John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 8. Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David , etc.] For it was taken well at his hands, in part, that it was in his heart, and he had a desire to build an house for God, though he was wrong in determining upon it without seeking the Lord; and lest he should be discouraged by the prohibition of him from building, the following things are observed to assure him it was not from disregard unto him, or displeasure at him, that he would not be employed in this service; since the Lord had given sufficient tokens of his favour to him, and with which he should be content, as having honour enough done him; it was enough that God had raised him up from a low estate to great grandeur and dignity: thus saith the Lord of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel ; for that was his employment, to keep his father’s sheep, before he was taken into Saul’s court, and married his daughter, when after his death he came to have the crown, of Israel: now this is said, not to upbraid him with his former meanness, but to observe the goodness of God unto him, and what reason he had for thankfulness, and to look upon himself as a favourite of God, who of a keeper of sheep was made a shepherd of men, to rule and feed them; so Cyrus is called a shepherd, ( Isaiah 44:28); and Agamemnon, in Homer f122 , is called “the shepherd of the people”.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 4-17 - Blessings are promised to the family and posterity of David. Thes promises relate to Solomon, David's immediate successor, and the roya line of Judah. But they also relate to Christ, who is often calle David and the Son of David. To him God gave all power in heaven an earth, with authority to execute judgment. He was to build the gospe temple, a house for God's name; the spiritual temple of true believers to be a habitation of God through the Spirit. The establishing of his house, his throne, and his kingdom for ever, can be applied to no othe than to Christ and his kingdom: David's house and kingdom long sinc came to an end. The committing iniquity cannot be applied to the Messiah himself, but to his spiritual seed; true believers have infirmities, for which they must expect to be corrected, though the are not cast off.
Original Hebrew ועתה6258 כה3541 תאמר559 לעבדי5650 לדוד1732 כה3541 אמר559 יהוה3068 צבאות6635 אני589 לקחתיך3947 מן4480 הנוה5116 מאחר310 הצאן6629 להיות1961 נגיד5057 על5921 עמי5971 על5921 ישׂראל׃3478
