2 Samuel 12:15 (WEB)

Passage

Nathan departed to his house. Yahweh struck the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and it was very sick.

Nearby Context

2 Samuel 12:13 David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against Yahweh.” Nathan said to David, “Yahweh also has put away your sin. You will not die.

2 Samuel 12:14 However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to Yahweh’s enemies to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you will surely die.”

2 Samuel 12:15 Nathan departed to his house. Yahweh struck the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and it was very sick.

2 Samuel 12:16 David therefore begged God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night on the ground.

2 Samuel 12:17 The elders of his house arose beside him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would not, and he didn’t eat bread with them.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "nathan", "departed", "house", "yahweh", "struck", "child", "uriah", and "wife". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "nathan" and "departed", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "However because by this deed you have..." into verse 16's "David therefore begged God for the child...", so "nathan" and "departed" 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 "nathan" and "departed" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.