2 Samuel 12:9

2Sa 12:9 Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife [to be] thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.

Ver. 9. Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment?] Yea, not one, but many: especially the sixth and seventh commandment: although the truth is, the whole law is but one copulative, as the schools speak, {Exo 16:18 Eze 18:10-13} and he that breaketh one commandment is guilty of all, {Jas 2:10} since God will not be served with an exception, neither brooketh he a dispensatory conscience.

Thou hast killed Uriah.] A wretched reward for all his good service: a valiant man that ventured his life for thy sake, and would have laid it down for thy safeguard. Like as we read in our chronicles of one Hubert de St Clare, that at the siege of Bridgenorth, A.D. 1155, he cast himself between death and King Henry II, taking the arrow into his own bosom to preserve his sovereign’s life. {a} Uriah likely would have done as much for David.

{a} Speed.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2Sa_12:9

Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord.

The sinners treatment of Gods law

Some men treat the law and testimony of the Lord as if it were like plaster of Paris, to be poured over their features to take the cast of their own boasted loveliness. Religion is to them a matter of opinion and not of fact; they talk about their views, and their ideas, as if Christians were no longer believers but inventors, and no more disciples but masters. This cometh of evil, and leadeth on to worse consequences. Our sentiments are like a tree, which must be trained to the wall of Scripture; but too many go about to bow the wall to their tree, and cut and trim texts to shape them to their mind. Let us never be guilty of this. Reverence for the perfect word should prevent our altering even a syllable of it. The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; let it convert us, but never let us try to pervert it. Our ideas must take the mould of Scripture--this is wisdom: to endeavour to mould Scripture to our ideas would be presumption. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2Sa 12:9. Thou hast killed Uriah — David’s contriving his death was as bad as if he had killed him with his own hand. With the sword of the children of Ammon — This was an aggravation of his crime, that he caused him to be slain by the professed enemies of God, who doubtless triumphed in the slaughter of so great a man. Hast taken his wife, &c. — To marry her whom he had defiled, and whose husband he had slain, was an affront upon the ordinance of marriage, making that not only to palliate, but in a manner to consecrate such villanies. In all this he despised the word of the Lord; (so it is in the Hebrew;) not only his commandment in general, but the particular word of promise, which God had before sent him by Nathan, that he would build him a house: which sacred promise if he had had a due value for, he would not have polluted his house with lust and blood.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Thou hast most cruelly given him into the hands of God’s enemies.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 9. Thou hast killed Uriah] THOU art the MURDERER, as having planned his death; the sword of the Ammonites was THY instrument only.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(9) Hast slain him.—This is a different and stronger word than “killed” in the first part of the verse, and might well be translated murdered. It was murder in the eyes of the Lord, although accomplished indirectly by the sword of the Ammonites.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

9. Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord] Cp. Num_15:31; 1Sa_15:23; 1Sa_15:26. Great as was David’s sin against Uriah and Bath-sheba, his sin against God was greater in thus breaking two express commandments of the decalogue. Cp. Psa_51:4.

and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon] This is not a mere repetition of the clause “thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword.” The verb is stronger, “thou hast murdered;” and the offence is shewn to have been aggravated by the employment of the Ammonites, the enemies of God’s people, as the instruments for its commission.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house,.... During his life, and as appeared in the slaughter of his sons Ammon and Absalom before his death, and of Adonijah quickly after, and in his posterity through their wars with the children of Israel, and other nations:

because thou hast despised me; his commandments, and that in effect was despising him the lawgiver:

and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife; which being repeated shows that it was very displeasing to God, and a very heinous crime in his sight.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

The commandment of the Lord, i. e. those laws of God which forbade thee to do this thing, by not giving them that respect and observance which they deserved.

Uriah the Hittite; that valiant, and generous, and noble person.

Hast taken his wife to be thy wife: this he mentions amongst his other sins; partly because he had rewarded her, who by God’s law should have been severely punished; partly because he compassed this marriage by wicked practices, even by Uriah’s murder, and for sinful ends, even for the gratification of his inordinate and sensual lusts, and for the concealment of that sin which he was obliged to confess and lament.

Hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon; those cursed enemies of God, and of his people, whom thou hast encouraged and hardened in their idolatry, by giving up him and others of God’s people into their hands. And note here, that although David did not kill Uriah himself, nor command any to do it; but only that he should be put upon dangerous service (which a general of an army oft doth to soldiers under him, on justifiable accounts, without being therefore legally chargeable with murder, though the person so employed die in the service); yet in God’s account, who judged of David’s design therein, it is justly so reputed. And therefore, though the Ammonites slew Uriah, yet David is said to have killed him with their sword.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

9. Despised the commandment of the Lord — Which says, “Thou shalt not kill.” David was guilty of murder.

Thou hast killed Uriah… with the sword… hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon — This is not tautology, for to slay with the sword of the heathen Ammonites was even more aggravating than to kill one outright; and the last term, hast slain — from הרג, to murder — is stronger than the former, hast killed — from נכה, to smite.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Despising the commandments of God.

David, by his grievous sins, had virtually shown contempt for the well-known commandments of God against coveting the wife of another, and against adultery and murder. Hence the force of this remonstrance. It may be properly addressed to all who in any way show contempt for any of the Divine commandments; to all men, therefore, since all are in some respects and in some degree guilty of this sin.

I WHO MAY BE SAID TO DESPISE THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD?

1. Those who take no pains to know and understand them. Who do not think it worth while to inquire, in reference to their course of life, their duty to others, or any particular action, or even their religious faith and observances, what the will of God is; but are content to follow without question the customs of the world around them, or their own inclinations and habits.

2. Those who refuse to give heed when their attention is called to them.

Which may be by their own consciences, or by other men.

3. Those who disobey them. And the degree of contempt shown by disobedience will be in proportion to

(1) their knowledge;

(2) their remembrance, at the time, of the commandment, its Author, and its sanctions;

(3) the difficulties of disobedience which have to be overcome; and

(4) the remonstrances of conscience, and of the Spirit of God, which are resisted and conquered.

II THEIR SIN AND FOLLY. They may be addressed as the prophet addressed David, "Wherefore," etc.

1. What rational ground have you for doing it? Seeing the commandment

(1) is "of the Lord," who has the highest right to the obedience of his creatures;

(2) proceeds from the perfect reason and the infinite love; and therefore

(3) is adapted to promote the good of each and all. "The Law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. (Rom_7:12) Consider any particular commandment you have disregarded, and you will see that all this is true of it; and that, therefore, your conduct is foolish and wicked.

1. How can "you" do it? Who have been laid under obligations so weighty by the kindness of God; who know so well his character, claims, and laws; who have so often and in such various ways professed love and loyalty to him; who are bound by so many considerations to set a good example; or (as in David"s case) are appointed to be an upholder of law, a guardian of innocence, a protector of the public morals.

2. How "dare" you do it? In view of the shame and moral injury you bring on yourself; the evil you do to others; the terrible threatenings of the Word of God against sinners; his knowledge of all you do; his awful holiness and justice; and his almighty power to execute his threatenings. In view also of death, and of the day of judgment, when your most secret sins will be brought to light and punished. G.W.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

To be thy wife - To marry her whom he had defiled, and whose husband he had slain, was an affront upon the ordinance of marriage, making that not only to palliate, but in a manner to consecrate such villainies. In all this he despised the word of the Lord; (so it is in the Hebrew.) Not only his commandment in general, but the particular word of promise, which God had before sent him by Nathan, that he would build him an house: which sacred promise if he had had a due value for, he would not have polluted his house with lust and blood.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

So why have you despised ... Yahweh, so as to do what is evil in his sight?

This rhetorical question is used to rebuke David. This can be written as a statement. AT: "You should not have despised ... Yahweh and should not have done what is evil in his sight!" (See: Rhetorical Question)

what is evil in his sight

Here "sight" refers to Yahweh's thoughts or opinion. AT: "what he considers to be evil" or "what is evil in Yahweh's judgement" (See: Metaphor)

You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword

David did not kill Uriah himself, rather he arranged for him to be killed in battle. The phrase "with the sword" represents how Uriah died in battle. AT: "You have arranged for Uriah the Hittite to die in battle" (See: Metonymy)

You killed him with the sword of the army of Ammon

David did not kill Uriah himself, rather he arranged for him to be killed in battle when Israel was fighting against Ammon. The phrase "with the sword" refers to how he died in battle. AT: "You arranged for him to die in battle against the army of Ammon" (See: Metonymy)

the sword will never leave your house

Here the word "sword" refers to people dying in war. Also, David's "house" refers to his descendants. AT: "some of your descendants will always die in battle" (See: Metonymy)

translationWords

command

evil

Uriah

Hittite

sword

Ammon

house

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.