What Does 2 Samuel 7:16 Mean in the King James?
And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
English repeats “established,” but Hebrew says the house and kingdom are firm and the throne is set firmly in place.
THE MEANING
The house, kingdom, and throne rest in a promise held before God. Its repeated assurance speaks now to the longing for continuity: what endures is made firm, not kept standing by human grip alone.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
The verse loosens the belief that lasting security depends entirely on your ability to hold everything together.
THE ROOT
נֶאֱמַן
ne’eman
GROWS FROM
אָמַן
aman
To be firm and steady; to support or confirm.
“established” in this verse is ne’eman. The Hebrew word for the house and kingdom carries the sense of being firm and steady. Its root also reaches into trust: the verse joins what can be leaned on with what stands firm.
ALSO GROWS
emunah: Trust; steadfastness.
אֱמוּנָה
The same root connects trust with firmness, giving the promise the quality of something you can lean your full weight on.
amen: Firm, steady; “Amen.”
אָמֵן
The familiar response carries the same sense of firmness, echoing the assurance spoken over the house and kingdom.
נָכוֹן
nakhon
GROWS FROM
כּוּן
kun
To set in place, make firm, or prepare.
“established” in this verse is nakhon. The throne uses a different Hebrew word from the one describing the house and kingdom. Its root brings the image of something set in place, so the promise speaks both of steadiness and of a firm foundation.
ALSO GROWS
hekin: Prepared, made ready.
הֵכִין
This form shows the root’s sense of bringing something into a state where it is ready and set.
mekhonah: Base, stand, foundation.
מְכוֹנָה
The root’s connection to a base or stand makes the throne’s firmness feel grounded, not merely prolonged.
THE PATTERN
God’s promised rule is pictured as a throne and kingdom made firm across generations.
Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah.Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.THE THREAD
And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son. If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established.In Hebrew, “believe” and “be established” in this verse both come from אָמַן (aman), the root of נֶאֱמַן here. The root joins trust with firmness: what you lean your weight on and what stands firm share the same seed.
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