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Sunday, August 24th, 2025
the Week of Proper 16 / Ordinary 21
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Amplified Bible

2 Samuel 12:16

David therefore appealed to God for the child [to be healed]; and David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Afflictions and Adversities;   Bereavement;   Children;   David;   Fasting;   Mourning;   Parents;   Seven;   Thompson Chain Reference - Children;   David;   Family;   Fasting;   Fathers';   Home;   Love;   Parental;   Parents;   Paternal Love;   Prayer;   Religion;   Self-Indulgence-Self-Denial;   Worship;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Afflicted Saints;   Beds;   Diseases;   Fasting;   Parents;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Fasting;   Mourning;   Nathan;   Parable;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Bathsheba;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Fast, Fasting;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Bath-Sheba;   David;   Fast;   Mourn;   Holman Bible Dictionary - David;   Diseases;   Intercession;   Samuel, Books of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ammon, Ammonites;   Child, Children;   Fasting;   Samuel, Books of;   Sin;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Nathan ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Fasting;   Nathan;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - David;   Mourning;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Fasting;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Fast;   Nathan (1);   Samuel, Books of;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Bathsheba;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Fasting and Fast-Days;   Judge;   Repentance;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
David pleaded with God for the boy. He fasted, went home, and spent the night lying on the ground.
Hebrew Names Version
David therefore begged God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night on the eretz.
King James Version
David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.
Lexham English Bible
David pleaded with God on behalf of the boy and David fasted. He went to spend the night and lay upon the ground.
English Standard Version
David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground.
New Century Version
David prayed to God for the baby. David fasted and went into his house and stayed there, lying on the ground all night.
New English Translation
Then David prayed to God for the child and fasted. He would even go and spend the night lying on the ground.
New American Standard Bible
David therefore pleaded with God for the child; and David fasted and went and lay all night on the ground.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Dauid therefore besought God for the childe, and fasted and went in, and lay all night vpon the earth.
Legacy Standard Bible
David therefore sought God about the boy; and David fasted and went and spent the night lying on the ground.
Contemporary English Version
So David went without eating to show his sorrow, and he begged God to make the boy well. David would not sleep on his bed, but spent each night lying on the floor.
Complete Jewish Bible
David prayed to God on behalf of the child; David fasted, then came and lay all night on the ground.
Darby Translation
And David besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night on the earth.
Easy-to-Read Version
David prayed to God for the baby. David refused to eat or drink. He went into his house and stayed there and lay on the ground all night.
George Lamsa Translation
David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground.
Good News Translation
David prayed to God that the child would get well. He refused to eat anything, and every night he went into his room and spent the night lying on the floor.
Literal Translation
And David sought God for the child. And David fasted a fast, and went in and stayed the night, and lay on the earth.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And Dauid besoughte God for the childe, and fasted, and wente in, and laie all nighte vpon the earth.
American Standard Version
David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.
Bible in Basic English
So David made prayer to God for the child; and he took no food day after day, and went in and, stretching himself out on the earth, was there all night.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Dauid therefore besought God for the childe, and fasted, and went in, & laye all night vpon the earth.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and as often as he went in, he lay all night upon the earth.
King James Version (1611)
Dauid therfore besought God for the childe, and Dauid fasted, and went in, and lay all night vpon the earth.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And David enquired of God concerning the child, and David fasted, and went in and lay all night upon the ground.
English Revised Version
David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.
Berean Standard Bible
David pleaded with God for the boy. He fasted and went into his house and spent the night lying in sackcloth on the ground.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Dauid preiede the Lord for the litil child; and Dauid fastide bi fastyng, and entride asidis half, and lai on the erthe.
Young's Literal Translation
and David seeketh God for the youth, and David keepeth a fast, and hath gone in and lodged, and lain on the earth.
Update Bible Version
David therefore implored God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night on the earth.
Webster's Bible Translation
David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.
World English Bible
David therefore begged God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night on the earth.
New King James Version
David therefore pleaded with God for the child, and David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground.
New Living Translation
David begged God to spare the child. He went without food and lay all night on the bare ground.
New Life Bible
David begged God to make the child well. He went without food and lay all night on the ground.
New Revised Standard
David therefore pleaded with God for the child; David fasted, and went in and lay all night on the ground.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
David therefore earnestly sought God in behalf of the boy, - and David kept a fast, and used to go in and pass the night, and lie upon the ground.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And David besought the Lord for the child: and David kept a fast, and going in by himself lay upon the ground.
Revised Standard Version
David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in and lay all night upon the ground.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
David therefore inquired of God for the child; and David fasted and went and lay all night on the ground.

