2 Samuel 12:3
ESV
but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him.
NIV
but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.
NASB
But the poor man had nothing at all except one little ewe lamb Which he bought and nurtured; And it grew up together with him and his children. It would eat scraps from him and drink from his cup and lie in his lap, And was like a daughter to him.
CSB
but the poor man had nothing except one small ewe lamb that he had bought. He raised her, and she grew up with him and with his children. From his meager food she would eat, from his cup she would drink, and in his arms she would sleep. She was like a daughter to him.
NLT
The poor man owned nothing but one little lamb he had bought. He raised that little lamb, and it grew up with his children. It ate from the man’s own plate and drank from his cup. He cuddled it in his arms like a baby daughter.
KJV
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.
NKJV
But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him.
What does 2 Samuel 12:3 mean?
Nathan is telling David a simple story. Sometimes plain stories are the most compelling. Nathan has probably intentionally not told David that this is a parable. David assumes his advisor is reporting on actual events that have taken place in his kingdom. Nathan introduced two men, one rich in flocks of sheep and herds of cattle. The other man, described in this verse, is poor and owns just one small female lamb that lives with his family as their much-loved pet (2 Samuel 12:1–2).As the story progresses, the rich man has an unexpected visitor. Rather than taking from his own livestock, the rich man steals the poor man's lamb, kills her, and cooks her for their meal (2 Samuel 12:4). The poor man is defenseless and heartbroken. He's been robbed of what he loved by someone who already had more than they needed.
David spent years watching over sheep, caring for them, and protecting them from lions and bears (1 Samuel 17:34–36). His skills as a warrior grew within the context of defending the defenseless. The thought that a lamb would be so cruelly used awakens every protective instinct David has (2 Samuel 12:5–6). That makes it even more devastating when Nathan reveals that David is the rich man. He stole Bathsheba when he had more than enough women. He took Uriah's greatest treasure. And then he murdered Uriah (2 Samuel 12:7–8).
Even worse, David sinned against the God he claimed to love more than anything else (2 Samuel 12:9).
