The Meaning of 2 Samuel 12:11 Explained

2 Samuel 12:11

KJV: Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.

YLT: thus said Jehovah, Lo, I am raising up against thee evil, out of thy house, and have taken thy wives before thine eyes, and given to thy neighbour, and he hath lain with thy wives before the eyes of this sun;

Darby: Thus saith Jehovah: Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.

ASV: Thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house; and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbor, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Thus saith  the LORD,  Behold, I will raise up  evil  against thee out of thine own house,  and I will take  thy wives  before thine eyes,  and give  [them] unto thy neighbour,  and he shall lie  with thy wives  in the sight  of this sun. 

What does 2 Samuel 12:11 Mean?

Context Summary

2 Samuel 12:1-14 - Thou Art The Man
A year followed on his sin, but David gave no sign. He describes his condition during that awful time in Psalms 32:3-4. Conscience scourged him incessantly, but he did not return to God until Nathan had been sent to fetch him. The Good Shepherd went after that which was lost until he found it. "He restoreth my soul!" But soul-agony is not enough, keen though it be; there must be confession.
Nathan's parable was the mirror in which the true enormity of the king's sin was held up to his face. He was judged, and he judged himself. By the manifestation of the truth, Nathan commended himself to the king's conscience, as in the sight of God. And finally came the home-thrust-Thou art the man. The words of confession were immediate and deeply sincere. There was no thought of the human wrongs he had done. All were included in the great sin against God. "Against thee, thee only, have I sinned." And the confession was met, as it always is, by an instant assurance of pardon-"The Lord"¦ hath put away thy sin." [source]

Chapter Summary: 2 Samuel 12

1  Nathan's parable of the ewe lamb causes David to be his own judge
7  David, reproved by Nathan, confesses his sin, and is pardoned
15  David mourns and prays for the child while it lives
24  Solomon is born, and named Jedidiah
26  David takes Rabbah, and tortures the people thereof

What do the individual words in 2 Samuel 12:11 mean?

Thus says Yahweh: behold I will raise up against you adversity from your own house and I will take - your wives before your eyes and give [them] to your neighbor and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of sun this
כֹּ֣ה ׀ אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֗ה הִנְנִי֩ מֵקִ֨ים עָלֶ֤יךָ רָעָה֙ מִבֵּיתֶ֔ךָ וְלָקַחְתִּ֤י אֶת־ נָשֶׁ֙יךָ֙ לְעֵינֶ֔יךָ וְנָתַתִּ֖י לְרֵעֶ֑יךָ וְשָׁכַב֙ עִם־ נָשֶׁ֔יךָ לְעֵינֵ֖י הַשֶּׁ֥מֶשׁ הַזֹּֽאת

כֹּ֣ה ׀  Thus 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֹּה  
Sense: thus, here, in this manner.
אָמַ֣ר  says 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
יְהוָ֗ה  Yahweh: 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
הִנְנִי֩  behold 
Parse: Interjection, first person common singular
Root: הֵן  
Sense: behold, lo, though hypothetical part.
מֵקִ֨ים  I  will  raise  up 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Participle, masculine singular
Root: קוּם 
Sense: to rise, arise, stand, rise up, stand up.
עָלֶ֤יךָ  against  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine singular
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
רָעָה֙  adversity 
Parse: Adjective, feminine singular
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
מִבֵּיתֶ֔ךָ  from  your  own  house 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
וְלָקַחְתִּ֤י  and  I  will  take 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
נָשֶׁ֙יךָ֙  your  wives 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
לְעֵינֶ֔יךָ  before  your  eyes 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, cdc, second person masculine singular
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.
וְנָתַתִּ֖י  and  give  [them] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
לְרֵעֶ֑יךָ  to  your  neighbor 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: רֵעַ  
Sense: friend, companion, fellow, another person.
וְשָׁכַב֙  and  he  shall  lie 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁכַב  
Sense: to lie down.
נָשֶׁ֔יךָ  your  wives 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
לְעֵינֵ֖י  in  the  sight 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, cdc
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.
הַשֶּׁ֥מֶשׁ  of  sun 
Parse: Article, Noun, common singular
Root: שֶׁמֶשׁ  
Sense: sun.
הַזֹּֽאת  this 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, feminine singular
Root: זׄאת  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, such.