2 Samuel 12 in the early church
[LXX: 2 Kingdoms; Vulgate: 2 Kings]
162 passages quote, allude to, or echo 2 Samuel 12, grouped by verse; passages on the same verse are in date order. Verse text from the Berean Standard Bible (public domain). References use the Protestant English Bible's numbering, with a writer's own numbering in brackets where it differs.
Verses: 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10 · 11 · 12 · 13 · 14 · 15 · 16 · 18 · 20 · 22 · 23 · 24 · 25 · 29 · 31
2 Samuel 12:1
Then the LORD sent Nathan to David, and when he arrived, he said, “There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor.
2 Samuel 12:2
The rich man had a great number of sheep and cattle,
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Sam 12:2 | Against Heresies 4.27.1 · Irenaeus of Lyons | quotation, high confidence | ca. 180–190 |
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.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Sam 12:3 | Against Heresies 4.27.1 · Irenaeus of Lyons | quotation, high confidence | ca. 180–190 |
| 2 Sam 12:3 | Second Apology of David 58 · Ambrose | allusion, high confidence | ca. 384-397 |
| 2 Sam 12:3 | Apology of the Prophet David 20 · Ambrose | allusion, high confidence | ca. 384-390 |
| 2 Sam 12:3 | Apology of the Prophet David 21 · Ambrose | quotation, high confidence | ca. 384-390 |
2 Samuel 12:4
Now a traveler came to the rich man, who refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for his guest.”
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Sam 12:4 | Against Heresies 4.27.1 · Irenaeus of Lyons | quotation, high confidence | ca. 180–190 |
| 2 Sam 12:4 | Second Apology of David 55 · Ambrose | quotation, high confidence | ca. 384-397 |
| 2 Sam 12:4 | Second Apology of David 59 · Ambrose | quotation, high confidence | ca. 384-397 |
| 2 Sam 12:4 | Apology of the Prophet David 21 · Ambrose | allusion, high confidence | ca. 384-390 |
2 Samuel 12:5
David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan: “As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this deserves to die!
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Sam 12:5 | Against Heresies 4.27.1 · Irenaeus of Lyons | quotation, high confidence | ca. 180–190 |
| 2 Sam 12:5 | Second Apology of David 55 · Ambrose | quotation, high confidence | ca. 384-397 |
| 2 Sam 12:5 | Second Apology of David 60 · Ambrose | quotation, high confidence | ca. 384-397 |
| 2 Sam 12:5 | Apology of the Prophet David 22 · Ambrose | allusion, high confidence | ca. 384-390 |
| 2 Sam 12:5 | Apology of the Prophet David 23 · Ambrose | allusion, high confidence | ca. 384-390 |
| 2 Sam 12:5 | Homilies on Matthew 68.2 · John Chrysostom | allusion, high confidence | ca. 390 |
2 Samuel 12:6
Because he has done this thing and has shown no pity, he must pay for the lamb four times over.”
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Sam 12:6 | Against Heresies 4.27.1 · Irenaeus of Lyons | quotation, high confidence | ca. 180–190 |
| 2 Sam 12:6 | Second Apology of David 55 · Ambrose | quotation, high confidence | ca. 384-397 |
| 2 Sam 12:6 | Second Apology of David 60 · Ambrose | quotation, high confidence | ca. 384-397 |
| 2 Sam 12:6 | Apology of the Prophet David 22 · Ambrose | quotation, high confidence | ca. 384-390 |
2 Samuel 12:7
Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Sam 12:7 | Against Heresies 4.27.1 · Irenaeus of Lyons | quotation, high confidence | ca. 180–190 |
| 2 Sam 12:7 | PG 12:1071 · Origen | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 220-254 |
| 2 Sam 12:7 | Apostolic Constitutions 7.10.4 · Anonymous | allusion, high confidence | ca. 380 |
| 2 Sam 12:7 | Second Apology of David 55 · Ambrose | quotation, high confidence | ca. 384-397 |
| 2 Sam 12:7 | Apology of the Prophet David 5 · Ambrose | allusion, high confidence | ca. 384-390 |
| 2 Sam 12:7 | Apology of the Prophet David 54 · Ambrose | quotation, high confidence | ca. 384-390 |
| 2 Sam 12:7 | Homilies on Matthew 60.1 · John Chrysostom | allusion, high confidence | ca. 390 |
| 2 Sam 12:7 | Homilies on Matthew 75.5 · John Chrysostom | quotation, high confidence | ca. 390 |
| 2 Sam 12:7 | Against Faustus the Manichaean 22.65 · Augustine of Hippo | allusion, high confidence | ca. 398–400 |
