NATHAN ((r.y, given ; Sept. Natdv). 1. A prophet of the time of David. When that monarch conceived the idea of building a temple to Jehovah, the design and motives seemed to Nathan so good that he ventured to approve of it without the Di vine authority ; but the night following he received the Divine command, which prevented the king from executing this great work (z Sam. vii. 2, seq. ; I Chron. xvii.) Nathan does not again appear in the sacred history, till he comes forward in the name of the Lord to reprove David, and to de nounce dire punishment for his frightful crime in the matter of Uriah and Bathsheba. This he does by exciting the king's indignation, and leading him to condemn himself, by reciting to him the very strik ing parable of the traveller and the lamb. Then, changing the voice of a suppliant for that of a judge and a commissioned prophet, he exclaims, Thou art the man and proceeds to announce the evils which were to embitter the remainder of his reign (2 Sam. xii. I, seq. ; comp. Ps. li.) The lamentations of the repentant king drew forth some mitigation of punishment ; but the troubled history of the remainder of his reign shows how completely God's righteous doom was fulfilled. The child conceived in adultery died ; but when Bathsheba's second son was born, the prophet gave him the name of Jedidiah (beloved of 9ehovah), although he is better known by that of Solomon (z Sam. xii. 24, 25). He recognised in this young prince the successor of David ; and it was in a great measure through his interposition that the design of Adonijah to seize the crown was unsuccessful (I Kings i. 8,
seq.) Nathan probably died soon after the accession of Solomon, for his name does not again historically occur. It is generally supposed that Solomon was brought up under his care. His sons occupied high places in this king's court (I Kings iv. 5). He assisted David by his counsels when he re-organised the public worship (2 Chron. xxix. 25) ; and he composed annals of the times in which he lived (I Chron. xxix. 29, 2 Chron. ix. 29) ; but these have not been preserved to us.
2. Son of David and Bathsheba (2 Sam. v. 14 ; Chron. iii. 5, xiv. 4). His name appears in the genealogy of our Lord given by Luke (iii. 31). Through him the mother of Jesus derived her de scent from David [GENEALOGY OF J. C. ] It is not certain whether the Nathan referred to in Zech. xii. 12 be this Nathan or the preceding ; but he is probably this one.
3. The father or brother of one of David's mighty men (2 Sam. xxiii. 36 ; i Chron. xi. 38). In the former passage he is said to be of Zobah, in Syria, from which place David had many of his warriors. This shows that it is not Nathan the prophet who is here referred to, for he was an Israelite.
4. One of the chief men who accompanied Ezra from Babylon, on his second ascent to Jerusalem ; he was sent by Ezra as one of a deputation to the Jews at Casiphia to bring up ministers for the house of the Lord (Ezra viii. 15, ff.)