2 Samuel 7:2
ESV
the king said to Nathan the prophet, "See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent."
NIV
he said to Nathan the prophet, "Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent."
NASB
that the king said to Nathan the prophet, 'See now, I live in a house of cedar, but the ark of God remains within the tent.'
CSB
the king said to the prophet Nathan, "Look, I am living in a cedar house while the ark of God sits inside tent curtains."
NLT
the king summoned Nathan the prophet. 'Look,' David said, 'I am living in a beautiful cedar palace, but the Ark of God is out there in a tent!'
KJV
That the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.
NKJV
that the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains.”
What does 2 Samuel 7:2 mean?
God has blessed David with a house, a city, and relative peace from his enemies. His house is a work of art, but the ark of the covenant (Exodus 25:10) still lives in a tent (2 Samuel 5:11; 6:17). David wants to show his gratefulness by building a temple for the ark of the covenant: a house for God. He asks Nathan what he thinks.This is the first appearance of the prophet Nathan in the Bible. He shows up in the text with no explanation or historical information. He serves David as an advisor and counselor, but more importantly, he serves as a prophet. Nathan reflexively supports David's idea (2 Samuel 7:3). David's intentions are pure, and certainly the God of Israel deserves a temple. That night, however, God checks Nathan's enthusiasm. The truth is, even though David's battles were for God's purposes, he has killed too much to build God's house. His son, Solomon, will be a "man of rest." That is the sort of king the Lord wants to build the temple (1 Chronicles 22:8–10).
A true "prophet" was someone chosen by God to deliver specific messages to specific people or groups of people. The most well-known prophets in the Bible proclaimed God's messages to the people of Israel in general. Many other prophets served throughout Israel's history with little notice or fame. Nathan's specific role seems to have been to deliver God's messages to David. His most famous revelations include the one in this chapter and his words to David after David's sin against Uriah and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12:1–14).
