2 Samuel 12:19 (YLT)

Passage

And David seeth that his servants are whispering, and David understandeth that the lad is dead, and David saith unto his servants, `Is the lad dead?' and they say, `Dead.'

Nearby Context

2 Samuel 12:17 And the elders of his house rise against him, to raise him up from the earth, and he hath not been willing, nor hath he eaten with them bread;

2 Samuel 12:18 and it cometh to pass on the seventh day, that the lad dieth, and the servants of David fear to declare to him that the lad is dead, for they said, `Lo, in the lad being alive we spake unto him, and he did not hearken to our voice; and how do we say unto him, The lad is dead? --then he hath done evil.'

2 Samuel 12:19 And David seeth that his servants are whispering, and David understandeth that the lad is dead, and David saith unto his servants, `Is the lad dead?' and they say, `Dead.'

2 Samuel 12:20 And David riseth from the earth, and doth bathe and anoint <FI>himself<Fi> , and changeth his raiment, and cometh in to the house of Jehovah, and boweth himself, and cometh unto his house, and asketh and they place for him bread, and he eateth.

2 Samuel 12:21 And his servants say unto him, `What <FI>is<Fi> this thing thou hast done? because of the living lad thou hast fasted and dost weep, and when the lad is dead thou hast risen and dost eat bread.'

Study Lenses

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

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