Chapter 12 of Shmuel Bet is one of the most piercing chapters in all of Tanach: Natan the prophet is sent to David, rebukes him with the parable of the poor man's lamb, and David, who has already pronounced judgment upon "the man" in the parable, hears the words "You are the man." From here on the chapter deals with David's repentance, the punishments decreed against him, the death of the child, the birth of Shlomo, and finally the conquest of Rabbat Bnei Ammon. We will proceed through the pesukim in order, primarily following the commentary of the Malbim, and add the words of the Radak, the Metzudot, the Abarbanel, and the words of Chazal.
"I have sinned against Hashem" - the greatness of David's soul
וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד אֶל־נָתָן חָטָאתִי לַה' וַיֹּאמֶר נָתָן אֶל־דָּוִד גַּם־ה' הֶעֱבִיר חַטָּאתְךָ לֹא תָמוּת׃ - And David said to Natan: I have sinned against Hashem. And Natan said to David: Hashem too has removed your sin, you shall not die.
Here we see the greatness of David's soul, and here lies the difference that Chazal point out between David and Shaul. When Shmuel rebuked Shaul, Shaul offered excuses and justifications: "the people had pity," we brought them to offer as a sacrifice to Hashem your God, I fulfilled Hashem's command. Time after time he tried to justify himself. And David? David had far more room to justify himself. Shaul had been explicitly commanded to kill all of Amalek, the sheep and the cattle; David had no prophet come to him before the incident with Bat Sheva to warn him explicitly not to act. And yet David does not justify himself at all, but says immediately: "I have sinned against Hashem."
And what is the prophet's response, "Hashem too has removed your sin, you shall not die"? The prophet tells him: by the very nature of the act, it would have been fitting that you should die. But Hashem has removed your sin, and it is not you who will die, but rather those four members of your household upon whom it was decreed, as was explained above. The very confession atoned for a portion of the sin, and his own death was atoned for. But the other matters that were decreed will not change: "the sword shall not depart from your house" will be fulfilled, "and he shall lie with your wives" will be fulfilled, and the newborn son will die. Only the death that was to fall upon David himself was forgiven.
The Metzudat David explains David's words: for the killing of Uriah the Hittite I accept the punishment you have stated, that the sword shall not depart from my house. But in the matter of Bat Sheva, there I did not sin against a person, but only against the Creator of the world, and if so the reckoning is between me and the Holy One, blessed be He, and it is fitting that He forgive me. In sins between a person and his fellow one cannot obtain forgiveness without the pardon of the one who was wronged, but between a person and Hashem, "and He, being merciful, forgives iniquity." This is why he specifically said "I have sinned against Hashem." And to this the prophet responds: indeed, for this sin Hashem has forgiven you, so that you will not need to die.
"You have greatly scorned the enemies of Hashem"
אֶפֶס כִּי־נִאֵץ נִאַצְתָּ אֶת־אֹיְבֵי ה' בַּדָּבָר הַזֶּה גַּם הַבֵּן הַיִּלּוֹד לְךָ מוֹת יָמוּת׃ - Only, because you have greatly scorned the enemies of Hashem through this matter, the son born to you shall surely die.
"Only" means: this alone remains. And what is "you have scorned the enemies of Hashem"? This is a euphemism, when one does not wish to say the thing directly regarding Heaven. Just as the Gemara does not say "one who curses the Name" but rather "one who blesses the Name," because it is not a respectful manner of speaking regarding Heaven, so too here the intent is, God forbid, toward Hashem Himself. And in what does the scorn here consist? The Malbim says: through this act, people will scorn Hashem and anger Him, and they will say: behold, David did this, so it is permitted for us too. And for this great desecration of the Name you must be punished, and the punishment is that your son will die.
The Abarbanel explains according to the plain sense: throughout your life, when you would see other people doing such a thing, you would rebuke them and scorn them - how can you do such a forbidden and sinful thing. And if you yourself went and did the very act for which you rebuked others, this itself magnifies the sin. Therefore the punishment: "the son born to you shall surely die."
Why the incident was publicized - "to teach repentance to the individual"
The Malbim brings, by way of derash, the words of Chazal: "David was not fit for that act, but it was in order to teach repentance to the individual" - so that if a person sins, they say to him: go and learn from David. And the Malbim explains: the meaning is that it was not fitting to be stringent with David and publicize the incident in a manner that would appear to a superficial reader as though he had transgressed with a married woman and committed murder. For in truth there was here neither the prohibition of a married woman nor murder in their plain sense, but only a subtle deficiency, and it would have been fitting to conceal the matter so that it would not be portrayed that way at all. And why, nevertheless, was it publicized? In order to teach repentance. And this is what is said:
כִּי אַתָּה עָשִׂיתָ בַסָּתֶר וַאֲנִי אֶעֱשֶׂה אֶת־הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה נֶגֶד כׇּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל וְנֶגֶד הַשָּׁמֶשׁ׃ - For you did it in secret, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.
According to this, when David said "I have sinned" he meant: do not be severe with me in my punishment. And the prophet responds that even from the standpoint of the attribute of mercy "Hashem has removed your sin" - from the language of "and they caused a proclamation to pass through the camp," meaning Hashem publicizes your sin. And why? Because through the publicity there is here an instruction of repentance for the individual: behold David, who according to his level and stature and according to all the goodness he received from Hashem, the matter was reckoned to him as a terrible iniquity, said "I have sinned" - and Hashem removed his sin. And if your sin will become a lever for the repentance of others, in that very thing you have atonement, and therefore "you shall not die."
Nevertheless payment is required: you caused the death of Uriah the Hittite. True, Uriah became liable, but were it not for this whole matter of yours he would not have come to that, and so you became liable for a death penalty. And you yourself ruled "and he shall pay for the lamb fourfold" - therefore four of your household shall die for you, corresponding to the cycle of death. And just as you of your own accord wished to commit the transgression, so too Avshalom - no one pushed him, but out of the lust of his soul he wished to sin, and then the matter was rolled into his hand.
Punishment in public - that the king is not exempt
כֹּה אָמַר ה' הִנְנִי מֵקִים עָלֶיךָ רָעָה מִבֵּיתֶךָ וְלָקַחְתִּי אֶת־נָשֶׁיךָ לְעֵינֶיךָ וְנָתַתִּי לְרֵעֶיךָ וְשָׁכַב עִם־נָשֶׁיךָ לְעֵינֵי הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ הַזֹּאת׃ - Thus says Hashem: Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house, and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your fellow, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.
Why specifically in the open, "before all Israel and before the sun"? So that people will see that the Holy One, blessed be He, pays the recompense in public, and will understand that He does not pardon and does not overlook even for an important person, and even for a king. Do not say: for a king it is permitted and for simple people it is forbidden. The law of the king is like the law of every person, and on the contrary - the claim against him is more severe, for the king is an example and must be far more meticulous in his deeds.
Natan goes to his house, and the child falls ill
וַיֵּלֶךְ נָתָן אֶל־בֵּיתוֹ וַיִּגֹּף ה' אֶת־הַיֶּלֶד אֲשֶׁר יָלְדָה אֵשֶׁת־אוּרִיָּה לְדָוִד וַיֵּאָנַשׁ׃ - And Natan went to his house, and Hashem struck the child that the wife of Uriah bore to David, and it became gravely ill.
"And Natan went to his house" - the Sages say that he parted from him at once. He did not remain to sit with him and drink a cup of coffee. I have told you what I had to say, you have done a terrible deed, and I have finished and gone. There was in this a demonstration meant to show his displeasure with the deed. And immediately after this "and Hashem struck the child... and it became gravely ill" - it became mortally ill, from the language of "her wound is grievous."
Prayer after a decree
וַיְבַקֵּשׁ דָּוִד אֶת־הָאֱלֹהִים בְּעַד הַנָּעַר וַיָּצׇם דָּוִד צוֹם וּבָא וְלָן וְשָׁכַב אָרְצָה׃ - And David besought God for the child, and David fasted a fast, and went in and lay all night upon the ground.
From here the Sages learned that even though a decree has been decreed, prayer helps. Here the decree came forth from the mouth of Hashem through a prophet, and nevertheless David prays, for there is no such thing that prayer does not help. There is, however, a situation in which prayer does not help, and that is when the decree was "sealed in blood," in the language of the Gemara - then there is no possibility of nullifying it; but if it was sealed in clay, a seal that can be nullified, it can be nullified. And blood and clay are a metaphor, and one must not think that there is actual blood and clay above. Therefore David thought that through affliction and fasting he would succeed in nullifying the decree from upon his son.
