2 Samuel 12 10

2 Samuel 12:10 kjv

Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.

2 Samuel 12:10 nkjv

Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.'

2 Samuel 12:10 niv

Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.'

2 Samuel 12:10 esv

Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.'

2 Samuel 12:10 nlt

From this time on, your family will live by the sword because you have despised me by taking Uriah's wife to be your own.

2 Samuel 12 verses

2 Samuel 12 10 Meaning

The verse declares a divine judgment against King David: because he despised God by committing adultery with Bathsheba and orchestrating the death of Uriah, the sword—representing violent conflict, death, and calamity—would perpetually plague his household and lineage. This consequence is a direct and enduring penalty for his profound moral and spiritual transgression.

2 Samuel 12 10 Context

2 Samuel chapter 12 details the prophet Nathan's courageous confrontation with King David concerning his heinous sin: adultery with Bathsheba and the subsequent murder of her husband, Uriah the Hittite, to cover the pregnancy. David's actions demonstrated a profound disregard for God's law, his own position as king under God, and the lives of innocent people. This particular verse (12:10) is a direct pronouncement of divine judgment, following Nathan's parable of the rich man and the poor man's lamb, which successfully revealed David's guilt. The historical context is a monarchy established by divine choice, where the king was meant to embody God's righteousness, but was instead susceptible to the same sins as anyone else, with far greater public and dynastic consequences. The immediate consequence foretold—the sword never departing David's house—begins to unfold dramatically within David's lifetime, notably with Amnon's sin, Absalom's rebellion, and other internal conflicts, continuing throughout his lineage.

2 Samuel 12 10 Word analysis

• Therefore (לָכֵ֗ן - lakhen): A conclusive conjunction, strongly linking the divine decree to the preceding actions. It signifies a direct, inevitable consequence.
• the sword (הַחֶרֶב - hacharév): A powerful symbol of warfare, violence, and divine judgment, bloodshed, and death. It implies not a singular event but a continuous state of conflict and tragedy.
• shall never depart (לֹֽא־תָס֥וּר - lo'-tasur): "Lo'" is the negation, "tasur" means to turn aside, depart, or remove. The combined phrase indicates an enduring, permanent affliction, an unrelenting presence of conflict within David's lineage. It speaks to an unremovable mark on his dynasty.
• from your house (מִבֵּיתְךָ֖ - mibbeit'kha): Not from David personally in a literal sense (he would die in peace), but from his household, his family, and his royal line (dynasty). This extends the punishment beyond David to affect his children and successors, ensuring a legacy of internal strife and violence.
• because (תַּ֗חַת - tachat): Means "in place of," "instead of," or "under." Here, it directly attributes the punishment to the cause, serving as the immediate reason for the judgment.
• you have despised Me (בֻּזֹ֥תָ - buzota - from bazah): Bazah means to despise, hold in contempt, scorn, or think lightly of. This is the core of David's sin in God's eyes. It was not merely breaking laws, but a profound lack of reverence and respect for God's authority, commands, and person. By taking Uriah's wife and killing Uriah, David treated God's holiness and His law with utter disregard.
• and have taken (וַתִּקַּח - vattikakh): A simple verb meaning "to take." It highlights David's active, deliberate choice and action, contrasting with his passive observation in other verses. It emphasizes the directness of his illicit actions.
• the wife (אֵ֖שֶׁת - eshet): Specifically, the wife, pointing to the violation of marital fidelity and the severe sin of adultery, a cornerstone of God's covenant law.
• of Uriah (אוּרִיָּ֥ה - Uriyá): Uriah's name, meaning "Yahweh is my light," starkly contrasts with David's dark deeds. His faithfulness, even as a Hittite (a foreigner), further magnifies David's treachery and unfaithfulness.
• the Hittite (הַחִתִּֽי - haKhitti): Designates Uriah's ethnicity. The fact that David, king of Israel, anoints of the Lord, betrayed a loyal non-Israelite servant (who maintained covenant fidelity better than the king) highlights the egregious nature of David's sin and his abuse of power.

2 Samuel 12 10 Bonus section

• Kingship under judgment: This verse underscores that even a divinely appointed king like David is not above God's law. In fact, his position of power made his sin more grievous, and its consequences more extensive, impacting the very stability and well-being of the nation he was meant to lead righteously.
• Echoes of early warnings: The "sword" imagery and its connection to covenant curses for disobedience (e.g., in Deut 28) would resonate deeply with an Israelite audience, understanding that breaking God's laws brings severe, sometimes intergenerational, consequences.
• Polemic against king's infallibility: In cultures where kings were often considered divine or above common law, Nathan's confrontation and God's judgment against David served as a potent polemic, asserting God's ultimate sovereignty and the king's accountability to Him. This passage demonstrates that human rulers are subject to divine justice.

2 Samuel 12 10 Commentary

2 Samuel 12:10 powerfully encapsulates God's unwavering justice, particularly in response to severe sin committed by those in authority. David, Israel's beloved king, thought his transgressions of adultery and murder were hidden, but God, through Nathan, brought them to light, not for public shaming alone, but to enforce divine principles of righteousness. The judgment that the "sword shall never depart from your house" serves as a vivid metaphor for persistent violence, internal strife, and bloodshed that would plague David's family line. This was not an arbitrary punishment, but a direct reflection of David's contempt for God's holy character and commands (despising God), and his brutal shedding of innocent blood (taking Uriah's wife after killing him). This prophetic curse manifested throughout David's reign with events like Amnon's rape of Tamar, Absalom's murderous rebellion, and other instances of familial bloodshed, illustrating the tragic consequences of sin, even for a "man after God's own heart." It underscores that while God forgives genuine repentance, the earthly consequences of sin can be far-reaching and enduring, impacting generations.