2 Samuel 12 11

2 Samuel 12:11 kjv

Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbor, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.

2 Samuel 12:11 nkjv

Thus says the LORD: 'Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.

2 Samuel 12:11 niv

"This is what the LORD says: 'Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity on you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight.

2 Samuel 12:11 esv

Thus says the LORD, 'Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.

2 Samuel 12:11 nlt

"This is what the LORD says: Because of what you have done, I will cause your own household to rebel against you. I will give your wives to another man before your very eyes, and he will go to bed with them in public view.

2 Samuel 12 verses

2 Samuel 12 11 Meaning

In 2 Samuel 12:11, God declares His just retribution against King David following his heinous sins of adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, Uriah the Hittite. This pronouncement, delivered through the prophet Nathan, outlines a three-fold divine judgment that directly mirrors the nature of David's transgressions: internal conflict and evil from his own family, public disgrace regarding his wives, and an agent (Absalom) who would fulfill the prophecy in a humiliating public spectacle, contrasting David's attempts to hide his secret sin.

2 Samuel 12 11 Context

2 Samuel 12:11 stands at the dramatic climax of Nathan's confrontation with King David. The preceding chapter (2 Samuel 11) details David's compounded sins: his adultery with Bathsheba, his deception, and finally, his orchestration of Uriah's death in battle to cover up his sin. After successfully hiding the truth for an unspecified period, the LORD sent the prophet Nathan to David (2 Sam 12:1). Nathan first presented David with a parable of a rich man stealing a poor man's cherished lamb, which provoked David's righteous indignation. Nathan then famously declared, "You are the man!" (2 Sam 12:7), directly applying the parable to David's actions, listing God's blessings upon David, and then highlighting his contempt for God's word (2 Sam 12:7-9). David's immediate response was confession: "I have sinned against the LORD" (2 Sam 12:13). While God mercifully pardoned David's life, 2 Samuel 12:11 immediately follows the declaration of consequences, laying out the specific, severe judgments that would befall David's household, mirroring the nature of his secret transgressions. This verse establishes the thematic framework for the subsequent chapters, particularly the internal strife and public disgrace that plagues David's family and reign, prominently seen in the actions of Absalom.

2 Samuel 12 11 Word analysis

• Thus says the LORD (כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה - koh amar Adonai): This formula is a strong prophetic declaration, indicating a direct oracle from God Himself. It emphasizes the divine origin and unchallengeable authority of the words, meaning the judgment is not Nathan's personal opinion but a decree from the Almighty. This form highlights the sovereignty of Yahweh over even kings and reinforces His role as ultimate Judge.
• Behold (הִנֵּה - hinneh): An emphatic particle often used to draw immediate attention to a significant or imminent statement. It signals the grave nature and certainty of the following divine declaration, calling David to give his full attention to the impending judgment.
• I will raise up evil against you (מֵקִים עָלֶיךָ רָעָה - meqim aleykha ra'ah):
  • Raise up (meqim, Hiphil participle of קוּם - qum): This active verb indicates God's direct agency in bringing about this consequence. It does not mean God instigates moral evil (sin itself) but that He sovereignly orchestrates events and uses various agents (even wicked human choices) to execute His righteous judgment or bring about deserved calamity. It highlights God's control over historical outcomes.
  • Evil (ra'ah - רָעָה): This Hebrew word encompasses both moral wickedness and disaster, calamity, or misfortune. Here, in the context of divine judgment, it primarily denotes calamity, suffering, and misfortune, particularly those stemming from immoral actions committed against David. It signifies punitive consequences, not necessarily God being the author of sin but of its deserved fallout.
• from your own house (מִבֵּיתֶךָ - mi·bei·tekha): This phrase specifies the source of the evil. It implies that the affliction will come from within David's own family and close domestic sphere. This directly connects to the incest, rape, and fratricide involving Amnon and Tamar (2 Sam 13), and especially Absalom's rebellion and defilement of David's concubines (2 Sam 15-18), showing the rot within the very core of his legacy and lineage. This judgment contrasts David's desire for privacy in his sin; the public fallout comes from his most intimate circle.
• And I will take your wives (וְלָקַחְתִּי אֶת־נָשֶׁיךָ - v'laqakh-ti et nashaikha): This declares a direct, divinely-orchestrated reversal of David's sin. Just as David "took" Bathsheba (2 Sam 11:4) from Uriah, God declares that David's own wives (concubines, women of his harem, reflecting royal power) will be "taken." The divine agency "I will take" emphasizes God's sovereign hand in judgment, not merely permissive but active in recompense.
• before your eyes (לְעֵינֶיךָ - l'eineyka): This adds a layer of intensely personal humiliation. David will not just hear about it; he will witness his shame, highlighting the public and personal nature of his consequence. This is a bitter irony, as David himself tried to hide his sin from all eyes.
• and give them to your neighbor (וְנָתַתִּי לְרֵעֶיךָ - v'natatti l'rei'eka):
  • Give them (natatti): Another instance of direct divine action. God will appoint the agent of this public disgrace.
  • Your neighbor (l'rei'eka): While literally a close acquaintance or fellow citizen, in this context, it takes on a deeply ironic and specific meaning. This "neighbor" turned out to be David's own son, Absalom (2 Sam 16:22), making the defilement an even more profound act of betrayal and a literal internal defilement of David's "house."
• and he shall lie with your wives (וְשָׁכַב עִם־נָשֶׁיךָ - v'shakhav im nashaikha): This explicit statement confirms the sexual nature of the public defilement, mirroring David's own sin of illicit sexual union.
• in the sight of this sun (לְעֵינֵי הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ הַזֹּאת - l'einei ha-shemesh ha-zot): This potent imagery signifies complete public exposure. "The sun" is the ultimate symbol of visibility and light, ensuring that the act will not only be done but done openly and universally witnessed, known by all, contrasting sharply with David's initial attempt to cover his sin in secrecy. It points to a pervasive and unavoidable shame that permeates David's reign.

