2 Samuel 7:13 kjv
He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.
2 Samuel 7:13 nkjv
He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
2 Samuel 7:13 niv
He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
2 Samuel 7:13 esv
He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
2 Samuel 7:13 nlt
He is the one who will build a house ? a temple ? for my name. And I will secure his royal throne forever.
2 Samuel 7 13 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Sam 7:12 | "...I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body... | Immediate context - David's "seed" |
| 1 Kgs 5:5 | "And behold, I intend to build a house for the name of the Lord my God..." | Solomon acknowledges building |
| 1 Kgs 6:1 | "In the four hundred and eightieth year after the people of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, he began to build the house of the Lord." | Solomon builds the Temple |
| 1 Kgs 8:19-20 | "You shall not build the house, but your son, who shall come out of your own body, shall build the house for My name." | Solomon quotes father's understanding |
| 1 Chr 22:9-10 | "He shall be a man of rest... He shall build a house for My name, and he shall be My son..." | Divine instruction about Solomon's role |
| 2 Chr 6:8-10 | "...your son, who will go out from your loins, he shall build the house for My name." | Reinforces Solomon as builder |
| Pss 89:3-4 | "I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant: 'I will establish your offspring forever and build up your throne for all generations.'" | Divine covenant with David, eternal reign |
| Pss 89:36-37 | "His offspring shall endure forever, his throne as long as the sun before me. Like the moon it shall be established forever..." | Perpetuity of David's line, Messianic |
| Pss 132:11-12 | "The Lord swore to David a sure oath... 'One of the sons of your body I will set on your throne. If your sons keep my covenant... their sons also shall sit on your throne forevermore.'" | God's promise concerning David's offspring |
| Isa 9:6-7 | "For to us a child is born... of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it..." | Prophecy of Messiah's eternal reign |
| Jer 33:17 | "For thus says the Lord: David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel." | David's lineage will endure |
| Ezek 37:25 | "...and David My servant shall be their prince forever." | Messianic reign, future David |
| Dan 2:44 | "And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed..." | Messiah's indestructible kingdom |
| Lk 1:32-33 | "He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever..." | Gabriel's prophecy about Jesus |
| Jn 2:19-21 | "Jesus answered them, 'Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.' ...He was speaking about the temple of his body." | Christ as the true Temple, raised |
| Acts 2:29-30 | "...God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne." | Peter connects promise to Christ |
| Acts 13:34 | "And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead... He said, ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’" | Resurrection fulfills Davidic covenant |
| Eph 2:19-22 | "...built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone... into a holy temple in the Lord..." | The Church as a spiritual house/temple |
| 1 Cor 3:16 | "Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?" | Believers as God's spiritual temple |
| Heb 1:8 | "But of the Son he says, 'Your throne, O God, is forever and ever...'" | God the Father addressing Christ's eternal rule |
| Rev 11:15 | "...The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever." | Revelation of Christ's ultimate reign |
2 Samuel 7 verses
2 Samuel 7 13 Meaning
This verse is a cornerstone of the Davidic Covenant, part of God's direct message to King David through the prophet Nathan. It promises that David's future offspring will be the one to build a permanent "house" (Temple) for God's Name. More significantly, God pledges His divine intervention to "establish the throne of his kingdom forever." While immediately fulfilled in David's son Solomon who built the First Temple, the promise of an eternal kingdom unmistakably points beyond any earthly king to a greater "seed," the Messiah, Jesus Christ, whose spiritual "house" (the Church) and eternal reign transcend all human dynasties.
2 Samuel 7 13 Context
2 Samuel 7 marks a pivotal point in David's reign. After securing peace and bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, David expresses his desire to build a magnificent Temple for the Lord, feeling it is inappropriate for God to dwell in a tent (the tabernacle) while he, David, lives in a house of cedar. However, God, through the prophet Nathan, refuses David's offer, reminding him that it was God who chose David and made him great, not the other way around. Instead of David building a house for God, God promises to build a "house" for David – meaning an enduring dynasty, a continuous line of descendants, and an everlasting kingdom. Verse 13, therefore, specifies that David's future offspring will be the one to construct the physical Temple, and simultaneously guarantees the eternal nature of David's royal lineage and kingdom, moving beyond Solomon's reign to the Messianic age.
2 Samuel 7 13 Word analysis
- He: (Hebrew: הוּא - hu) This pronoun refers back to "your offspring" (זַרְעֲךָ - zarakha) mentioned in verse 12. It carries a dual meaning:
- Immediate sense: Refers directly to Solomon, David's son, who indeed built the First Temple.
- Prophetic sense: Points ultimately to the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who builds the spiritual "house" (the Church) and reigns eternally. This duality is central to the interpretation of the Davidic Covenant.
- will build: (Hebrew: יִבְנֶה - yibneh) An active future verb. This signifies a divine decree concerning the builder. It contrasts with David's own initiative to build. God chose who would build His physical dwelling place. Prophetically, Jesus builds His Church, His spiritual house (Matt 16:18, Eph 2:20).
