2 Samuel 7:26
ESV
And your name will be magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is God over Israel,’ and the house of your servant David will be established before you.
NIV
so that your name will be great forever. Then people will say, ‘The Lord Almighty is God over Israel!’ And the house of your servant David will be established in your sight.
NASB
so that Your name may be great forever, by saying, ‘The Lord of armies is God over Israel’; and may the house of Your servant David be established before You.
CSB
so that your name will be exalted forever, when it is said, "The Lord of Armies is God over Israel." The house of your servant David will be established before you
NLT
And may your name be honored forever so that everyone will say, ‘The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is God over Israel!’ And may the house of your servant David continue before you forever.
KJV
And let thy name be magnified for ever, saying, The Lord of hosts is the God over Israel: and let the house of thy servant David be established before thee.
NKJV
So let Your name be magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is the God over Israel.’ And let the house of Your servant David be established before You.
What does 2 Samuel 7:26 mean?
God has promised David that he will have an heir on the throne of Israel forever and that Israel will one day have complete peace (2 Samuel 7:10–16). David thanks God for his undeserved grace and asks that it will be so (2 Samuel 7:18–25).David reminds God that if He fulfills His promises, His reputation will be stronger. To us, this sounds manipulative, but David isn't the first or last to take this approach.
Moses reminded God at least twice: when God threatened to destroy the Israelites after worshiping the golden calf, and again when they refused to enter the Promised Land (Exodus 32:11–13; Numbers 14:13–16).
Joshua said similar words when the Israelites lost a battle due to Achan's sin (Joshua 7:6–9).
Besides this prayer, David used God's reputation as he asked for forgiveness and rescue (Psalm 25:11; 79:9–10).
The prophet Jeremiah also asked God to forgive the sins of Israel and release them from drought for the sake of God's name (Jeremiah 14:7, 21).
Praying that God would do something for the sake of His name requires the right heart-attitude. David, Moses, Joshua, and Jeremiah honestly cared what the nations thought about God. They wanted Gentiles to glorify Him. By praying the way they did, they also oriented their own hearts. They framed their prayers so that when the situation was resolved, they and the people would recognize it was only because God acted. They knew that God's reputation is far more important than the fate of faithless, disobedient people.
We can feel the same freedom regarding God's promises for us.
