2 Samuel 7:19-20

7:19 And you didn’t stop there, O Lord God! You have also spoken about the future of your servant’s family. ¹  Is this your usual way of dealing with men, ²  O Lord God? 7:20 What more can David say to you? You have given your servant special recognition, ³  O Lord God!

2 Samuel 7:18

David Offers a Prayer to God

7:18 King David went in, sat before the Lord, and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my family, ⁴  that you should have brought me to this point?

2 Samuel 7:22

7:22 Therefore you are great, O Lord God, for there is none like you! There is no God besides you! What we have heard is true! ⁵ 

2 Samuel 7:28-29

7:28 Now, O sovereign Lord, you are the true God! ⁶  May your words prove to be true! ⁷  You have made this good promise to your servant! ⁸  7:29 Now be willing to bless your servant’s dynasty ⁹  so that it may stand permanently before you, for you, O sovereign Lord, have spoken. By your blessing may your servant’s dynasty be blessed on into the future!” ¹⁰ 

¹ tn Heb “and this was small in your eyes, O Lord God, so you spoke concerning the house of your servant for a distance.”

² tn Heb “and this [is] the law of man”; KJV “is this the manner of man, O Lord God?”; NAB “this too you have shown to man”; NRSV “May this be instruction for the people, O Lord God!” This part of the verse is very enigmatic; no completely satisfying solution has yet been suggested. The present translation tries to make sense of the MT by understanding the phrase as a question that underscores the uniqueness of God’s dealings with David as described here. The parallel passage in 1 Chr 17:17 reads differently (see the note there).

³ tn Heb “and you know your servant.” The verb here refers to recognizing another in a special way and giving them special treatment (see 1 Chr 17:18). Some English versions take this to refer to the Lord’s knowledge of David himself: CEV “you know my thoughts”; NLT “know what I am really like.”

⁵ tn Heb “house.”

⁷ tn Heb “in all which we heard with our ears.” The phrase translated “in all” בְּכֹל (bÿkhol) should probably be emended to “according to all” כְּכֹל (kÿkhol).

⁹ tn Heb “the God.” The article indicates uniqueness here.

¹⁰ tn The translation understands the prefixed verb form as a jussive, indicating David’s wish/prayer. Another option is to take the form as an imperfect and translate “your words are true.”

¹¹ tn Heb “and you have spoken to your servant this good thing.”

¹¹ tn Heb “house” (again later in this verse). See the note on “dynastic house” in v. 27.

¹² tn Or “permanently”; cf. NLT “it is an eternal blessing.”