Contextual Overview

15Then Nathan went [back] to his home. Loss of a Child And the LORD struck the child that Uriah's widow bore to David, and he was very sick. 16David therefore appealed to God for the child [to be healed]; and David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground.17The elders of his household stood by him [in the night] to lift him up from the ground, but he was unwilling [to get up] and would not eat food with them. 18Then it happened on the seventh day that the child died. David's servants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, "While the child was still alive, we spoke to him and he would not listen to our voices. How then can we tell him the child is dead, since he might harm himself [or us]?" 19But when David saw that his servants were whispering to one another, he realized that the child was dead. So David said to them, "Is the child dead?" And they said, "He is dead." 20Then David got up from the ground, washed, anointed himself [with olive oil], changed his clothes, and went into the house of the LORD and worshiped. Then he came [back] to his own house, and when he asked, they set food before him and he ate. 21Then his servants said to him, "What is this thing that you have done? While the child was alive you fasted and wept, but when the child died, you got up and ate food." 22David said, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I thought, 'Who knows, the LORD may be gracious to me and the child may live.' 23"But now he is dead; why should I [continue to] fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him [when I die], but he will not return to me." 24David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and went to her and lay with her; and she gave birth to a son, and David named him Solomon. And the LORD loved the child;

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

besought: 2 Samuel 12:22, Psalms 50:15, Isaiah 26:16, Joel 2:12-14, Jonah 3:9

fasted: Heb. fasted a fast, Esther 4:16, Psalms 69:10, Isaiah 22:12, Acts 9:9

lay all night: 2 Samuel 13:31, Job 20:12-14

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 9:18 - I fell down Joshua 7:6 - fell 1 Samuel 1:8 - why weepest 1 Kings 18:42 - he cast himself Job 1:20 - fell Daniel 6:18 - and passed Joel 1:13 - lie Matthew 6:16 - when Mark 5:23 - besought John 11:31 - She goeth 1 Corinthians 2:15 - yet 2 Corinthians 12:8 - I besought

Cross-References

Genesis 12:13
"Please tell them that you are my sister so that things will go well for me for your sake, and my life will be spared because of you."
Genesis 12:14
And when Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was very beautiful.
Genesis 12:15
Pharaoh's princes (officials) also saw her and praised her to Pharaoh; and the woman was taken [for the purpose of marriage] into Pharaoh's house (harem).
Genesis 13:2
Now Abram was extremely rich in livestock and in silver and in gold.
Genesis 20:14
Then Abimelech took sheep and oxen and male and female slaves, and gave them to Abraham, and returned Sarah his wife to him [as God commanded].
Genesis 24:35
"The LORD has greatly blessed my master, and he has become great (wealthy, powerful); He has given him flocks and herds, and silver and gold, and servants and maids, and camels and donkeys.
Genesis 26:14
he owned flocks and herds and a great household [with a number of servants], and the Philistines envied him.
Genesis 32:5
I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, male servants, and female servants; and I have sent [this message] to tell my lord, so that I may find grace and kindness in your sight."'"
Job 1:3
He also possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke (pairs) of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and a very great number of servants, so that this man was the greatest [and wealthiest and most respected] of all the men of the east (northern Arabia).
Job 42:12
And the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

David therefore besought God for the child,.... Perhaps went into the tabernacle he had built for the ark, and prayed to the Lord to restore the child, and spare its life; for though the Lord had said it should die, he might hope that that was a conditional threatening, and that the Lord might be gracious and reverse it, 2 Samuel 12:22;

and David fasted: all that day:

and went in; to his own house from the house of God:

and lay all night upon the earth; would neither go into, nor lie upon a bed, but lay on the floor all night, weeping and praying for the child's life, and especially for its eternal welfare: he having through sin been the means of its coming into a sinful and afflicted state.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The death of the infant child of one of the numerous harem of an Oriental monarch would in general be a matter of little moment to the father. The deep feeling shown by David on this occasion is both an indication of his affectionate and tender nature, and also a proof of the strength of his passion for Bath-sheba. He went into his most private chamber, his closet Matthew 6:6, and “lay upon the earth” 2 Samuel 13:31, rather “the ground,” meaning the floor of his chamber as opposed to his couch.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Samuel 12:16. David - besought God for the child — How could he do so, after the solemn assurance that he had from God that the child should die? The justice of God absolutely required that the penalty of the law should be exacted; either the father or the son shall die. This could not be reversed.


 
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