2 Samuel 7:15

2Sa 7:15 But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took [it] from Saul, whom I put away before thee.

Ver. 15. But my mercy shall not depart away from him.] Why then Feri, Domine, feri, saith Luther. Strike while thou wilt, Lord; my sins are pardoned. I thank thee, O Lord, for all my pain, as another said. And, Not so much case, as the use, Lord, said a third.

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.

My mercy shall not depart ... - Hence, Isaiah’s saying, the sure mercies of David Isa 55:3, i. e. unfailing, lasting mercies: mercies which are like streams of water that never dry up Isa 33:16; Jer 15:18. This is explained in 2Sa 7:16, where the word established is the same word as is rendered sure in Isaiah.

Before thee - Before Me is probably the true reading in 2Sa 7:15-16 (if the rest of the text be sound), according to the analogy of Jer 35:19; 1Sa 2:30, 1Sa 2:35; and many other places; whereas the idea contained in the reading, before thee, is unparalleled. But the reading in 1Ch 17:13 is quite different: “As I took it from him that was before thee,” meaning Saul, which gives a very good sense, and suggests that the text here may have been corrupted.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

2Sa_7:15

But my mercy shall not depart away from him.

But One forsaken and He victorious

At Mildmay, Mr. Spurgeon related the story of an aged saint, who, depressed much with bodily infirmity, asked a friend if he ever knew anyone forsaken of God, for that was his condition. Only one, was the reply, but He to-day is sitting on His Fathers throne. (Newton Jones.)

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

2Sa 7:15-16. My mercy shall not depart from him — Or, my kindness, as the Hebrew word חסדי, chasdi, rather means. That is, the kingdom which I have mercifully and kindly promised to thee and thine. As I took it from Saul — In regard of his posterity, for the kingdom was continued to Saul himself during his life. Thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee — Thine eyes, in some sort, beholding it; for he lived to see his wise son Solomon actually placed on the throne with reputation and general applause, which was in itself a good presage of the continuance of the kingdom in his family; and, when considered in connection with God’s infallible promises made to him and his descendants, must have given him assurance thereof. David, however, had his eyes and thoughts on the Messiah, Psa 110:1; whose day he saw by faith, as Abraham had done; whom he knew God would raise up of the fruit of his loins to sit on his throne, Act 2:30, and the eternity of whose kingdom might well be said to be before him. Thy throne shall be established for ever — The kingdom shall be continued for a long time, even for many ages, in thy family, and in the Messiah, who is to be thy seed, to all eternity. Thus the angel, applying this promise to Jesus, says to Mary, The Lord God shall give unto him the throne of HIS FATHER DAVID. And he shall reign over the house of Jacob FOR EVER, and of HIS KINGDOM there shall be NO END.

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

Verse 15. But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul] His house shall be a lasting house, and he shall die in the throne of Israel, his children succeeding him; and the spiritual seed, Christ, possessing and ruling in that throne to the end of time.

The family of Saul became totally extinct; the family of David remained till the incarnation. Joseph and Mary were both of that family; Jesus was the only heir to the kingdom of Israel; he did not choose to sit on the secular throne, he ascended the spiritual throne, and now he is exalted to the right hand of God, a PRINCE and a Saviour, to give repentance and remission of sins. See the observations at the end of the chapter. 2Sa 7:25.

Many have applied these verses and their parallels to support the doctrine of unconditional final perseverance; but with it the text has nothing to do; and were we to press it, because of the antitype, Solomon, the doctrine would most evidently be ruined, for there is neither proof nor evidence of Solomon's salvation.

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

(15) As I took it from Saul.—He and his house were utterly and permanently set aside; David’s descendants will be punished for their sins, yet shall never be forgotten, and shall, ultimately issue in one who shall conquer sin and death for ever.

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

15. shall not depart, &c.] Lit, shall not be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I took away from before thee. The three verbs belong to the same root. But there is perhaps some error in the text. 1Ch_17:13 reads, “my mercy will I not take away from him, as I took it away from him who was before thee;” and the Sept. here has, “My mercy will I not take away from him, as I took it away from them that I took away from before me.”

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.

