Anakalypsis / Unveiling the Word

Biblical Person · Old · United Monarchy · -1000-01-0 – -1000-01-0

Nathan

Nathan

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Nathan was a prophet during the reign of King David, known for confronting David about his sin with Bathsheba and for supporting Solomon's succession to the throne.

AI-assisted summary — may contain inaccuracies.

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Biographical facts

Born
-1000-01-0
Died
-1000-01-0
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Where Nathan appears

38 verses across 6 books.

2Sam12×1Kgs12×1Chr9×2Chr2×Ezra2×Zech1×

Verses mentioning Nathan

  • 1Chr 2:36 — And Attai begat Nathan, and Nathan begat Zabad,
  • 1Chr 3:5 — And these were born unto him in Jerusalem; Shimea, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon, four, of Bathshua the daughter of Ammiel:
  • 1Chr 11:38 — Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of Haggeri,
  • 1Chr 14:4 — Now these are the names of his children which he had in Jerusalem; Shammua, and Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon,
  • 1Chr 17:1 — Now it came to pass, as David sat in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, Lo, I dwell in an house of cedars, but the ark of the covenant of the LORD remaineth under curtains.
  • 1Chr 17:2 — Then Nathan said unto David, Do all that is in thine heart; for God is with thee.
  • 1Chr 17:3 — And it came to pass the same night, that the word of God came to Nathan, saying,
  • 1Chr 17:15 — According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.
  • 1Chr 29:29 — Now the acts of David the king, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Samuel the seer, and in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of Gad the seer,
  • 1Kgs 1:8 — But Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet, and Shimei, and Rei, and the mighty men which belonged to David, were not with Adonijah.
  • 1Kgs 1:10 — But Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and Solomon his brother, he called not.
  • 1Kgs 1:11 — Wherefore Nathan spake unto Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, Hast thou not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith doth reign, and David our lord knoweth it not?
  • 1Kgs 1:22 — And, lo, while she yet talked with the king, Nathan the prophet also came in.
  • 1Kgs 1:23 — And they told the king, saying, Behold Nathan the prophet. And when he was come in before the king, he bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground.
  • 1Kgs 1:24 — And Nathan said, My lord, O king, hast thou said, Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne?
  • 1Kgs 1:32 — And king David said, Call me Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. And they came before the king.
  • 1Kgs 1:34 — And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king over Israel: and blow ye with the trumpet, and say, God save king Solomon.
  • 1Kgs 1:38 — So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon king David’s mule, and brought him to
  • 1Kgs 1:44 — And the king hath sent with him Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and they have caused him to ride upon the king’s mul
  • 1Kgs 1:45 — And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon: and they are come up from thence rejoicing, so that the city rang again. This is the noise that ye have heard.
  • 1Kgs 4:5 — And Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers: and Zabud the son of Nathan was principal officer, and the king’s friend:
  • 2Chr 9:29 — Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are they not written in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer against Je
  • 2Chr 29:25 — And he set the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, with psalteries, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, and of Gad the king’s seer, and Nathan the prophet: for so was the
  • 2Sam 5:14 — And these be the names of those that were born unto him in Jerusalem; Shammuah, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon,
  • 2Sam 7:2 — That the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.
  • 2Sam 7:3 — And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thine heart; for the LORD is with thee.
  • 2Sam 7:4 — And it came to pass that night, that the word of the LORD came unto Nathan, saying,
  • 2Sam 7:17 — According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.
  • 2Sam 12:1 — And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.
  • 2Sam 12:5 — And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die:
  • 2Sam 12:7 — And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;
  • 2Sam 12:13 — And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.
  • 2Sam 12:15 — And Nathan departed unto his house. And the LORD struck the child that Uriah’s wife bare unto David, and it was very sick.
  • 2Sam 12:25 — And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet; and he called his name Jedidiah, because of the LORD.
  • 2Sam 23:36 — Igal the son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani the Gadite,
  • Ezra 8:16 — Then sent I for Eliezer, for Ariel, for Shemaiah, and for Elnathan, and for Jarib, and for Elnathan, and for Nathan, and for Zechariah, and for Meshullam, chief men; also for Joiarib, and for Elnathan
  • Ezra 10:39 — And Shelemiah, and Nathan, and Adaiah,
  • Zech 12:12 — And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart;
Voices from the tradition

The Church Fathers on Nathan

Patristic commentary on the Scriptures that name Nathan.

If you like, however, I will give you further examples relating to our condition. Come then to the blessed David, and take him for your example of repentance. Great as he was, he suffered a fall. It was in the afternoon, after his siesta, that he took a turn on the housetop and saw by chance what stirred his human passion. He fulfilled…

Therefore, Nathan went to David and wove a dramatic act for judgment. And what did he say? "My king, I want your judgment. There was a certain rich man and a certain poor one. The rich person possessed herds of cattle and many other flocks; and the poor one had one ewe that drank from his glass, ate from his table and slept in his…

But just as Matthew, presenting Christ the king as if descending for the assumption of our sins, thus descends from David through Solomon, because Solomon was born of her with whom David had sinned, so Luke, presenting Christ the priest as if ascending after the destroying of sins, ascends through Nathan to David, because Nathan the…

For I admit my wrongdoing, and my offense confronts me all the time. "I have not thrust my deed behind my back; I do not look askance at others while forgetting myself; I do not presume to extract a speck of straw from my brother's eye while there is a timber in my own; my sin is in front of me, not behind my back. It was behind me…

How particularly difficult it is to atone for the evil deed of handing over the name of the Lord to the blasphemy of the heathen, we are instructed by the example of the most blessed David who, because of the intercession of his acts of justice, deserved to evade eternal punishment for his offenses through one confession only. Yet he,…

The spirit of prophecy doth not always illuminate the minds of the prophets; because, as it is written of the Holy Ghost that he breatheth where he will, so we are also to know that he doth breathe likewise for what cause, and when he pleaseth. And hereof it cometh, that when king David demanded of Nathan whether he might build a…

— Gregory the Dialogist (604) on 2Sam 7:3

Historic voices touch this life

48 passages from 12 historic works cite verses that mention Nathan.