is this thing that you have done? you fasted and wept for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, you rose and ate bread. 22 And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who knows whether Yahweh will not be gracious to me, that the child may live? 23 But now he is dead, why should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me. 24 And David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in to her, and lay with her: and she bore a son, and he named him Solomon. And Yahweh 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, I pray you, you are my sister; that it may be well with me for your sake, and that my soul may live because of you.
Genesis 12:14
And it came to pass, that, when Abram came into Egypt, the Egyptians saw the woman that she was very fair.
Genesis 12:15
And the princes of Pharaoh saw her, and praised her to Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house.
Genesis 13:2
And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.
Genesis 20:14
And Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and male slaves and female slaves, and gave them to Abraham, and restored Sarah his wife to him.
Genesis 24:35
And Yahweh has blessed my master greatly. And he has become great. And he has given him flocks and herds, and silver and gold, and male slaves and female slaves, and camels and donkeys.
Genesis 26:14
And he had possessions of flocks, and possessions of herds, and a great household. And the Philistines envied him.
Genesis 32:5
and I have oxen, and donkeys, [and] flocks, and male slaves, and female slaves: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find favor in your sight.
Job 1:3
His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she-donkeys, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the sons of the east.
Job 42:12
So Yahweh blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: And he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she-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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