וַיָּקֻמוּ זִקְנֵי בֵיתוֹ עָלָיו לַהֲקִימוֹ מִן־הָאָרֶץ וְלֹא אָבָה וְלֹא־בָרָא אִתָּם לָחֶם׃ - The elders of his house arose and stood over him to raise him from the ground, but he would not, nor would he eat any food with them.
They did not manage to raise him from the ground, and he did not eat with them even a small amount: he fasted and lay on the ground.
The Death of the Child and the Servants' Fear
וַיְהִי בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי וַיָּמׇת הַיָּלֶד וַיִּרְאוּ עַבְדֵי דָוִד לְהַגִּיד לוֹ כִּי־מֵת הַיֶּלֶד כִּי אָמְרוּ הִנֵּה בִהְיוֹת הַיֶּלֶד חַי דִּבַּרְנוּ אֵלָיו וְלֹא־שָׁמַע בְּקוֹלֵנוּ וְאֵיךְ נֹאמַר אֵלָיו מֵת הַיֶּלֶד וְעָשָׂה רָעָה׃ - And it came to pass on the seventh day that the child died, and the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said: Behold, while the child was still alive we spoke to him and he did not listen to our voice, so how can we tell him that the child is dead? He may do himself harm.
While the child was alive we tried to persuade him to rise from the ground and to come out of the state he had entered, and he did not listen. Now, if he hears such difficult news that the child has died, we fear that he may harm himself, God forbid.
And what is meant by "on the seventh day"? Chazal say: on the seventh day from the birth. For it is difficult to say that he fasted for seven days, as the Radak explains, and therefore they interpreted it as referring to the seventh day from his birth, when the child had not yet emerged from the category of a stillborn.
Proof from the Verses That There Was No Mamzer Here
I believe we have clearly proven, from the verses themselves, that it is impossible to understand that we are dealing here with a mamzer. First, if there had been a mamzer here, it could not be that David would take Bat Sheva as a wife after the prophet's rebuke. Second, it could not be that Shlomo would be born from her, of whom it is said "Yedidyah," and that Hashem named him Shlomo because peace was his, and "and Hashem loved him." Third, it could not be that Hashem would say of a child that came through a transgression from a woman forbidden to David that he would sit upon his throne and reign after him. These are the plain meanings of the verses, not derashot, and they prove that the entire matter was in a state of fitness as we have explained. However, the manner of conduct was not proper: the matter of the taking was not proper; although everything is permitted to the king, there was in this a desecration of Hashem's name, and according to David's level the claim against him is far more severe. And we never came to say that David acted in a completely proper way: over a proper act one does not send a prophet, there is no rebuke and there are no punishments, and here you see the punishments.
David Rises, Washes and Eats
וַיַּרְא דָּוִד כִּי עֲבָדָיו מִתְלַחֲשִׁים וַיָּבֶן דָּוִד כִּי מֵת הַיָּלֶד וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד אֶל־עֲבָדָיו הֲמֵת הַיֶּלֶד וַיֹּאמְרוּ מֵת׃ - And David saw that his servants were whispering, and David understood that the child was dead, and David said to his servants: Is the child dead? And they said: He is dead.
וַיָּקׇם דָּוִד מֵהָאָרֶץ וַיִּרְחַץ וַיָּסֶךְ וַיְחַלֵּף שִׂמְלֹתָו וַיָּבֹא בֵית־ה' וַיִּשְׁתָּחוּ וַיָּבֹא אֶל־בֵּיתוֹ וַיִּשְׁאַל וַיָּשִׂימוּ לוֹ לֶחֶם וַיֹּאכַל׃ - And David arose from the ground and washed and anointed himself and changed his garments, and he came to the house of Hashem and bowed down, and he came to his house and asked, and they set food before him and he ate.
From the moment the child died, everything returns to its course: David rises from the ground, washes, anoints himself, changes the garments that he had not changed for seven days, comes to the house of Hashem, which is the Mishkan, bows down and asks to eat. And this seemingly presents a difficulty: after all, his son has died, so how does he wash and anoint himself and change his garments?
The Radak explains this in two ways. First: David was not yet bound by the laws of mourning, for the child had not yet been buried, and the laws of mourning begin from burial. And if you ask, an onen too is forbidden to wash his body - the answer is that here he was compelled to wash, since he wished to go to the house of Hashem to give thanks to Him, blessed be He, for just as one blesses over the bad so one blesses over the good, and one cannot come to the house of Hashem in filthy garments and with an unclean body. The second explanation: the child died within thirty days of his birth, and a child who dies within thirty days is considered a nefel (stillborn), upon whom there are no laws of mourning at all, and therefore there was no obligation to mourn here. And even if you explain that the seventh day was of his illness, that is still within thirty days.
