2 Samuel 12:6 kjv
And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.
2 Samuel 12:6 nkjv
And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity."
2 Samuel 12:6 niv
He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity."
2 Samuel 12:6 esv
and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity."
2 Samuel 12:6 nlt
He must repay four lambs to the poor man for the one he stole and for having no pity."
2 Samuel 12 6 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exod 22:1 | "If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and kills it or sells it, he shall repay five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep." | Legal restitution for theft, 'fourfold' origin |
| Lev 6:4-5 | "...then he shall restore what he took by robbery... and shall add a fifth to it." | Law of restitution, typically 1/5th added for specific offenses |
| Num 5:7 | "...and he shall add a fifth to it and give it to him to whom it belongs." | Law of restitution, generally with a 20% addition |
| Deut 19:16-19 | "If a malicious witness rises up... then you shall do to him as he had purposed to do..." | Justice: doing to the perpetrator what they intended for another |
| 2 Sam 11:3-4 | "David sent and inquired about the woman... he lay with her..." | David's initial sin against Bathsheba |
| 2 Sam 11:15-17 | "...he wrote, 'Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting...'" | David's sin against Uriah |
| 2 Sam 12:7-10 | "Then Nathan said to David, 'You are the man!... I will raise up evil against you from your own house.'" | Nathan's direct prophecy and consequence for David's sin |
| 2 Sam 16:21-22 | "Go in to your father's concubines... he lay with his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel." | Fulfilment of judgment, public shame, 'taking' David's wives |
| Psa 51:4 | "Against You, You only, have I sinned..." | David's true repentance and recognition of sin |
| Psa 41:1 | "Blessed is the one who considers the poor; the Lord delivers him in the day of trouble." | Contrast with lack of pity |
| Prov 6:30-31 | "...if he is caught, he must restore sevenfold; he may have to give all the property of his house." | Severity of theft punishment |
| Isa 5:8 | "Woe to those who join house to house, who add field to field..." | Prophetic denunciation of covetousness |
| Mic 3:1-3 | "Is it not for you to know justice?... you who eat the flesh of my people..." | Denunciation of oppressive rulers lacking compassion |
| Amos 5:11-12 | "Therefore because you trample on the poor and you exact taxes of wheat from him..." | Denunciation of oppression against the poor |
| Luke 19:8 | "And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, 'Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore fourfold.'" | New Testament example of restitution, specifically 'fourfold' |
| Rom 2:1-3 | "Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges... for in passing judgment upon another you condemn yourself, because you practice the very same things." | Principle of self-condemnation through judgment |
| Jas 2:13 | "For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy..." | Warning against lack of compassion |
| Matt 6:14-15 | "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." | Importance of mercy/forgiveness |
| Col 3:5 | "Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry." | Covetousness as a serious sin |
| 1 Tim 6:10 | "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil..." | Root cause of greed and lack of compassion |
| Psa 7:16 | "His mischief returns upon his own head; and his violence comes down on his own crown." | Justice turns back on the wicked, David's case |
| 2 Tim 3:2 | "For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive..." | Describes a nature lacking pity and prone to greed |
2 Samuel 12 verses
2 Samuel 12 6 Meaning
This verse encapsulates King David's swift judgment upon the rich man in Nathan's parable, declaring that he must restore the stolen lamb fourfold. This verdict reveals David's outrage at the perceived injustice and utter lack of pity displayed by the rich man, highlighting his initial unreserved condemnation of such a covetous act, unbeknownst to him that he was pronouncing judgment upon himself. The call for a fourfold restoration aligns with Israelite legal principles for specific types of theft.
2 Samuel 12 6 Context
This verse appears within the powerful narrative of Nathan's confrontation with King David following David's sins with Bathsheba and Uriah. Nathan employs a parable to expose David's transgressions without directly accusing him initially. The parable details a rich man who, having many flocks, cruelly takes a poor man's single beloved lamb to prepare for a visitor, rather than using one of his own. David's furious pronouncement of the rich man's judgment in 2 Sam 12:5-6 sets the stage for Nathan's direct accusation, "You are the man!" (2 Sam 12:7). Historically, David's reign was a time of consolidation and strength for Israel, but also saw significant personal and national turmoil stemming from this affair. The cultural context emphasizes the laws of justice, the value placed on even a small possession of the poor, and the abhorrence of a powerful person exploiting the weak, which David, as king and guardian of justice, was meant to uphold. His lack of empathy and covetousness for Uriah's wife paralleled the rich man's taking of the lamb.
