· Translation: KJV

2 Samuel 7:20What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, Lord Yahweh.

The setting

Jerusalem, ~1000 BC. David sits in his cedar palace, overwhelmed after Nathan delivers God's promise of an eternal dynasty. Modern Jerusalem, Israel.

The emotion here: speechless gratitude, overwhelmed by undeserved blessing

The original word

ebed (עֶבֶד) — servant, but here means 'willing bond-servant who chooses to stay'

Why it matters

David had just unified all twelve tribes under one capital for the first time in 400 years

Read with care

What most readers miss in 2 Samuel 7:20

David is speechless — literally asking 'what more can I say?' He's run out of words

Common misconceptionPeople think this shows David's humility, but it's actually David being overwhelmed. He literally cannot find adequate words for what God just promised him.

Bible Genome reading

2 Samuel 7:20 — Bible Genome reading

SpeakerDavid
EraUnited Kingdom
Primary emotionworship
Literary typeprayer
MarkPrayer

Emotional genome

Comfort power60%
Quotability70%
Memorability60%
Crisis relevance40%
Standalone60%
Themes:divine omniscienceintimate relationship

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open 2 Samuel 7

2 Samuel 7:20 comes from the book of 2 Samuel, written during the United Kingdom period. These words are attributed to David. The dominant emotion in this verse is worship, with a comfort power of 60% and a tone that is reverent. It belongs to the prayer genre of biblical literature. Key themes include divine omniscience, intimate relationship. Notable phrases: you know your servant. This verse is a prayer.

Your reflection

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