Bible Strands
2 Samuel 12:3
but the poor man had nothing except one small ewe lamb that he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food and drank from his cup; it slept in his arms and was like a daughter to him.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Nathan speaks this parable to King David to confront him regarding his adultery with Bathsheba and the death of her husband Uriah. The prophet uses a fictional judicial scenario to force David to pronounce judgment on himself.
The words — The text emphasizes רָשׁ (rash), literally “poor [man],” and כִּבְשָׂה (kiv.Sah), literally “a ewe-lamb.” These terms establish the economic contrast and identify the specific object of the parable’s conflict.
The thread — The lamb’s domestic intimacy mirrors the relational trust warnings in Micah 7:5 and Deuteronomy 13:6. The narrative juxtaposes this single animal against the rich man’s flocks in 2 Samuel 12:2 to frame the injustice that follows in 2 Samuel 12:4.
Why it lands — The text states that the poor man’s lamb was raised with his household, shared his table, and functioned as a dependent family member. It requires the reader to acknowledge how personal attachment can mask exploitation, demanding a clear-eyed assessment of theft and betrayal.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
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.
Cross-references
- 2 Samuel 11:3 So David sent and inquired about the woman, and he was told, “This is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.”
- Micah 7:5 Do not rely on a friend; do not trust in a companion. Seal the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms.
- Deuteronomy 13:6 If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you embrace, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods” (which neither you nor your fathers have known,
- Proverbs 5:18 May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth: