2 Kingdoms (2 Samuel) 12:4Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

What does this indicate? The narrative reveals a visitor arriving at the rich man—a burning desire that results in punishment. This passion compelled the wealthy man, who, feeling compassion for his own sheep, went forth to seize the sheep of the impoverished man and sacrificed it for his desires.

The flame of lust sparked the sin of adultery, and from that sin violence emerged. The one entangled in corrupt love, having slain the sheep, also took the life of its shepherd. Two vices led to two deaths—lust and fury. The former treated the wife as a sheep and sacrificed her, while the latter extinguished her husband's life. Indeed, he consumed her as one would a sheep, for infidelity equates to death for purity. Hence, the Scripture referred to her as a sheep, as she remained virtuous and undefiled for her spouse. The prophet Nathan, in his parable, stated: “and a traveler came to the rich man, and the man spared to take of his sheep or oxen to prepare a dinner for the traveler who came to him, but took the poor man's sheep and prepared it for the man who came to him,” referring to the wife as a lamb in defense of marital fidelity. “Let marriage among all be honorable and the bed undefiled,” declares Hebrews 13:4. The act of slaughter signifies adultery, as dishonor to the chaste is akin to murder and destruction.

The patience and self-control of husbands towards their wives is well illustrated through the story of King David. The King, overwhelmed by passionate desire and slighted by his own success, unlawfully took a woman and ordered her husband’s death. The prophet confronted the king regarding this wrongdoing, employing the parable of a poor man with just one sheep and a rich neighbor with abundant livestock. The rich man, feeling pity to take from his own herd, instead took the poor man's sheep to offer hospitality to a traveler. When David became furious at the rich man’s actions, demanding his death and restitution of fourfold for the sheep (see 2 Samuel 12:1-6), he inadvertently judged his own transgression regarding Bathsheba. Upon receiving this divine rebuke, David repented profoundly, thus cleansing himself of his sin. However, the prophet's parable addressed only the sin of adultery, with no mention made of Uriah’s murder—signifying an accusation focused solely on infidelity.

We note too the extent of David’s restraint towards his wives, as he faced the necessity of resigning himself to punishment for his violation against one of them. Here, it is evident that the unchecked passion affected him like a wayward stranger, finding no haven within his household. Therefore, the prophet who reprimanded him referred to this illicit desire as a 'traveler' in the abode of a wealthy man. He did not claim that the poor man’s sheep was taken to feast the king, but noted it was for the wanderer who visited. In contrast, within the reign of David's son Solomon, such carnal temptation did not come as a transient visitor but took on the stature of a queen. The Scriptures do not shy away from laying blame upon him for his desire for foreign women (see 1 Kings 11:1-8). Initially aflame with a passion for wisdom, Solomon, upon attaining it through spiritual love, allowed himself to fall into the snare of fleshly desires.