2 Samuel 7 · Verse 18

2 Samuel 7:18

Then went king David in, and sat before the Lord, and he said, Who am I, O Lord God? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?
2 Samuel 7:18, King James Version

2 Samuel 7:18 in other translations

BSBThen King David went in, sat before the LORD, and said, “Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far?
WEBThen David the king went in and sat before the LORD; and he said, “Who am I, Lord GOD, and what is my house, that you have brought me this far?
ASVThen David the king went in, and sat before Jehovah; and he said, Who am I, O Lord Jehovah, and what is my house, that thou hast brought me thus far?
YLTAnd king David cometh in and sitteth before Jehovah, and saith, ‘Who am I, Lord Jehovah? and what my house, that Thou hast brought me hitherto?
DARBYAnd king David went in and sat before Jehovah, and said, Who am I, Lord Jehovah, and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?
BBEThen David the king went in and took his seat before the Lord, and said, Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my family, that you have been my guide till now?
WebsterThen king David went in, and sat before the LORD, and he said, Who am I, O Lord GOD? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto;

What does 2 Samuel 7:18 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
18. Then went king David in, and sat before the Lord--Sitting was anciently an attitude for worship (Ex 17:12; 1Sa 4:13; 1Ki 19:4). As to the particular attitude David sat, most probably, upon his heels. It was the posture of the ancient Egyptians before the shrines; it is the posture of deepest respect before a superior in the East. Persons of highest dignity sit thus when they do sit in the presence of kings and it is the only sitting attitude assumed by the modern Mohammedans in their places and rites of devotion.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 18 Sat before the Lord - Sometimes, when a Hindoo seeks a favor from a superior, he sits down in his presence in silence; or if he solicits some favor of a god, as riches, children, etc., he places himself before the idol, and remains in a waiting posture, or repeats the name of the god, counting the beads in his necklace. - Ward.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 2 Samuel 7:18-29
David's prayer is full of the breathings of devout affection toward God. He had low thoughts of his own merits. All we have, must be looked upon as Divine gifts. He speaks very highly and honourably of the Lord's favours to him. Considering what the character and condition of man is, we may be amazed that God should deal with him as he does. The promise of Christ includes all; if the Lord God be ours, what more can we ask, or think of? Ep 3:20. He knows us better than we know ourselves; therefore let us be satisfied with what he has done for us. What can we say more for ourselves in our prayers, than God has said for us in his promises? David ascribes all to the free grace of God. Both the great things He had done for him, and the great things He had made known to him. All was for his word's sake, that is, for the sake of Christ the eternal Word. Many, when they go to pray, have their hearts to seek, but David's heart was found, that is, it was fixed; gathered in from its wanderings, entirely engaged to the duty, and employed in it. That prayer which is from the tongue only, will not please God; it must be found in the heart; that must be lifted up and poured out before God. He builds his faith, and hopes to speed, upon the sureness of God's promise. David prays for the performance of the promise. With God, saying and doing are not two things, as they often are with men; God will do as he hath said. The promises of God are not made to us by name, as to David, but they belong to all who believe in Jesus Christ, and plead them in his name.

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

2 Samuel 7:18 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיָּבֹא֙vai.ya.Vo'and he wentH935
הַמֶּ֣לֶךְha.Me.lekhthe kingH4428
דָּוִ֔דda.VidDavidH1732
וַיֵּ֖שֶׁבvai.Ye.shevand he satH3427
לִפְנֵ֣יlif.Nei<to> beforeH6440
יְהוָ֑הYah.wehYahwehH3068
וַיֹּ֗אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559
מִ֣יmiwho?H4310
אָנֹכִ֞י'a.no.Khi[am] IH595
אֲדֹנָ֤י'a.do.NaiO LordH136
יְהוִה֙Yah.wehYahwehH3069
וּמִ֣יu.Miand who?H4310
בֵיתִ֔יvei.Ti[is] house myH1004
כִּ֥יkithatH3588
הֲבִיאֹתַ֖נִיha.vi.'o.Ta.niyou have brought meH935
עַד\־'ad-toH5704
הֲלֹֽם\׃ha.LomhereH1988

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 2 Samuel 7:18

  • Psalms 8:4

    What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

  • 1 Chronicles 17:16

    And David the king came and sat before the Lord, and said, Who am I, O Lord God, and what is mine house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?

  • 1 Samuel 18:18

    And David said unto Saul, Who am I? and what is my life, or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be son in law to the king?

  • Genesis 32:10

    I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands.

  • Exodus 3:11

    And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?

  • 1 Samuel 15:17

    And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed thee king over Israel?

  • Ephesians 3:8

    Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;

  • Judges 6:15

    And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.

  • 1 Samuel 9:21

    And Saul answered and said, Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou so to me?

  • Isaiah 37:14

    And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
sat.
1Ch 17:16; Isa 37:14
Who am I.
Ge 32:10; Ex 3:11; Jud 6:15; 1Sa 9:21; 15:17; 18:18; Ps 8:4; Eph 3:8

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 2 Samuel 7:17

    According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.

  • 2 Samuel 7:18

    Then went king David in, and sat before the Lord, and he said, Who am I, O Lord God? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?

  • 2 Samuel 7:19

    And this was yet a small thing in thy sight, O Lord God; but thou hast spoken also of thy servant’s house for a great while to come. And is this the manner of man, O Lord God?

Read all of 2 Samuel 7

2 Samuel 7:18 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y entró el rey David, y púsose delante de Jehová, y dijo: Señor Jehová, ¿quién soy yo, y qué es mi casa, para que tú me traigas hasta aquí?
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et le roi David entra et s’assit devant l’ Éternel, et dit: Qui suis-je, Seigneur Éternel! et quelle est ma maison, que tu m’aies amené jusqu’ici?
German
Elberfelder 1871		Da ging der König David hinein und setzte sich vor Jehova nieder und sprach: Wer bin ich, Herr, Jehova, und was ist mein Haus, daß du mich bis hierher gebracht hast?
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Ingressus est autem rex David, et sedit coram Domino, et dixit: Quis ego sum, Domine Deus, et quæ domus mea, quia adduxisti me hucusque?