But my mercy shall not depart away from him,.... Which is not to be understood of special mercy and grace, though it is true of these with respect to Solomon, and so to all the adopted children of God, see Psa 89:32; but then this here designs such mercy as may be taken away from another, and as it was from Saul, as it follows:

as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee; and therefore must be understood of his mercy and kindness, in giving him a kingdom, and setting him on the throne; this should not be taken away from him, as it was from Saul, whom God rejected from being king; not him personally, but his posterity; but so the Lord would not do, nor did he, to Solomon, in whose posterity the kingdom of Judah continued to the Babylonish captivity.

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

My mercy, or my kindness, i. e. the kingdom which l have mercifully an kindly promised to thee and thine.

As I took it from Saul; in regard of his posterity, for the kingdom was continued to his person during life.

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

15. But my mercy shall not depart — Even though the royal seed commit iniquity, yet for David and Jerusalem’s sake the prophecy and promise of this Scripture shall not fail. “The family of Saul became totally extinct. The family of David remained till the incarnation. Joseph and Mary were both of that family; Jesus was the only heir to the kingdom of Israel, But he did not choose to sit on the secular throne, he ascended the spiritual throne, and now he is exalted to the right hand of God, a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance and remission of sins.” — Clarke.

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

Vers. 15, 16. Before thee. This does not refer to time, but means "in thy presence," or "before thy face," that is, "as thou hast thyself been witness." There is a strong contrast between the fate of Saul"s house and this eternal endurance promised to that of David. The lineage of Saul might have made a new start in Jonathan, and even when he died at Gilboa, he left a son behind him. Still, no one ever locked upon Mephibosheth as having any title to the throne; and though Shimei (2Sa_16:5) may have conceived the hope that, if David were overthrown, the kingdom might return to Saul"s family, yet, as a matter of fact, among the many vicissitudes of the ten tribes, the attempt never was made to search for a descendant of Saul to be Israel"s king. Saul"s was a royalty for one generation; David"s throne was to be established forever. Not because David was sinless. His character is sullied by crimes of the darkest hue. But he never sank into a mere tyrant, such as Saul was towards David and towards the priests at Nob. Nor did David ever become an irreligious man, (1Sa_22:18, 19 28:15) though there is in him a strange and painful mixture of great good and great evil. The salt that preserves his character is his genuine sincerity and earnestness both towards God and man; and these qualities make him not unworthy of the high place he holds among God s people. Still, the premise was not because of David"s deserts, but because from him was to come the Christ, who is blessed. forevermore.

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

My mercy - That is, Or, my kindness, that is, the kingdom which I have mercifully promised to thee and thine. From Saul - In regard of his posterity, for the kingdom was continued to his person during life.

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

mercy

2Sa 7:14-15 state the principle of judgment within the family of God. (See Scofield "1Co 11:31"). It is always remedial, not penal Heb 12:5-11.

Judgment of the wicked is penal, not remedial.

The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

General Information:

Yahweh finishes describing his promises to King David through the prophet Nathan.

But my covenant faithfulness will not leave him, as I took it from Saul

The word "faithfulness" is an abstract noun that can be stated as "faithfully loving." AT: "I will never stop faithfully loving him as I stopped loving Saul" (See: Abstract Nouns)

from before you. Your house ... before you. Your throne

If in 2 Samuel 7:8-9 you translated the direct quotations as indirect quotation, then here you may need to translate "you" as "David" or "him" or "his" as in the UDB. AT: "from before David. David's house ... before him. His throne" (See: Direct and Indirect Quotations)

Your house and kingdom will be confirmed forever before you. Your throne will be established forever.

These two sentences have similar meanings and emphasize that David's dynasty will last forever. (See: Parallelism)

Your house and kingdom will be confirmed forever before you

Here the word "house" represents David's descendants, who will rule as kings. Here "kingdom" means about the same thing as "house." This can also be stated in active form. AT: "You will live to see me establish your family and their rule over the people of Israel forever" (See: Doublet and Active or Passive)

Your throne will be established forever

Here "throne" represents the power to rule as king. AT: "I will cause your descendants to rule over Israel forever" (See: Active or Passive)

all these words

"all these things." This refers to what Yahweh had said.

he told him about the entire vision

"he told him about everything Yahweh revealed to him"

translationWords

covenant faithfulness

Saul (OT)

confirm

Nathan

report

word

vision

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