2 Samuel 12:1 (ASV)

Passage

And Jehovah sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.

Nearby Context

2 Samuel 12:1 And Jehovah sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.

2 Samuel 12:2 The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds;

2 Samuel 12:3 but the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own morsel, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "jehovah", "sent", "nathan", "david", "came", "said", "city", and "rich". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "jehovah" and "sent", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The next verse adds "The rich man had exceeding many flocks...", so "jehovah" and "sent" should be read forward into that movement. In 2 Samuel context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "jehovah" and "sent" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.