The Servants' Puzzlement: A Fast of Grief or a Fast of Prayer
וַיֹּאמְרוּ עֲבָדָיו אֵלָיו מָה־הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתָה בַּעֲבוּר הַיֶּלֶד חַי צַמְתָּ וַתֵּבְךְּ וְכַאֲשֶׁר מֵת הַיֶּלֶד קַמְתָּ וַתֹּאכַל לָחֶם׃ - His servants said to him: What is this thing that you have done? While the child was alive you fasted and wept, and when the child died you arose and ate bread.
The servants say to him: you have taken the opposite course from all people. When a person hears that his relative is dangerously ill, he prays, but he does not stop himself from eating; and when, heaven forbid, the relative dies, then he enters an atmosphere of grief and depression. But with you the matter was reversed: the grief came beforehand, and after the death it was as though you were freed from the whole matter.
The Malbim distinguishes here between a fast out of grief and a fast that is prayer. The servants' error was that they thought all his actions stemmed from grief, like a person who out of his great sorrow has no appetite to eat. And if so, they said, if you grieved while he was alive, all the more now that he has died should you grieve more, and not eat, and not wash, and not change your garments, for the grief has grown greater. Moreover, explains the Malbim, their question was sharper still: to outward appearance the impression was created as though you had fasted because it troubled you that the child was alive, and when he died you stopped fasting, that is, you had attained your goal. Heaven forbid. Would it ever cross the mind that you had prayed that he should die?
Yet for a mamzer one indeed prays in this way: as long as the mamzer lives, there is no complete rectification for the sin of the one who brought him into the world, even if that person repents, for he has a reminder of the sin, and only after the mamzer dies will there be rectification. The Sages said that mamzerim do not live long. In any case a mamzer is a full Jew, obligated in all the mitzvot like any Jew, and he needs no conversion; only "he shall not enter the congregation of Hashem" - the prohibition of marriage alone, and he is permitted to marry a female convert, and with a maidservant there is an added leniency. And if he cohabits with a gentile woman who will convert, he can in principle purify his offspring, except that the matter is forbidden, and he thereby adds sin upon transgression. As for the question of why the child is punished when he is not at fault, he is indeed not at fault in this lifetime, but the very fact of his being born into such a situation teaches that he carries something with him from previous incarnations, and it may be that he himself brought a mamzer into the world, and therefore he is punished to be born a mamzer.
וַיֹּאמֶר בְּעוֹד הַיֶּלֶד חַי צַמְתִּי וָאֶבְכֶּה כִּי אָמַרְתִּי מִי יוֹדֵעַ וְחַנַּנִי ה' וְחַי הַיָּלֶד׃ - He said: While the child was still alive I fasted and wept, for I said, Who knows, Hashem may be gracious to me and the child will live.
וְעַתָּה מֵת לָמָּה זֶּה אֲנִי צָם הַאוּכַל לַהֲשִׁיבוֹ עוֹד אֲנִי הֹלֵךְ אֵלָיו וְהוּא לֹא־יָשׁוּב אֵלָי׃ - But now that he has died, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I am going to him, but he will not return to me.
David answers them: the fasting and weeping were not sorrow and grief, but prayer. I fasted in order to pray, perhaps Hashem would be gracious to me and the child would live. And prayer avails before the event, but after the event what will it avail? Can I bring the dead back to life? So too in our times: when a great person is, heaven forbid, in a hospital, gatherings of prayer are held, but a moment after the bitter news no gathering of prayer is held any longer, for there is no point in praying after the death. This is exactly what David told them: what you saw was not in the manner of grief but in the manner of prayer.
The Birth of Shlomo
וַיְנַחֵם דָּוִד אֵת בַּת־שֶׁבַע אִשְׁתּוֹ וַיָּבֹא אֵלֶיהָ וַיִּשְׁכַּב עִמָּהּ וַתֵּלֶד בֵּן וַתִּקְרָא אֶת־שְׁמוֹ שְׁלֹמֹה וַה' אֲהֵבוֹ׃ - David comforted Bat Sheva his wife, and he came to her and lay with her, and she bore a son, and she called his name Shlomo, and Hashem loved him.
