7:18 King David went in, sat before the Lord, and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my family, 1 that you should have brought me to this point? 7:19 And you didn’t stop there, O Lord God! You have also spoken about the future of your servant’s family. 2 Is this your usual way of dealing with men, 3 O Lord God? 7:20 What more can David say to you? You have given your servant special recognition, 4 O Lord God! 7:21 For the sake of your promise and according to your purpose 5 you have done this great thing in order to reveal it to your servant. 6
1 tn Heb “house.”
2 tn Heb “and this was small in your eyes, O
3 tn Heb “and this [is] the law of man”; KJV “is this the manner of man, O Lord God?”; NAB “this too you have shown to man”; NRSV “May this be instruction for the people, O Lord God!” This part of the verse is very enigmatic; no completely satisfying solution has yet been suggested. The present translation tries to make sense of the MT by understanding the phrase as a question that underscores the uniqueness of God’s dealings with David as described here. The parallel passage in 1 Chr 17:17 reads differently (see the note there).
4 tn Heb “and you know your servant.” The verb here refers to recognizing another in a special way and giving them special treatment (see 1 Chr 17:18). Some English versions take this to refer to the Lord’s knowledge of David himself: CEV “you know my thoughts”; NLT “know what I am really like.”
5 tn Heb “for the sake of your word and according to your heart.”
6 tn Heb “to make known, your servant.”