2 Samuel 12:16 kjv
David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.
2 Samuel 12:16 nkjv
David therefore pleaded with God for the child, and David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground.
2 Samuel 12:16 niv
David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and spent the nights lying in sackcloth on the ground.
2 Samuel 12:16 esv
David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground.
2 Samuel 12:16 nlt
David begged God to spare the child. He went without food and lay all night on the bare ground.
2 Samuel 12 16 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Sam 12:22 | And he said, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, 'Who knows whether the LORD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?'" | David's rationale for his actions. |
| Psa 35:13 | But as for me, when they were sick, I wore sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting; I prayed with head bowed on my chest. | Fasting and prayer for the sick. |
| Jnh 3:5-8 | And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth... For word came to the king of Nineveh... and they fasted and put on sackcloth... "Who knows? God may turn and relent..." | Collective fasting and repentance for averting judgment. |
| Dan 9:3 | Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. | Daniel's fervent prayer and fasting for his people. |
| Joel 2:12-13 | "Yet even now," declares the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments." | Call to sincere repentance and fasting. |
| Neh 1:4 | As soon as I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. | Nehemiah's distress, fasting, and prayer for Jerusalem. |
| Est 4:16 | "Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf... I and my young women will also fast as you do." | Esther's call for corporate fasting before approaching the king. |
| Psa 51:17 | The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. | Emphasis on humble and contrite heart, reflected in David's prostration. |
| Isa 38:1-5 | In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death... Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall and prayed to the LORD... and the LORD added fifteen years to his life. | Hezekiah's desperate prayer for healing and extended life. |
| Jas 5:16 | The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. | Effectiveness of earnest prayer. |
| Mat 6:16-18 | "And when you fast, do not look gloomy... But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face... so that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret." | Instruction on the proper practice of fasting. |
| Acts 13:2-3 | While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said... Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. | Fasting as part of seeking God's will and spiritual preparation. |
| Ezra 8:23 | So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to us. | Fasting and prayer leading to God's favorable response. |
| Psa 69:10 | When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting, it became my reproach. | Fasting as an act of humbling the soul. |
| Ex 33:1-4 | When the people heard this disastrous word, they mourned... For the LORD had said to Moses, "Say to the people of Israel, 'You are a stiff-necked people... now therefore, put off your ornaments...'" | People's mourning and humility after receiving judgment. |
| 1 Kgs 21:27 | And when Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his flesh and fasted and lay in sackcloth and went about dejectedly. | Ahab's act of humility (though possibly not sincere). |
| Luk 18:9-14 | The parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector... "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!" | Contrast of outward religious acts (Pharisee's fasting) with true humility (Tax Collector's posture of repentance). |
| Psa 42:3 | My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, "Where is your God?" | Deep sorrow often accompanied by abstaining from food. |
| Num 14:11-20 | The LORD said to Moses, "How long will this people despise me...?" Moses interceded for the people, and the LORD pardoned them. | Moses' successful intercession after God pronounced judgment. |
| Lam 2:19 | "Arise, cry out in the night... pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord!" | A call to intense, night-long supplication in distress. |
2 Samuel 12 verses
2 Samuel 12 16 Meaning
David's response to the prophecy of his child's death was a desperate and fervent appeal to God. He engaged in intense prayer, accompanied by the spiritual disciplines of fasting and lying prostrate on the ground throughout the night. These actions demonstrate his deep anguish, humility, and fervent hope that God might show mercy and spare his child's life, despite the declared judgment.
2 Samuel 12 16 Context
2 Samuel chapter 12 details the prophet Nathan's confrontation with King David over his grave sins of adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah the Hittite. Nathan delivers a parable that exposes David's actions, leading to David's confession: "I have sinned against the LORD" (2 Sam 12:13). While God mercifully pardons David's life, Nathan immediately pronounces the consequences: "Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the LORD, the child who is born to you shall die" (2 Sam 12:14). Directly following this prophecy, the Lord struck the child with a severe illness (2 Sam 12:15). Verse 16 describes David's desperate, immediate response to this unfolding divine judgment.
2 Samuel 12 16 Word analysis
- David therefore (וַיְבַקֵּשׁ דָּוִד): The phrase connects David's actions directly to the preceding events—Nathan's prophecy and the child's illness. "Therefore" highlights that David's subsequent actions were a direct, consequential response to the pronouncement of judgment and the onset of the child's sickness.
- pleaded (וַיְבַקֵּשׁ, vayvaqqesh): From the Hebrew root ב.ק.שׁ (baqash), which means "to seek, to require, to ask for." The Piel stem (here, Vayyiqtol, intensive verbal form) denotes an earnest, urgent, or fervent seeking. This is not a casual request, but a desperate, insistent, and sustained supplication, characteristic of one seeking mercy or life-saving intervention. It signifies profound engagement and intercession.
- with God (אֶת-הָאֱלֹהִים, et-ha’Elohim): "Elohim" is the generic Hebrew term for God, often referring to God's mighty and sovereign attributes, particularly in creation and judgment. David is appealing to the ultimate authority who had decreed the judgment and held power over life and death. His plea is directed not to idols or lesser powers, but to the one true, powerful God who orchestrates all things.
- for the child (בַּעַד הַיֶּלֶד, ba'ad hayyeled): "For" (בַּעַד, ba'ad) here means "on behalf of," emphasizing that David's fervent prayer was intercessory, focused solely on the life of his afflicted son. It highlights his paternal love and deep anguish.
- And David fasted (וַיָּצֹם דָּוִד, vayyatsom David): "Fasted" (מצוֹם, tsom) is abstaining from food and sometimes drink for religious or spiritual purposes. In ancient Israel, fasting was practiced during times of national calamity, personal distress, repentance, and intense supplication to God. It expressed humility, mourning, self-abasement, and heightened earnestness in prayer, often done with the hope of moving God to compassion or revealing His will (compare Jdg 20:26; 1 Sam 7:6).
- and went in (וַיָּלֶן, vayyalen): The verb root ל.ו.נ. (lun) means "to lodge" or "to spend the night." In context, "went in" suggests David withdrew to a private place (perhaps his inner chambers or a humble spot) for solitary and intense prayer, removed from public view and regular kingly duties.
- and lay all night (וַיָּלֶן... בָּאָרֶץ, vayyalen ba'aretz): While "vayyalen" often means "spent the night," in combination with "on the ground," it implies lying down, signifying a posture.
- on the ground (בָּאָרֶץ, ba'aretz): This posture signifies extreme humility, self-abasement, overwhelming grief, and utter submission before God. It's an outward demonstration of deep distress and repentance, akin to mourning rituals involving sackcloth and ashes (often inferred to accompany such prostration). It represents laying oneself bare and completely vulnerable before the Almighty, signifying desperate appeal to divine mercy.
- "pleaded with God for the child": This phrase captures the intense intercessory nature of David's prayer, directed towards God as the ultimate sovereign over life and death, reflecting David's desperate love for his son and hope against pronounced judgment.
- "fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground": This grouping describes a complete spiritual and physical posture of desperate supplication. It shows David’s total commitment to his appeal: physical self-denial (fasting), withdrawal and dedication of time (went in, all night), and profound humility and sorrow (lay on the ground). This combined effort highlights the depth of David's penitence, his acknowledgment of God's power, and his fervent desire for divine intervention.
2 Samuel 12 16 Bonus section
David's persistent supplication in this verse highlights the biblical principle that even when God has pronounced judgment, it is not outside the realm of possibility for Him to relent, depending on the response of the person (see Jer 18:7-10 on conditional prophecy). David’s hope was not that his actions would force God's hand, but that his sincere brokenness and desperate plea might move God's heart of compassion. This shows David's understanding that prayer, even in seemingly impossible circumstances, is the believer's greatest recourse, trusting in the character of God who is abundant in steadfast love and mercy, though also just in His judgments. This episode stands as a profound illustration of wrestling in prayer and yielding to divine sovereignty.
2 Samuel 12 16 Commentary
David's actions in 2 Samuel 12:16 present a vivid portrait of a man consumed by grief and profound earnestness in the face of God's severe judgment. His fasting was not merely ritualistic but an embodiment of his broken spirit and deep sorrow for the impending death of his son. Lying prostrate on the ground symbolized ultimate humility, recognizing God's absolute sovereignty and his own unworthiness, yet clinging to the slimmest hope for mercy (as expressed later in 2 Sam 12:22). This intense period of self-humiliation and supplication was David's last desperate effort to intercede with the God he had grievously offended. It demonstrates that true repentance and submission to God's will often manifest through acts of deep humility and prayer.