c. 1000 BC) is a prophet in the Hebrew Bible. Nathan's sons held important roles in the administration of the kingdom. This article is about the prophet. Battles against neighboring kingdoms continued, enlarging the borders of Israel and bringing relative peace through strength. He asked David what should be done to the rich man. This judgment was harsh, going beyond what the Law required, but Nathan had put David on the spot. Instead, God promised David the He would build him a house: “‘The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. Nathan (Hebrew: נָתַן‎ Nāṯan; Syriac: ܢܬܢ‎ fl. David's life would never be the same after that. Whatever the case, he was not heard from in the Biblical record until David approaches him with the idea that the ark of the covenant, the "footstool" of God, rested in a tent. Prophets in the time of the kings might serve in the temple or places of worship, live alone, or even serve in the court of the king himself. David benYeshay, Davide figlio diIesseRE DAVIDE 2. God promised that someone from the line of David would sit on the throne forever; this is known as the “Davidic Covenant.” Since Jesus came from the line of David, this came true, and Jesus’ throne is established forever. He looked right at the king and said: "You are that man." To this couple had been born Attai[6]. The tribe of Judah, with Benjamin to the north and Philistia to the west, was often a battleground upon which many of Israel's finest soldiers bled and died in attempts to keep back the Philistine invasion. When she became pregnant with his child, he had her husband killed and married her to cover up his sin. As such Jarha was a proper member of the tribe. Thus, the Lord sent Nathan to David with a message. Although this work has since been lost, there is some speculation that parts or all of it might have been integrated into the books of Samuel or Kings. The tabernacle, the Lord pointed out, was to be in the midst of the people, where He wished to reside. In Israel, when prophets weren’t being killed by people who didn’t like what they were saying, they were often greatly respected. David responded with great anger. David repented of this wrongdoing (which he writes of in Psalm 51), and Nathan passed along God’s message of forgiveness. Furthermore, Nathan told him, four sons of David would be required for the life of Uriah. This would have made Nathan at least 20 years older than David. And when it came time for Solomon to become king, Nathan worked with Bathsheba to assure that the chosen son would be declared king by David himself. He then told David he would not build the temple, but that his successor would. A midrash of the Jewish Talmud teaches that two honorary seats flanked the throne of Solomon, one for Gad the seer and one for Nathan the prophet. Nathan had a lasting influence even after his death. Photo credit: Wikimedia/Public Domain Images/Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld. The rich man had taken the poor man's pet lamb to feed to a visitor. A “book of Nathan the prophet” is mentioned in both first and second Chronicles. of The king suggested that the LORD deserved a house at least as grand as the palace he had made in Jerusalem. She is the co-author of Dear Hero and has 200+ bylines in publications ranging from The Christian Communicator to Keys for Kids. [3], When Solomon was born, David entrusted Nathan to be his mentor. The first son to die was Bathsheba's firstborn son. According to Chronicles, Nathan wrote histories of the reigns of both David (1 Chronicles 29:29) and Solomon (2 Chronicles 9:29), and was involved in the music of the temple (see 2 Chronicles 29:25). These times of trouble provided the background for many of the psalms that David wrote. These records are mentioned as a source by the inspired author of the Chronicles. Nathan fathered two sons, Azariah and Zabad (also spelled Zabud) who became officers in the court of King David. Re davide 1. However, because of this sin, David’s son with Bathsheba died. However, this sin wasn’t hidden from God. He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity” (2 Samuel 12:5-6). RE DAVIDE 6. His actions are described in the Books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles (especially 2 Samuel 7:2–17, 12:1–25). Such was the case after Saul had been king for about thirty years. Though it is not mentioned in this passage, 1 Chronicles 22:8 and 28:3 indicate that David was not chosen to construct the Temple because he was a man of war and had shed much blood, whereas God wanted the Temple to be established in peace. a building) for the Ark with God's plan to build a house (i.e. 3. It is reasonable to assume that since David was not a prophet or a priest, these plans had come through the instrumentality of Nathan himself. •NATHAN E DAVIDE … She is a literary agent at C.Y.L.E., the publicity manager at Mountain Brook Ink, and a freelance editor with Sherpa Editing Services. Nathan brings another message to David after the birth of Bathsheba’s second son, Solomon, telling of God’s love for the child (2 Samuel 12:24-25). Nathan appears in the Bible on at least four occasions. Nathan presides at the anointing of King Solomon, and his name appears in Handel's coronation anthem "Zadok the Priest". [2], Before that, he had approved of David's plans to build the Temple to replace the Tabernacle, only to be corrected by the Lord. Often, the messages of prophets concerned both the present and the future, for example when Nathan confronted David about his current sin of adultery while also warning that David’s son would die. When a traveler came to the rich man, instead of slaughtering one of his own sheep, the rich man took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the traveler to eat. Born in the days of Samuel, Nathan had been a boy in peaceful times. The next message he heard from Lord revealed a dark secret that few had suspected: David's friend Uriah had died as a result of orders from the king himself. Between the two towns was the Jebusite stronghold of Jerusalem. You may be looking for David's son. The feast day of Nathan the Prophet is on 24 October. In his later days, Nathan would write of what he had known or was shown by the Lord in a book that became source material for the inspired author of the books of the Chronicles of the Kings. All rights reserved. New Living Translation So the LORD sent Nathan the prophet to tell David this story: “There were two men in a certain town. Proud member Nothing is known for sure about Nathan’s late life or death, but apocryphal sources claim that he lived to an old age and was buried in his own land. Please enter your email address associated with your Salem All-Pass account, then click Continue. Nathan did not have much to do with David after that, but he was in and around the palace as David's life unraveled in the second half of his reign. Judging from this, Nathan was born in the days of Samuel's long tenure as traveling judge of Israel. Though Nathan may not possess a book in the Bible named after him, he was a significant biblical figure who played a major role in the building of the Temple and the delivery of the Messianic promise. With a name like "Given" he may have even been born to be a prophet. Nathan was a court prophet who lived in the time of King David.He is introduced in 2 Samuel 7:2 and 1 Chronicles 17:1 as an advisor to David, with whom David reflects on the contrast between his own comfortable home and the tent in which the Ark of the Covenant is accommodated. After this time, David would seek to build the kingdom that was promised to come through his son. With the help of such friends as these, David was able to moderate his passions and walk closer to God. Landowners were always called on to give of there crops and livestock to keep the war machine running. Nathan (Heb: "gift"), son of Attai[1], was a prophet and advisor to King David of Israel. So who was Nathan, the man who had the audacity to appear before a king and convict him of sin? One of his closest advisors, he is most notable for his masterful rebuke of David after his adultery with Bathsheba.. Before that, he had approved of David's plans to build the Temple to replace the Tabernacle, only to be corrected by the Lord. I will be his father, and he will be my son… Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever’” (2 Samuel 7:11-14, 16). Zabad is said to have been a friend of David's, indicating that the two had grown up together[7].