2 Samuel 7:1-3

2 Samuel 7:1-3

[1] And it came to pass, when the king  sat  in his house,  and the LORD  had given him rest  round about  from all his enemies;  [2] That the king  said  unto Nathan  the prophet,  See  now, I dwell  in an house  of cedar,  but the ark  of God  dwelleth  within  curtains.  [3] And Nathan  said  to the king,  do  all that is in thine heart;  for the LORD  is with thee.

What does 2 Samuel 7:1-3 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

It was when God had subdued all of David"s enemies that He gave this covenant to him ( 2 Samuel 7:1; 2 Samuel 7:9). Those enemies included the Ammonites with whom David was at war when he committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband Uriah murdered (ch11). Thus it seems clear that God gave the Davidic Covenant to David after he had committed these sins rather than before, as the order of events in the text implies. We have already seen that the order of events in the text is not strictly chronological but primarily theological, to make the spiritual emphases that are traceable through the Books of Samuel. The traditional interpretation is that this chapter is in chronological order and that the rest that David experienced was a result of a lull in fighting.
"The concept of rest or peace from enemies is a Deuteronomistic idea (cf. Deuteronomy 12:10; Deuteronomy 25:19; Joshua 22:4; Joshua 23:1; 1 Kings 5:18 4]; 1 Kings 8:56; see also G. von Rad, "Rest for the People of God," The Problem of Hexateuch, 94-102). In this context "rest" is security from enemies and peace from wars." [1]
The Israelites had anticipated entering into rest in the Promised Land since their wilderness wanderings ( Deuteronomy 12:9). Joshua had given them a measure of rest ( Joshua 21:44; Joshua 22:4; Joshua 23:1). Now with David"s victories they enjoyed a larger measure of rest than they had anytime previously in their history ( 2 Samuel 7:1; cf. 2 Samuel 7:11; 1 Kings 5:4; 1 Chronicles 22:9; 1 Chronicles 22:18; 1 Chronicles 23:25; 2 Chronicles 14:7; 2 Chronicles 15:15; 2 Chronicles 20:30).
"David completed what Joshua had begun: the taking possession of Canaan. It is this completion of Joshua"s work which is reflected in 2 Samuel 7:1; 2 Samuel 7:11. Now David plans to build a temple as the sequel of the LORD"s having granted him rest from his enemies." [2]
In the ancient Near East, the people did not consider a king"s sovereignty fully established until he had built himself an appropriate palace. [3] The people of ancient Near Eastern countries also regarded the kings as the vice-regents of their gods. Therefore they viewed the temples of the gods as the palaces of the true kings. This view existed in Israel as well. David thought it inappropriate for him as second-in-command to live in such a magnificent palace while his commander-in-chief"s dwelling was only a temporary, much less impressive structure. [4] The Canaanites often built a temple in honor of a god who gave them victory over their enemies. [5]