2 Samuel 7:19-21
New English Translation
19 And you didn’t stop there, O Lord God! You have also spoken about the future of your servant’s family.[a] Is this your usual way of dealing with men,[b] O Sovereign Lord? 20 What more can David say to you? You have given your servant special recognition,[c] O Sovereign Lord! 21 For the sake of your promise and according to your purpose[d] you have done this great thing in order to reveal it to your servant.[e]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 2 Samuel 7:19 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 Samuel 7:19 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).
- 2 Samuel 7:20 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.”
- 2 Samuel 7:21 tn Heb “for the sake of your word and according to your heart.”
- 2 Samuel 7:21 tn Heb “to make known, your servant.”
2 Samuel 7:19-21
New International Version
19 And as if this were not enough in your sight, Sovereign Lord, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant—and this decree,(A) Sovereign Lord, is for a mere human![a]
20 “What more can David say(B) to you? For you know(C) your servant,(D) Sovereign Lord. 21 For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 7:19 Or for the human race
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