Bible Strands
2 Samuel 7:4
But that night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying,
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The text states that God’s message arrived to the prophet Nathan during the night, immediately after Nathan initially endorsed David’s proposal to build a temple. This occurs at the precise moment human religious initiative meets divine correction.
The words — The Hebrew phrase דְּבַר יְהוָה (devar Yahweh) literally translates to “the word of Yahweh,” marking the message as directly sourced from God rather than human wisdom.
The thread — This nocturnal prophetic communication pattern appears in 1 Chronicles 17:3 and reflects the broader biblical principle in Amos 3:7 that God discloses His plans to His servants the prophets, while Numbers 12:6 establishes the standard for how God reveals Himself to prophets.
Why it lands — The verse demands the reader to acknowledge that divine instruction overrides human religious planning, requiring immediate compliance with God’s revealed will rather than personal devotion.
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
And it came to pass that night, that the word of the Lord came unto Nathan, saying,
Cross-references
- 1 Chronicles 17:3 But that night the word of God came to Nathan, saying,
- Numbers 12:6 He said, “Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, will reveal Myself to him in a vision; I will speak to him in a dream.
- Amos 3:7 Surely the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants the prophets.