2 Samuel 12 6 Word analysis
- And he shall restore: Hebrew: və-shalém (וְשַׁלֵּם). The root shalem means to complete, to make whole, to repay, or restore. It conveys the idea of fulfilling an obligation or making good what was lost. David's statement emphasizes the demand for immediate and complete recompense.
- the lamb: Hebrew: et-ha-kebes (אֶת־הַכֶּבֶשׂ). Refers specifically to a young male sheep, often symbolizing innocence and vulnerability. In the parable, this "lamb" is described with great tenderness, almost as a family member, emphasizing the personal and profound nature of the poor man's loss.
- fourfold: Hebrew: arba'tayim (אַרְבַּעְתַּיִם). This exact numerical restitution is directly linked to Mosaic Law found in Exod 22:1, which stipulated a four-ox return for a stolen and slaughtered ox, and a four-sheep return for a stolen and slaughtered sheep. The specific fourfold punishment reflects the severity of David's perceived crime, especially the heartlessness behind it, elevating it beyond simple theft to a profound injustice demanding severe penalty.
- because he did this thing: Hebrew: kiy daḇar ha-zéh (כִּי־דָּבָר הַזֶּה). This phrase points directly to the cruel and unjust act of taking the single lamb, emphasizing the nature of the deed itself as the primary cause for the judgment. It focuses on the concrete action rather than just the intent, making the condemnation precise.
- and because he had no pity: Hebrew: ūḇa'aḇûr ašer lō chāmal (וּבַעֲבוּר אֲשֶׁר לֹא־חָמָל). This clause is crucial, shifting the focus from the material theft to the spiritual and moral depravity. The root chāmal means "to pity, to spare, to have compassion, to show mercy." The absence of pity indicates a hard heart and utter disregard for the poor and vulnerable victim. It implies a moral bankruptcy that elevates the crime beyond a simple violation of property rights to a deep spiritual offense against the principles of righteousness and mercy. This moral callousness, identified by David, ironically reflected his own heartless treatment of Uriah.
2 Samuel 12 6 Bonus section
David's immediate righteous indignation was a form of self-deception, revealing a significant blind spot regarding his own character. His quick judgment underscored the prophetic nature of Nathan's parable: David was quick to condemn a sin lesser than his own, yet he harbored an even greater sin. This dynamic highlights the danger of judging others while remaining oblivious to one's own more egregious faults. The story emphasizes that while God forgives genuine repentance, there are often natural consequences to sin that forgiveness does not negate. David's reign, though God-blessed, would thereafter be marred by the painful working out of these consequences, impacting his family and the nation. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the principle: "with the measure you use, it will be measured to you" (Luke 6:38), reflecting how one's own standards of justice can, in divine providence, be applied back to oneself.
2 Samuel 12 6 Commentary
David's vehement pronouncement of judgment, calling for a fourfold restitution, reveals his deep-seated sense of justice and moral outrage when faced with overt oppression and cruelty – themes that his own life, in its moments of sin, dramatically contradicted. The specific fourfold penalty echoed the Law (Exod 22:1), signaling David's grounding in Israel's legal tradition and his expectation that such blatant injustice deserved severe punishment. However, his anger stemmed from an immediate sense of righteousness for others, blinding him to his far greater sin of coveting, stealing, murdering, and showing no pity to Uriah or Bathsheba. This moment is a powerful example of self-condemnation, as the "fourfold" punishment he declared upon the rich man, because he "had no pity," would manifest in tragic losses within David's own house: four of his sons would die (the child of Bathsheba, Amnon, Absalom, Adonijah), though not a literal one-to-one repayment in every detail, the sequence of sorrow and consequence served as a painful fulfillment of his self-imposed sentence for his lack of pity and taking what was not his.