Passage
However, because by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of Yahweh to blaspheme, the son also that is born to you shall surely die.”
2 Samuel 12:14 (LSB)
Nearby Context
2 Samuel 12:12 Indeed you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.’”
2 Samuel 12:13 Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against Yahweh.” And Nathan said to David, “Yahweh also has taken away your sin; you shall not die.
2 Samuel 12:14 However, because by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of Yahweh to blaspheme, the son also that is born to you shall surely die.”
2 Samuel 12:15 And Nathan went to his house. David’s Child DiesThen Yahweh smote the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, so that he was very sick.
2 Samuel 12:16 David therefore sought God about the boy; and David fasted and went and spent the night lying on the ground.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "however", "deed", "given", "occasion", "enemies", "yahweh", "blaspheme", and "born". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "however" and "deed", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 13's "Then David said to Nathan I have..." into verse 15's "And Nathan went to his house David...", so "however" and "deed" 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 "however" and "deed" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.