2 Samuel 7:8 (GNV)

Passage

Nowe therefore so say vnto my seruant Dauid, Thus saieth the Lord of hostes, I tooke thee from the sheepecote following the sheepe, that thou mightest bee ruler ouer my people, ouer Israel.

Nearby Context

2 Samuel 7:6 For I haue dwelt in no house since the time that I brought the children of Israel out of Egypt vnto this day, but haue walked in a tent and tabernacle.

2 Samuel 7:7 In al the places wherein I haue walked with all the children of Israel, spake I one worde with any of the tribes of Israel when I commanded the iudges to feede my people Israel? or sayde I, Why build ye not me an house of cedar trees?

2 Samuel 7:8 Nowe therefore so say vnto my seruant Dauid, Thus saieth the Lord of hostes, I tooke thee from the sheepecote following the sheepe, that thou mightest bee ruler ouer my people, ouer Israel.

2 Samuel 7:9 And I was with thee wheresoeuer thou hast walked, and haue destroyed all thine enemies out of thy sight, and haue made thee a great name, like vnto the name of the great men that are in the earth.

2 Samuel 7:10 (Also I will appoynt a place for my people Israel, and will plant it, that they may dwell in a place of their owne, and moue no more, neither shall wicked people trouble them any more as before time,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "sheep", "nowe", "therefore", "vnto", "seruant", "dauid", "thus", and "saieth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "sheep" and "nowe", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "In al the places wherein I haue..." into verse 9's "And I was with thee wheresoeuer thou...", so "sheep" and "nowe" 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 "sheep" and "nowe" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.