2 Samuel 12:8
I gave your master’s house to you and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you the house of Israel and Judah, and if that was not enough, I would have given you even more.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Sam 12:8 | Apology of the Prophet David 54 · Ambrose | quotation, high confidence | ca. 384-390 |
| 2 Sam 12:8 | Homilies on Matthew 75.5 · John Chrysostom | quotation, high confidence | ca. 390 |
2 Samuel 12:9
Why then have you despised the command of the LORD by doing evil in His sight? You put Uriah the Hittite to the sword and took his wife as your own. You have slain him with the sword of the Ammonites.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Sam 12:9 | PG 12:1137 (Ps 4 LXX) · Origen | allusion, high confidence | ca. 220-254 |
| 2 Sam 12:9–10 | Demonstration 16.6 · Aphrahat | allusion, high confidence | 337-345 |
| 2 Sam 12:9 | Apology of the Prophet David 54 · Ambrose | quotation, high confidence | ca. 384-390 |
| 2 Sam 12:9 | Homilies on Matthew 75.5 · John Chrysostom | quotation, high confidence | ca. 390 |
| 2 Sam 12:9 | On the Governance of God 2.16 · Salvian of Marseilles | quotation, high confidence | ca. 439-451 |
2 Samuel 12:10
Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Sam 12:10 | Letter 148.3 · Jerome | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 370–419 |
| 2 Sam 12:10 | Second Apology of David 56 · Ambrose | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 384-397 |
| 2 Sam 12:10 | Homilies on Matthew 42.3 · John Chrysostom | allusion, high confidence | ca. 390 |
| 2 Sam 12:10 | On the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins 2.56 · Augustine of Hippo | allusion, high confidence | 411–412 |
| 2 Sam 12:10 | On the Governance of God 2.16 · Salvian of Marseilles | quotation, high confidence | ca. 439-451 |
| 2 Sam 12:10 | On the Governance of God 2.17 · Salvian of Marseilles | quotation, high confidence | ca. 439-451 |
2 Samuel 12:11
This is what the LORD says: ‘I will raise up adversity against you from your own house. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to another, and he will lie with them in broad daylight.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Sam 12:11 | Homilies 9.1 · Basil of Caesarea | allusion, high confidence | ca. 363-378 |
| 2 Sam 12:11 | Second Apology of David 55 · Ambrose | allusion, high confidence | ca. 384-397 |
| 2 Sam 12:11 | On the Governance of God 2.16 · Salvian of Marseilles | quotation, high confidence | ca. 439-451 |
| 2 Sam 12:11 | On the Governance of God 2.17 · Salvian of Marseilles | quotation, high confidence | ca. 439-451 |
2 Samuel 12:12
You have acted in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.’”
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Sam 12:12 | Apology of the Prophet David 23 · Ambrose | quotation, high confidence | ca. 384-390 |
| 2 Sam 12:12 | On the Governance of God 2.16 · Salvian of Marseilles | quotation, high confidence | ca. 439-451 |
| 2 Sam 12:12 | Part 2, chapter 26 · Quodvultdeus of Carthage | quotation, high confidence | ca. 445-450 |
2 Samuel 12:13
Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” “The LORD has taken away your sin,” Nathan replied. “You will not die.
2 Samuel 12:14
Nevertheless, because by this deed you have shown utter contempt for the word of the LORD, the son born to you will surely die.”
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Sam 12:14 | Second Apology of David 55 · Ambrose | quotation, high confidence | ca. 384-397 |
| 2 Sam 12:14 | On the Governance of God 2.20 · Salvian of Marseilles | quotation, high confidence | ca. 439-451 |
| 2 Sam 12:14 | On the Governance of God 4.87 · Salvian of Marseilles | quotation, high confidence | ca. 439-451 |
2 Samuel 12:15
After Nathan had gone home, the LORD struck the child that Uriah’s wife had borne to David, and he became ill.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Sam 12:15–23 | On Christian Doctrine 3.21 · Augustine of Hippo | allusion, high confidence | Books 1–3 ca. 396–397; completed 426–427 |
2 Samuel 12:16
David pleaded with God for the boy. He fasted and went into his house and spent the night lying in sackcloth on the ground.
