2 Samuel 7:29

2Sa 7:29 Therefore now let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee: for thou, O Lord GOD, hast spoken [it]: and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever.

Ver. 29. Let it please thee to bless.] Heb., Be thou pleased and bless. Another prophet hath it, "It hath pleased thee to bless." {1Ch 17:27} Prayers are often made in faith, as if they were done things.

Let the house of thg servant be blessed for ever.] This is to press and oppress the promises, as we are commanded to do, {Isa 66:11} till we have expressed the utmost sweetness out of them. David prevailed and prospered hereupon, as appeareth by the next chapter.

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.

Therefore I firmly believe it shall come to pass.

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

(29) Let it please thee.—These words may be taken either in the optative, as in our Version, or better in the future, constituting a prophecy based upon the promise, “It will please thee.” Compare a similar possibility in the translation of the last clause of the Te Deum, “Let me never,” or “I shall never be confounded.”

Several of the Psalms have been referred by various writers to this point in David’s life; but while many of them take their key-note from the promise now made, and which was ever fresh in David’s thought, none of them have notes of time definitely determining them to the present occasion, unless it be Ps. ex., which seems like an inspired interpretation of the promise of the perpetuity of his kingdom, and at the same time might have taken its “local colouring” from his recent successful wars.

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

29. let the house of thy servant be blessed] Or, shall the house of thy servant be blessed. David concludes with words of confident hope, on the ground that “Jehovah hath spoken it.” Cp. 1Ch_17:27.

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 let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant,.... Not according to the merits of him or his family, but according to the sovereign will and pleasure of God; the Targum is, begin and bless; let the promised blessings begin to descend, that there may be some appearance of the performance of the promise, which may give encouragement that the whole will be fulfilled:

that it may continue for ever before thee; under his care and protection:

for thou, O Lord God, hast spoken it; whose words never fall to the ground, but have a sure accomplishment:

and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever; even both with temporal and spiritual blessedness.

Next: 2 Samuel Chapter 8

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

Begin. Hebrew, "please, or deign to bless." Septuagint and Jonathan, "begin." (Calmet)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Thou, O Lord God, hast spoken it, and therefore wilt certainly do it, for thy words never fail.

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

Let it please thee to bless; or, begin and bless. Literally, the verb signifies to make up the mind and set about the doing of the thing purposed. Thus David prays that the blessing may now at once begin to take effect. It is often rendered "please" in our version, because the verb is one used only of a determination resolved upon of the free will of the purposer. Its force is well seen in Job_6:9, where what Job prays for is that God would deliberate no longer, but decide the matter and set about destroying him. The Authorized Version was led, by the use of this verse "please," to adopt the optative form. Really, it is the language of firm faith, and should be rendered, And now there is no "therefore begin of thy own good will, and bless the house of thy servant.

A good man"s prayer for his family.

David"s prayer has especial reference to the promise given him that his family should continue forever to rule Israel. We may take the prayer as suitable to be used by any godly father for his children and children"s children.

I THE PRAYER. That God would bless the family. A Christian father offering this prayer would have regard to:

1. Temporal blessings. Prolonged life, good health of body and mind, success in worldly pursuits, competence. Asking for these as a blessing from God implies the desire that they should be granted only so far as they will be blessings; that they should come as the result of God"s blessing on upright means (not from fraud, injustice, or violence; see; (Pro_10:22) and that they should be accompanied with God"s blessing, so that they may not ensnare and injure the soul, but promote its prosperity and highest happiness. Thus regarded, such a prayer is not unbecoming the heart and lips of any good man.

2. Spiritual blessings. That the family may be worthy the name of a Christian household, all being truly the children of God, worshipping and serving him faithfully and to the end. A Christian parent will be more desirous that his house should be good than great in faith, and heirs of the kingdom" (Jam_2:5) rather than possessed of materialwealth. For such blessings he need not restrain his desires, as they are good in and for themselves, good always and forever. The poorest may seek these for his children, who may enjoy them equally with the wealthiest: they are open to all.

3. Eternal blessings. That he and his may "continue forever before God", (Gen_17:18) and "be blessed forever" numbered with the saints in the glory everlasting. The words translated, "let it please thee to bless," may be more literally rendered "begin and bless" (Revised Version, margin). As if David"s thoughts reverted from the distant future to the present; and he became acutely alive to the fact that, for the accomplishment of the promise in the future, it was necessary that Cod should be with him and his at once and all along. In the heart of a Christian the meaning may well be, "Let thy blessing come at once, without any delay, on my house, to correct what is wrong, to increase what is right, to produce those conditions which are most favourable to all good, as they most fully ensure thy constant favour.

II WHENCE IT ARISES.

1. Godliness. Sense of the value of God"s blessing; preference of it over all else; confidence in God"s fatherly love and sympathy with the love of earthly parents for their children; and faith in his promises.

2. Parental feeling. Love for his family; longing for their true and lasting happiness and well being.

3. Regard for his own happiness. Which is necessarily bound up with the goodness and happiness of his children.

Finally:

1. Such prayer, when real, will be accompanied by Christian instruction and training. (Eph_6:4)

2. Let children thank God for praying parents. Let them keep before them the image of their fathers and mothers daily kneeling before God, and imploring his blessing on them. Let them, however, not trust to their prayers as sufficient to ensure their salvation; but pray for themselves. (See more on 2Sa_6:20) 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.

Continue forever, &c. - When Christ forever sat down on the right-hand of God, and received all possible assurance, that his seed and throne should be as the days of heaven, then this prayer was abundantly answered.

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

Desire. Desire.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.