Why did he need to comfort her? Because she was in great grief: she said, behold the first child died on account of the sin, so the second too will die, and she did not want this. David comforted her and said to her: the first died on account of the sin, but now Hashem has removed my sin, and the second will not die. And why did he call his name Shlomo? On account of the word of Hashem to him: behold a son is born to you and he will be a man of rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about, for Shlomo shall be his name, and I will grant peace and quiet upon Israel in his days. So his name was given on account of the peace that would be in his days. "And Hashem loved him" - because he was righteous, and also to show that Hashem had forgiven David for that sin; for had He not forgiven him, He would not have loved the son born of that woman.
וַיִּשְׁלַח בְּיַד נָתָן הַנָּבִיא וַיִּקְרָא אֶת־שְׁמוֹ יְדִידְיָהּ בַּעֲבוּר ה'׃ - And He sent by the hand of Natan the prophet, and he called his name Yedidyah, for the sake of Hashem.
One interpretation: Hashem sent by the hand of Natan the prophet to call his name Yedidyah - out of His love for him He added an additional name. And some explain that "and he called his name Yedidyah" refers to David: since the prophet told him that Hashem loves him, David himself gave him a name attesting to this - Yedid Yah, the beloved of the Holy One, blessed be He.
The Conquest of Rabbah of the Children of Ammon
וַיִּלָּחֶם יוֹאָב בְּרַבַּת בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן וַיִּלְכֹּד אֶת־עִיר הַמְּלוּכָה׃ - And Yoav fought against Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and captured the royal city.
The "royal city" is the king's palace, which was outside the city, and in this place was the source of the water - there the sources joined together, and from there all the inhabitants of the city received their water. Yoav captured the king's palace and also the source of the water, as is made explicit in the next pasuk.
וַיִּשְׁלַח יוֹאָב מַלְאָכִים אֶל־דָּוִד וַיֹּאמֶר נִלְחַמְתִּי בְרַבָּה גַּם־לָכַדְתִּי אֶת־עִיר הַמָּיִם׃ - And Yoav sent messengers to David, and said: I have fought against Rabbah, and I have also captured the city of waters.
The "city of waters" is the source of the water, and therefore Yoav understood that the fall of the city was only a matter of time, for without water they could not hold out.
וְעַתָּה אֱסֹף אֶת־יֶתֶר הָעָם וַחֲנֵה עַל־הָעִיר וְלׇכְדָהּ פֶּן־אֶלְכֹּד אֲנִי אֶת־הָעִיר וְנִקְרָא שְׁמִי עָלֶיהָ׃ - And now gather the rest of the people, and encamp against the city, and capture it, lest I capture the city myself and my name be called upon it.
What is meant by "lest I capture it myself"? What would be wrong with Yoav capturing it? Rather, the main concern is in the latter part: "lest my name be called upon it." It is not to the king's honor that the city be called by the name of the commander of the army; it is the king's honor that his name be called upon it, that people would say: this is the city that David conquered. Therefore Yoav asked that David himself come and strike the final blow.
וַיֶּאֱסֹף דָּוִד אֶת־כׇּל־הָעָם וַיֵּלֶךְ רַבָּתָה וַיִּלָּחֶם בָּהּ וַיִּלְכְּדָהּ׃ - And David gathered all the people, and went to Rabbah, and fought against it, and captured it.
The Crown of Their King
וַיִּקַּח אֶת־עֲטֶרֶת־מַלְכָּם מֵעַל רֹאשׁוֹ וּמִשְׁקָלָהּ כִּכַּר זָהָב וְאֶבֶן יְקָרָה וַתְּהִי עַל־רֹאשׁ דָּוִד וּשְׁלַל הָעִיר הוֹצִיא הַרְבֵּה מְאֹד׃ - And he took the crown of their king from off his head, and its weight was a talent of gold with a precious stone, and it was set on David's head, and he brought out the spoil of the city in great abundance.
"Their king's crown" - the crown of the king of Ammon. Its weight was a talent of gold, roughly twenty nine kilograms, more than half a sack of cement. How, then, could a person carry such a weight on his head? The Radak asks: how could he bear it if it was so heavy? From here several explanations arise. Some say the crown was suspended above his head while he sat on his throne; the Malbim brings that it hung from thin threads for this very reason. Another explanation: "its weight was a talent of gold" is not literal, but rather the value of the precious stone equaled the value of a talent of gold. And Chazal say that a lodestone (a magnet) was placed above, and it held the crown so that it would neither fall down nor rise up, but hover in the air. Others explain that it was not on his head constantly, but only during ceremonies and certain occasions for a short time, and for a brief while such a weight can be borne.
