2 Samuel 12:19 (DBY)

Passage

But David saw that his servants whispered, and David perceived that the child was dead; and David said to his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead.

Nearby Context

2 Samuel 12:17 And the elders of his house arose, [and went] to him, to raise him up from the earth; but he would not, and he ate no bread with them.

2 Samuel 12:18 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead; for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spoke to him, and he would not hearken to our voice; and how shall we say to him, The child is dead? he may do some harm.

2 Samuel 12:19 But David saw that his servants whispered, and David perceived that the child was dead; and David said to his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead.

2 Samuel 12:20 Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his clothing, and entered into the house of Jehovah and worshipped; then he came to his own house and required them to set bread before him, and he ate.

2 Samuel 12:21 And his servants said to him, What thing is this which thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child alive; but as soon as the child is dead, thou dost rise and eat bread.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "david", "servants", "whispered", "perceived", "child", and "dead". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "david" and "servants", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "And it came to pass on the..." into verse 20's "Then David arose from the earth and...", so "david" and "servants" 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 "david" and "servants" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.