Passage
that the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.
2 Samuel 7:2 (ASV)
Nearby Context
2 Samuel 7:1 And it came to pass, when the king dwelt in his house, and Jehovah had given him rest from all his enemies round about,
2 Samuel 7:2 that the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.
2 Samuel 7:3 And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thy heart; for Jehovah is with thee.
2 Samuel 7:4 And it came to pass the same night, that the word of Jehovah came unto Nathan, saying,
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "king", "said", "nathan", "prophet", "dwell", "house", "cedar", and "dwelleth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "king" and "said", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 1's "And it came to pass when the..." into verse 3's "And Nathan said to the king Go...", so "king" and "said" 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 "king" and "said" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.