SUMMARY
In this pivotal text, God promises that David will always have a son on the throne of Judah. God’s promise of a Davidic dynasty holds sway over much of the theological message of the Old Testament and becomes the basis for the messianic expectations that arose following the fallThe Fall refers specifically to the disobedience of Adam and Eve when they listened to Satan rather than adhering to God's command not to eat the fruit from the tree. When people act contrary to God's will, they are said to fall from from grace... More of Jerusalem in 586 BCE.
ANALYSIS
This text has been of crucial theological importance. Israel has seen this promise of a Davidic dynasty as central. During the exile, it formed the basis of Israel’s messianic expectations. In the New Testament, God’s promise to DavidSecond king of Israel, David united the northern and southern kingdoms. More is seen in the announcement that Jesus, as the son of David, is that promised Messiah, or the Christ. Understandably, such a crucial passage has been the object of a number of theological presentations, most notably 2 SamuelThe judge who anointed the first two kings of Israel. More 7, 1 Chronicles 17, and Psalm 89. There is some debate concerning whether this constitutes a “covenantA covenant is a promise or agreement. In the Bible the promises made between God and God's people are known as covenants; they state or imply a relationship of commitment and obedience. More” between God and David at all, since the word “covenant” (berit) does not occur, and the typical pattern based upon Hittite/Assyrian treaties, familiar from the book of Deuteronomy, Joshua 24, and similar passages is also absent. Arguments in favor of seeing 2 Samuel 7:4-17 as covenantal, however, include:
- The so-called “adoption formula” (“I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me”), which is found commonly in the ancient Near East in political contexts, appears in verse 14.
- The phrase “I will not take my steadfast love from him” (v. 15): “Steadfast loveThe steadfast love (hesed) of God is the assurance of God's loving kindness, faithfulness, and mercy. This assurance rings throughout the Old Testament, and is affirmed more than 120 times in the Psalms. In some hymns of praise the response of the people was likely... More” is the Hebrew word hesed, the relational term of covenant loyalty.
- Psalm 89:1-4; 132:11-18; and 2 Samuel 23:5 refer to God’s promise in this text as a “covenant” (berit).
God’s covenantal promise is developed through a delightful play on the ambiguous nature of the 15 occurrences of the Hebrew word for “house,” variously signifying the “palace” where David lives (vv. 1, 2), “the templeThe Jerusalem temple, unlike the tabernacle, was a permanent structure, although (like the tabernacle) it was a place of worship and religious activity. On one occasion Jesus felt such activity was unacceptable and, as reported in all four Gospels, drove from the temple those engaged... More” he wishes to build for God (vv. 5, 6, 7, 13), his “family” (v. 18), or the “dynasty” of his descendants who will sit upon his throne (vv. 11, 16, 19, 25, 26, 27, and two times in v. 29). There, as here, though God will not permit David to build a house (temple) for God (v. 5), God will build a house (dynasty) for David (v. 11), and one of that house (dynasty) will build the house (temple) for God (v. 13).
The small differences between 2 Samuel 7 and the same passage in 1 Chronicles 17 are significant:
- Mention of the Exodus in 2 Samuel 7:6 is omitted by the Chronicler, possibly because the deliverance from Egypt has been eclipsed for his community by the activity of David and their own return from Babylon.
- The reference to Solomon’s expected sin and God’s punishment (2 Samuel 7:14) is omitted in Chronicles, as are David’s peccadilloes, either because the Chronicler is more concerned with telling the story of the temple than with the lives of David and Solomon or because he wishes to present an idealized picture of these kings.
- Most importantly, in Samuel, God says that David, not SolomonThird king of Israel who was known for wisdom and building the first Temple. More, will be confirmed as king of the kingdom described as belonging to David, not the Lord (2 Samuel 7:16, contrast 1 Chronicles 17:14).