2 Samuel 12:18
On the seventh day the child died. But David’s servants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, “Look, while the child was alive, we spoke to him, and he would not listen to us. So how can we tell him the child is dead? He may even harm himself.”
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Sam 12:18 | Commentary on Romans 2.13 · Origen | allusion, high confidence | ca. 244–246 (Rufinus's translation ca. 405–406) |
| 2 Sam 12:18 | Second Apology of David 38 · Ambrose | allusion, high confidence | ca. 384-397 |
| 2 Sam 12:18 | Second Apology of David 53 · Ambrose | allusion, high confidence | ca. 384-397 |
| 2 Sam 12:18 | Questions and Answers to the Orthodox 78–79 · Anonymous | allusion, high confidence | 5th century (disputed) |
| 2 Sam 12:18 | On the Governance of God 4.88 · Salvian of Marseilles | allusion, high confidence | ca. 439-451 |
2 Samuel 12:20
Then David got up from the ground, washed and anointed himself, changed his clothes, and went into the house of the LORD and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and at his request they set food before him, and he ate.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Sam 12:20 | Instructions 2.32 · Commodian | allusion, low confidence | 3rd century (disputed) |
| 2 Sam 12:20 | Second Apology of David 55 · Ambrose | allusion, high confidence | ca. 384-397 |
| 2 Sam 12:20 | Apology of the Prophet David 56 · Ambrose | allusion, high confidence | ca. 384-390 |
| 2 Sam 12:20 | Letters 13.7 · Paulinus of Nola | allusion, high confidence | ca. 394–413 |
2 Samuel 12:22
David answered, “While the child was alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me and let him live.’
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Sam 12:22 | Letters 13.8 · Paulinus of Nola | allusion, high confidence | ca. 394–413 |
2 Samuel 12:23
But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.”
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Sam 12:23 | Letter 39.4 · Jerome | allusion, high confidence | ca. 370–419 |
| 2 Sam 12:23 | Letters 13.7 · Paulinus of Nola | quotation, high confidence | ca. 394–413 |
2 Samuel 12:24
Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and he went to her and lay with her. So she gave birth to a son, and they named him Solomon. Now the LORD loved the child
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Sam 12:24 | Commentary on Romans 2.13 · Origen | allusion, high confidence | ca. 244–246 (Rufinus's translation ca. 405–406) |
| 2 Sam 12:24 | Second Apology of David 38 · Ambrose | allusion, high confidence | ca. 384-397 |
| 2 Sam 12:24 | Homilies on Matthew 3.2 · John Chrysostom | allusion, high confidence | ca. 390 |
| 2 Sam 12:24 | Homilies on Matthew 58.4 · John Chrysostom | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 390 |
| 2 Sam 12:24 | Questions and Answers to the Orthodox 78–79 · Anonymous | allusion, high confidence | 5th century (disputed) |
2 Samuel 12:25
and sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah because the LORD loved him.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Sam 12:25 | Commentary on Romans 0.2 · Origen | allusion, high confidence | ca. 244–246 (Rufinus's translation ca. 405–406) |
| 2 Sam 12:25 | Letter 65.3 · Jerome | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 370–419 |
| 2 Sam 12:25 | Letter 72.3 · Jerome | allusion, high confidence | ca. 370–419 |
| 2 Sam 12:25 | Commentary on Jeremiah 2.27 · Jerome | allusion, high confidence | ca. 414-419 |
2 Samuel 12:29
So David assembled all the troops and went to Rabbah; and he fought against it and captured it.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Sam 12:29 | Second Apology of David 34 · Ambrose | allusion, high confidence | ca. 384-397 |
2 Samuel 12:31
David brought out the people who were there and put them to work with saws, iron picks, and axes, and he made them work at the brick kilns. He did the same to all the Ammonite cities. Then David and all his troops returned to Jerusalem.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Sam 12:31 | Second Apology of David 53 · Ambrose | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 384-397 |