2 Samuel 7:25
ESV
And now, O Lord God, confirm forever the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, and do as you have spoken.
NIV
"And now, Lord God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised,
NASB
Now then, Lord God, the word that You have spoken about Your servant and his house, confirm it forever, and do just as You have spoken,
CSB
Now, Lord God, fulfill the promise forever that you have made to your servant and his house. Do as you have promised,
NLT
'And now, O Lord God, I am your servant; do as you have promised concerning me and my family. Confirm it as a promise that will last forever.
KJV
And now, O Lord God, the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant, and concerning his house, establish it for ever, and do as thou hast said.
NKJV
“Now, O Lord God, the word which You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house, establish it forever and do as You have said.
What does 2 Samuel 7:25 mean?
The prophet Nathan has told David that God is going to bless him with a lasting legacy (2 Samuel 7:4–16). David, naturally, has broken out into praise (2 Samuel 7:11–24). Now, David asks the Lord to confirm once more that all He has said. David, in essence, asks the Lord to do what He has said He will do.At first glance, David's prayer can look like a lack of faith. But he's not the only biblical figure to pray that God would fulfill His promises. Seventy years after Nebuchadnezzar took the Jews into exile, Daniel reminded God of His promise to free His people to return home (Daniel 9:3–19). Daniel begs God's forgiveness for the sins of his people and ends his prayer:
"O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name."David has just thanked God for claiming and blessing Israel (2 Samuel 7:23–24). He knows that even God's unilateral covenants can have nuance. God promised Abraham that Sarah's son would be the father of a great nation (Genesis 17:15–16). Abraham sinned and had a son with Hagar, and we still feel the effects today (Genesis 16).
Daniel 9:19
God has promised David that his son will take the throne and that another descendant will rule forever (2 Samuel 7:12–16). That's Solomon and Jesus. The part between the two isn't set. For the next 400 years, David will have an heir on the throne, but several times, God allows this only for the sake of David.
Solomon commits horrible idolatry, and God promises to give much of the nation to his enemy, but God delays "for the sake of David" (1 Kings 11:9–13).
Jehoram, the son of the good King Jehoshaphat, chooses to rule like his father-in-law, the evil Ahab, "Yet the Lord was not willing to destroy Judah, for the sake of David his servant, since he promised to give a lamp to him and to his sons forever" (2 Kings 8:19).
When Assyria threatened Jerusalem and good King Hezekiah submitted his fear to God (2 Kings 19:14–19), God told him, "For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David" (2 Kings 19:34).
Eventually, Judah falls into such evil that God allows Nebuchadnezzar to end the royal rule. Considering Solomon's prolific idolatry (1 Kings 11:1–13), God would have been more than justified to end it much earlier. It's possible God delayed because of David's prayer.