Regarding the lodestone: we find the same with the calves that Yeravam made. Chazal said of Geichazi that he sinned and caused Israel to sin, and therefore when Elisha came to bring him back in repentance he refused, saying: I have a tradition that whoever sins and causes the public to sin is not given the opportunity to repent. And what did he sin and cause others to sin? One explanation: that he placed a holy Name in the mouths of the calves, and through this they said "I am Hashem your God." Another explanation: that he suspended Yeravam's calves in the air with a lodestone, and whoever passed by was certain they were hovering in the air on their own (for they did not recognize the power of the magnet), and this caused many to be drawn after the idolatry.
Chazal offer a further explanation: "their king's crown" refers to Milkom, the abomination of the Ammonites, their idolatry, and the crown was upon that idol. Now, idolatry is forbidden to derive benefit from, so how could David benefit from it? Rather, there was a nullification here. Israel does not have the power to nullify a gentile's idolatry, but a gentile nullifies his own idolatry, and the Gemara says that Itai the Gitti was there, and while still a gentile he went and nullified it, and thus David was able to take the crown.
The Torments of Ammon
וְאֶת־הָעָם אֲשֶׁר־בָּהּ הוֹצִיא וַיָּשֶׂם בַּמְּגֵרָה וּבַחֲרִצֵי הַבַּרְזֶל וּבְמַגְזְרֹת הַבַּרְזֶל וְהֶעֱבִיר אוֹתָם בַּמַּלְבֵּן וְכֵן יַעֲשֶׂה לְכֹל עָרֵי בְנֵי־עַמּוֹן וַיָּשׇׁב דָּוִד וְכׇל־הָעָם יְרוּשָׁלָ͏ִם׃ - And the people that were in it he brought out and set them under saws, and under iron threshing sledges, and under iron axes, and made them pass through the brickkiln; and thus he did to all the cities of the children of Ammon. And David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.
David did not act this way with all the nations. We find it only twice: with Moav, "two lengths of cord to put to death and one full length to keep alive," and here with Ammon. With Moav he had an account, for they had killed his family and all his brothers; and with Ammon he had an account with Chanun son of Nachash, who, when David sent him a letter of consolation on the death of his father, shaved off half the beards of the messengers and humiliated them greatly and sent them away half naked. Now David came and took vengeance, so that the nations would understand not to distress Israel.
And what is "he set them under saws"? It does not mean that he placed them inside a saw and shut it, but rather "megeirah" is a scraping tool, like a grater, with which they would scrape and smooth wood. Similarly "morag," as in "a new sharp threshing sledge with double edges" - an iron tool full of notches; "new" means it had not yet been used and was very sharp, or like a file. "Iron threshing sledges" - an iron tool with grooves used to cut stones. "Iron axes" - a tool with which stones are cut, and it does not mean scissors specifically, for "to cut" means to sever. "And made them pass through the brickkiln" - some say through the mud of the streets, that he dragged them in the clay from which bricks are made, that is, through the streets of the city; and some say he passed them through the fire of the kiln in which bricks are hardened.
All this was vengeance for what they did to Israel, so that they would hear and fear. Sometimes one must kill in a non standard manner so that others will see and fear, for Chazal said: whoever is merciful to the cruel will in the end be cruel to the merciful. And we often see how, out of a false humanitarianism, people show mercy to the enemies of Israel, and in the end suffer from it, from that very mercy.
In summary:
Chapter 12 is the chapter of repentance. David hears "you are the man," and without a single excuse says "I have sinned against Hashem" - and this is his greatness compared to Shaul. His own death is forgiven, but the punishments in this world are fulfilled: four of his sons, the sword that will not depart from his house, and the public exposure meant to teach repentance to the individual and to teach that there is no favoritism even for a king. The death of the child teaches us that prayer helps even after a decree, but only while the matter is still before us; afterward David accepts the judgment with submission, rises, gives thanks in the house of Hashem, and comforts Bat Sheva. From this very calamity Shlomo was born, Yedidyah, whom Hashem loved, and this is the sign that the sin was forgiven. The chapter concludes with the conquest of Rabbah, with the honor of the monarchy that Yoav preserves for David, and with the vengeance against Ammon, so that the nations would know not to distress Israel.