- a house: (Hebrew: בַּיִת - bayit) This term has rich, layered significance:
- Physical: Refers to the physical Temple in Jerusalem built by Solomon, the permanent dwelling place for the Ark of the Covenant and God's manifested presence among His people (1 Kgs 6).
- Dynasty/Family: Elsewhere in this chapter, "house" (vv. 11, 16) refers to David's royal lineage or dynasty. The promise here encompasses both meanings: the physical structure and the enduring line that serves God.
- Spiritual/Messianic: The ultimate fulfillment is the "spiritual house" (1 Pet 2:5), the New Testament Church, where believers collectively become God's dwelling place through the Spirit, with Christ as the chief cornerstone (Eph 2:20-22).
- for my Name: (Hebrew: לִשְׁמִי - li-shmi) This emphasizes that the Temple is built for God's glory, presence, and identification, not as a container for an omnipresent God, but as a consecrated place where His divine attributes and authority would be acknowledged and His presence uniquely manifested. The Temple served as a focal point for worship and where God caused His Name to dwell (Deut 12:11, 1 Kgs 8:29). It points to God's self-revelation.
- and I will establish: (Hebrew: וַהֲכִינוֹתִי - va'hakhinoti) A strong declaration of divine, sovereign action. The "I" is emphatic. God Himself is the one guaranteeing the perpetuity and stability of the kingdom. This indicates a covenant of grace, initiated and sustained by God, making the promise unconditional in its broad sweep concerning the dynasty's existence. This is a contrast: David built for God, God established for David.
- the throne of his kingdom: (Hebrew: כִּסֵּא מַמְלַכְתּוֹ - kis'e mamlakhto) Refers to the king's seat of authority and the royal power and dominion. For Solomon, it was his literal earthly throne. For the Messiah, it refers to His universal, eternal, spiritual, and physical reign as the King of kings. This highlights the perpetuation of the Davidic royal authority through the designated heir.
- forever: (Hebrew: עַד עוֹלָם - ad 'olam) This term signifies a perpetual, unending duration. While Solomon's earthly reign and kingdom ultimately came to an end (Babylonian exile), the promise of "forever" here is a crucial pointer towards its Messianic fulfillment. It denotes an enduring dynasty, which culminates in the never-ending kingdom of Jesus Christ (Lk 1:33, Dan 2:44), emphasizing the covenant's ultimate, unassailable nature.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "He... will build a house for my Name": This phrase clarifies the immediate task appointed to David's son – the construction of the Temple. It underscores that while David had the desire, the divine will ordained another for the specific task, and for a divine purpose – "for my Name," not for human glorification. This also foreshadows Christ, the true Temple builder, who raises the spiritual temple of His body and the Church.
- "and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever": This is the heart of the Davidic Covenant's unconditional promise. It shifts the focus from the temporary physical structure to the eternal dynasty. "I will establish" emphasizes divine agency and certainty. "Forever" ensures the perpetuity of the royal line, transcending Solomon's limited reign and pointing directly to the Messianic reign of Christ, whose kingdom "shall have no end."
2 Samuel 7 13 Bonus section
- The Unconditional Nature: While individual Davidic kings faced conditional blessings/curses based on their obedience (1 Kgs 8:25, 1 Kgs 9:4-7), the core promise in 2 Samuel 7 regarding the endurance of the dynasty and the eternal nature of the kingdom is fundamentally unconditional. Even if David's sons sin, God promises His loyal love (mercy, hesed) will not depart from them as it did from Saul (2 Sam 7:15). This guarantees the lineage that would lead to Christ.
- Divine Initiative vs. Human Desire: The chapter highlights God's sovereignty. David desires to build a house for God, but God redirects this, demonstrating that His plan is superior and that He Himself builds David's "house" (dynasty and kingdom), securing the future Messianic King. This illustrates that God's covenant blessings flow from His initiative, not from human merit or aspiration.
- Typology: Solomon serves as a type (foreshadowing) of Christ. He builds the Temple, reigns over a golden age of peace and prosperity, and his throne is established. Yet, Solomon's flaws and the eventual division of his kingdom underscore the need for a greater, perfect Solomon – the Lord Jesus, who builds an imperishable spiritual house and reigns over an eternal kingdom of true peace.
2 Samuel 7 13 Commentary
2 Samuel 7:13 stands as a foundational promise within redemptive history. It initially delineates God's plan for the building of the Temple by Solomon, emphasizing that this work, though physical, serves God's holy "Name"—His character and authority. Crucially, the verse transitions from this immediate task to an eternal promise: God's personal pledge to "establish the throne of his kingdom forever." This eternal dimension cannot be fully met by Solomon, whose reign eventually ended and whose descendants experienced both success and failure, ultimately leading to exile and the cessation of an earthly Davidic king. Thus, "forever" powerfully anticipates a Messianic King, Jesus Christ. He is the ultimate fulfillment: not only does He establish a "house" through His Church (the spiritual temple) built on Himself as the cornerstone, but His heavenly kingdom is truly eternal, without end, thereby definitively fulfilling God's sovereign and enduring covenant with David. This highlights God's faithfulness and His overarching plan unfolding progressively through history.