The Meaning of 2 Samuel 12:3 Explained

2 Samuel 12:3

KJV: But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter.

YLT: And the poor one hath nothing, Except one little ewe-lamb, Which he hath bought, and keepeth alive, And it groweth up with him, And with his sons together; Of his morsel it eateth, And from his cup it drinketh, And in his bosom it lieth, And it is to him as a daughter;

Darby: but the poor man had nothing at all, but one little ewe lamb which he had bought, and was nourishing; and it grew up with him, and together with his children: it ate of his morsel, and drank of his own cup, and slept in his bosom, and was to him as a daughter.

ASV: but the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own morsel, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

But the poor  [man] had nothing, save one  little  ewe lamb,  which he had bought  and nourished up:  and it grew up  together  with him, and with his children;  it did eat  of his own meat,  and drank  of his own cup,  and lay  in his bosom,  and was unto him as a daughter. 

What does 2 Samuel 12:3 Mean?

Context Summary

2 Samuel 12:1-14 - Thou Art The Man
A year followed on his sin, but David gave no sign. He describes his condition during that awful time in Psalms 32:3-4. Conscience scourged him incessantly, but he did not return to God until Nathan had been sent to fetch him. The Good Shepherd went after that which was lost until he found it. "He restoreth my soul!" But soul-agony is not enough, keen though it be; there must be confession.
Nathan's parable was the mirror in which the true enormity of the king's sin was held up to his face. He was judged, and he judged himself. By the manifestation of the truth, Nathan commended himself to the king's conscience, as in the sight of God. And finally came the home-thrust-Thou art the man. The words of confession were immediate and deeply sincere. There was no thought of the human wrongs he had done. All were included in the great sin against God. "Against thee, thee only, have I sinned." And the confession was met, as it always is, by an instant assurance of pardon-"The Lord"¦ hath put away thy sin." [source]

Chapter Summary: 2 Samuel 12

1  Nathan's parable of the ewe lamb causes David to be his own judge
7  David, reproved by Nathan, confesses his sin, and is pardoned
15  David mourns and prays for the child while it lives
24  Solomon is born, and named Jedidiah
26  David takes Rabbah, and tortures the people thereof

What do the individual words in 2 Samuel 12:3 mean?

But the poor [man] [had] not anything except except ewe lamb one little which he had bought and nourished and it grew up with him and with his children together of his own food it ate and from his own cup drank and in his bosom lay and it was to him like a daughter
וְלָרָ֣שׁ אֵֽין־ כֹּ֗ל כִּי֩ אִם־ כִּבְשָׂ֨ה אַחַ֤ת קְטַנָּה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר קָנָ֔ה וַיְחַיֶּ֕הָ וַתִּגְדַּ֥ל עִמּ֛וֹ וְעִם־ בָּנָ֖יו יַחְדָּ֑ו מִפִּתּ֨וֹ תֹאכַ֜ל וּמִכֹּס֤וֹ תִשְׁתֶּה֙ וּבְחֵיק֣וֹ תִשְׁכָּ֔ב וַתְּהִי־ ל֖וֹ כְּבַֽת

וְלָרָ֣שׁ  But  the  poor  [man] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: רוּשׁ  
Sense: to be poor, be in want, lack.
אֵֽין־  [had]  not 
Parse: Adverb
Root: אַיִן 
Sense: nothing, not, nought n.
כֹּ֗ל  anything 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
כִּי֩  except 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
אִם־  except 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: אִם  
Sense: if.
כִּבְשָׂ֨ה  ewe  lamb 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: כִּבְשָׂה  
Sense: ewe-lamb, lamb.
אַחַ֤ת  one 
Parse: Number, feminine singular construct
Root: אֶחָד  
Sense: one (number).
קְטַנָּה֙  little 
Parse: Adjective, feminine singular
Root: קָטָן 
Sense: young, small, insignificant, unimportant.
קָנָ֔ה  he  had  bought 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: קָנָה 
Sense: to get, acquire, create, buy, possess.
וַיְחַיֶּ֕הָ  and  nourished 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: חָיָה  
Sense: to live, have life, remain alive, sustain life, live prosperously, live for ever, be quickened, be alive, be restored to life or health.
וַתִּגְדַּ֥ל  and  it  grew  up 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: גָּדַל  
Sense: to grow, become great or important, promote, make powerful, praise, magnify, do great things.
עִמּ֛וֹ  with  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: עִם  
Sense: with.
וְעִם־  and  with 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition
Root: עִם  
Sense: with.
בָּנָ֖יו  his  children 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
יַחְדָּ֑ו  together 
Parse: Adverb
Root: יַחַד 
Sense: union, unitedness adv.
מִפִּתּ֨וֹ  of  his  own  food 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: פַּת 
Sense: fragment, bit, morsel (of bread), piece.
תֹאכַ֜ל  it  ate 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: אָכַל  
Sense: to eat, devour, burn up, feed.
וּמִכֹּס֤וֹ  and  from  his  own  cup 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-m, Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: כֹּוס 
Sense: cup.
תִשְׁתֶּה֙  drank 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: שָׁתָה  
Sense: to drink.
וּבְחֵיק֣וֹ  and  in  his  bosom 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: חֹוק 
Sense: bosom, hollow, bottom, midst.
תִשְׁכָּ֔ב  lay 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: שָׁכַב  
Sense: to lie down.
וַתְּהִי־  and  it  was 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
ל֖וֹ  to  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
כְּבַֽת  like  a  daughter 
Parse: Preposition-k, Noun, feminine singular
Root: בַּת  
Sense: daughter.

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