translation_id: net-engnet

label: NET translator note

text: Heb “house” (also in the following verse).


text: Or “rest.”


text: The translation understands the disjunctive clause in v. 1 b as circumstantial-causal.


label: NET textual note

text: Several medieval Hebrew mss and the Syriac Peshitta lack this word.


text: Heb “all that is in your heart.”


text: Heb “in a tent and in a dwelling.” The expression is a hendiadys, using two terms to express one idea.


text: Heb “Did I speak a word?” In the Hebrew text the statement is phrased as a rhetorical question.


text: Heb “tribes” (so KJV, NASB, NCV), but the parallel passage in 1 Chr 17:6 has “judges.”


text: Heb “whom I commanded to shepherd” (so NIV, NRSV).


text: Heb “and from after the sheep.”


text: Heb “cut off.”


text: Heb “and I will make for you a great name like the name of the great ones who are in the earth.”


text: Heb “plant.”


text: Heb “shaken.”


text: Heb “the sons of violence.”


text: In the Hebrew text the verb is apparently perfect with vav consecutive, which would normally suggest a future sense (“he will declare”; so the LXX, ἀπαγγελεῖ [ apangelei ]). But the context seems instead to call for a present or past nuance (“he declares” or “he has declared”). The synoptic passage in 1 Chr 17:10 has וָאַגִּד ( va ’ aggid , “and I declared”). The construction used in 2 Sam 7:11 highlights this important statement.


text: Heb “the Lord .”


text: Heb “house,” but used here in a metaphorical sense, referring to a royal dynasty. Here the Lord ’s use of the word plays off the literal sense that David had in mind as he contemplated building a temple for the Lord . To reflect this in the English translation the adjective “dynastic” has been supplied.


text: Heb , “when your days are full and you lie down with your ancestors.”


text: Heb “your seed after you who comes out from your insides.”


text: Heb “and I will establish the throne of his kingdom permanently.”


text: Heb “before you.” A few medieval Hebrew mss read instead “before me,” which makes better sense contextually. (See also the LXX and the Syriac Peshitta.) The MT reading is probably the result of dittography (note the כ [ kaf ] at the beginning of the next form), with the extra כ then being interpreted as a pronominal suffix.


text: Heb “throne.”


text: Heb “according to all these words and according to all this revelation, so Nathan said to David.”


text: Heb “house.”


text: Heb “and this was small in your eyes, O Lord God, so you spoke concerning the house of your servant for a distance.”


text: Heb “and this [is] the law of man”; KJV “is this the manner of man, O Lord God?”; NAB “this too you have shown to man”; NRSV “May this be instruction for the people, O Lord God!” This part of the verse is very enigmatic; no completely satisfying solution has yet been suggested. The present translation tries to make sense of the MT by understanding the phrase as a question that underscores the uniqueness of God’s dealings with David as described here. The parallel passage in 1 Chr 17:17 reads differently (see the note there).


text: Heb “and you know your servant.” The verb here refers to recognizing another in a special way and giving them special treatment (see 1 Chr 17:18 ). Some English versions take this to refer to the Lord’s knowledge of David himself: CEV “you know my thoughts”; NLT “know what I am really like.”


text: Heb “for the sake of your word and according to your heart.”


text: Heb “to make known, your servant.”


text: Heb “in all which we heard with our ears.” The phrase translated “in all” בְּכֹל ( bÿkhol ) should probably be emended to “according to all” כְּכֹל ( kÿkhol ).


text: Heb “a nation, one.”


text: Heb “whose God” or “because God.” In the Hebrew text this clause is subordinated to what precedes. The clauses are separated in the translation for stylistic reasons.


text: The verb is plural in Hebrew, agreeing grammatically with the divine name, which is a plural of degree.


text: Heb “redeem.”


text: Heb “and to do for you [plural form] the great [thing] and awesome [things] for your land.”


text: Heb “from Egypt, nations and their gods.” The LXX has “nations and tents,” which reflects a mistaken metathesis of letters in אֶלֹהָיו ( e ’ lohav , “its gods”) and אֹהָלָיו (’ ohalav , “its tents”).


text: Heb “and you established for yourself your people Israel for yourself for a people permanently.”


text: Heb “and now, O Lord God, the word which you spoke concerning your servant and concerning his house, establish permanently.”


text: Heb “as you have spoken.”


text: Heb “and your name might be great permanently.” Following the imperative in v. 23 b, the prefixed verbal form with vav conjunctive indicates purpose/result.


text: Heb “saying.” The words “as people” are supplied in the translation for clarification and stylistic reasons.


text: Heb “the house.” See the note on “dynastic house” in the following verse.


text: Heb “have uncovered the ear of.”


text: Heb “a house.” This maintains the wordplay from v. 11 (see the note on the word “house” there) and is continued in v. 29 .


text: Heb “has found his heart.”


text: Heb “the God.” The article indicates uniqueness here.


text: The translation understands the prefixed verb form as a jussive, indicating David’s wish/prayer. Another option is to take the form as an imperfect and translate “your words are true.”


text: Heb “and you have spoken to your servant this good thing.”


text: Heb “house” (again later in this verse). See the note on “dynastic house” in v. 27 .


text: Or “permanently”; cf. NLT “it is an eternal blessing.”