2 Samuel 7:13 (ASV)

Passage

He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever.

Nearby Context

2 Samuel 7:11 and [as] from the day that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel; and I will cause thee to rest from all thine enemies. Moreover Jehovah telleth thee that Jehovah will make thee a house.

2 Samuel 7:12 When thy days are fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, that shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.

2 Samuel 7:13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever.

2 Samuel 7:14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son: if he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men;

2 Samuel 7:15 but my lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "shall", "build", "house", "name", "establish", "throne", "kingdom", and "ever". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shall" and "build", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "When thy days are fulfilled and thou..." into verse 14's "I will be his father and he...", so "shall" and "build" belong inside that flow. In 2 Samuel context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

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