2 Samuel 12:5
ESV
Then David 's anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, "As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die,
NIV
David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, "As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die!
NASB
Then David’s anger burned greatly against the man, and he said to Nathan, 'As the Lord lives, the man who has done this certainly deserves to die!
CSB
David was infuriated with the man and said to Nathan: "As the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die!
NLT
David was furious. 'As surely as the Lord lives,' he vowed, 'any man who would do such a thing deserves to die!
KJV
And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die:
NKJV
So David’s anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, “ As the Lord lives, the man who has done this shall surely die!
What does 2 Samuel 12:5 mean?
Nathan has come to David with a report of injustice in the kingdom. A poor man had a single lamb whom he loved as a daughter. A rich man stole the lamb for a visitor's dinner (2 Samuel 12:1–4). David, the protective shepherd, feels the injustice deeply (1 Samuel 17:34–36). David, the king, can do something about it.It quickly becomes clear that David thinks Nathan is reporting an actual crime that has happened in David's kingdom. The king believes his advisor has come so David can hold accountable an otherwise untouchable wealthy man. This is an opportunity to deliver justice against a privileged man who brutalized a poor man out of heartless greed.
David's anger toward the rich man is appropriate. One of the jobs of the king of Israel is to make sure that the poor in his kingdom are treated fairly. Without that oversight, wealthy people can easily bribe judges and hire strong men to get away with whatever they want. God absolutely forbids Israel to treat the poor unjustly and holds the nation accountable when the rich and powerful allow it to happen (Exodus 23:6; Proverbs 31:9; Isaiah 3:14).
Having heard only Nathan's brief description of events, David proclaims that this rich man deserves to die for such an action, words that will quickly overwhelm him when he realizes the truth: the story is a parable. David is the rich man who stole Uriah's most precious love: Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:3–5, 14–15). To his credit, David's rage turns to grief and horror at his abuse of Uriah and Bathsheba, but also at his sin against God (2 Samuel 12:7, 13; Psalm 51).