• "I will raise up evil against you from your own house": This phrase speaks to the profound reversal of fortune. The very source from which David expected stability and legacy (his family) would become the origin of his deepest anguish and humiliation. It highlights a divinely-ordained unraveling from within, an "in-house" judgment.
• "And I will take your wives... and give them to your neighbor... and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun": This comprehensive phrase explicitly describes the public sexual defilement of David's royal harem. It serves as a direct, precise, and highly visible judicial repayment for David's secret taking of Bathsheba, his neighbor Uriah's wife, under the cover of darkness and deceit. The public nature ("in the sight of this sun") and the involvement of a "neighbor" (Absalom, his son and rival) inflict maximum shame, ensuring the divine judgment matches the sin's gravity and method of concealment.

2 Samuel 12 11 Bonus section

The specificity of the punishment in 2 Samuel 12:11 is critical. It is not merely a generic "bad things will happen," but a detailed prophecy of a precise humiliation that directly correlates to David's actions. This shows the retributive justice of God, where the nature of the punishment fits the crime, particularly in terms of severity and method. David secretly took Uriah's wife and tried to keep it quiet; God promised that David's wives would be taken publicly by another man. The prophetic precision ensures that the original audience (and subsequent generations) would clearly see God's hand in the events that unfolded (e.g., Absalom's public actions in 2 Samuel 16). Furthermore, the judgment emanating "from your own house" signifies not only the pain of family betrayal but also the profound breaking of God's covenant blessings upon David's line, manifesting as deep spiritual and familial dysfunction that continues throughout the historical books (Amnon, Absalom, Adonijah). While David received grace for salvation and life, the temporal consequences for his kingdom and family were irrevocably set, underscoring that grace does not always exempt one from the earthly discipline that brings God's name glory and warns others.

2 Samuel 12 11 Commentary

2 Samuel 12:11 serves as a stark and severe declaration of divine justice, illustrating that God holds even His anointed ones accountable. The verse pronounces three core aspects of punishment that precisely fit David's crimes: the source of "evil" will be his own family, mirroring the internal rot caused by his sin; his wives will be publicly violated, directly reflecting his violation of Uriah's marriage; and this act will be witnessed by all, reversing David's attempts to hide his adultery and murder. God's active "raising up" and "taking" denote His sovereign hand in orchestrating the consequences, using human agents like Absalom to fulfill His righteous decree. This highlights the inexorable principle that hidden sin, particularly against God's moral law and the covenant, will eventually be exposed and bring proportional public shame and suffering, not as a sign of God’s pleasure in human suffering but as a demonstration of His perfect justice and commitment to His holiness. David, the "man after God's own heart," experiences severe personal and familial suffering as a testament to the high standards of a Holy God, proving that God does not play favorites with sin.

Examples for practical usage:

• Understanding that personal sin has wider, sometimes public, consequences.
• Reinforcing that God is just and faithful to His word, even when it comes to judgment.
• Recognizing the principle of sowing and reaping (Gal 6:7) in a tangible, historical example.
• Illustrating that no sin, no matter how concealed, remains hidden from God's sight.