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Summary
- Nathan is a Hebrew name meaning “he gave,” from the verb natan, “to give.” Nathanael, “God has given,” and Jonathan, “Yahweh has given,” are built on the same verb.
- Nathan the prophet brought David God’s promise of a lasting dynasty (2 Samuel 7) and confronted him over Bathsheba with the parable of the ewe lamb: “You are the man!” (2 Samuel 12:7).
- He helped secure the throne for Solomon, whom he anointed king with Zadok the priest (1 Kings 1).
- David’s son Nathan, Solomon’s full brother, is the son of David through whom Luke traces the ancestry of Jesus (Luke 3:31).
- The Old Testament names at least four other men called Nathan, including the father of one of David’s mighty men and a leader in Ezra’s time.
- The Orthodox Church honors the prophet as a saint on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers in December.
Bibliography (Click to show)
- Behind the Name, “Nathan,” “Nathanael,” “Nathaniel” and “Jonathan,” with United States popularity figures from Social Security Administration data and rankings for France. https://www.behindthename.com/name/nathan
- “Nathan,” in Easton’s Bible Dictionary and The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915), Bible Hub. https://biblehub.com/topical/n/nathan.htm
- Strong’s Hebrew 1340, Bath-shua, Bible Hub. https://biblehub.com/hebrew/1340.htm
- Orthodox Church in America, “Prophet Nathan” and “Sunday of the Forefathers.” https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2019/12/15/608-prophet-nathan
- Nominis, Église catholique en France, “Nathan” and “Saint Nathan.” https://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/prenom/4146/Nathan.html
- “Genealogy of Jesus,” Wikipedia, on Julius Africanus and the view that Luke gives Mary’s line. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genealogy_of_Jesus
- Scripture quotations from the English Standard Version: 2 Samuel 7:3, 13, 16; 12:7, 13–14, 25; Psalm 51 (heading); 1 Chronicles 3:5; 29:29; 2 Chronicles 9:29; 29:25; 1 Kings 1:5; Ezra 8:16; Zechariah 12:12; Luke 1:32; 3:31; John 1:47. References: 2 Samuel 5:14; 23:36; 1 Kings 1:11–40; 4:5; 1 Chronicles 2:36; Ezra 10:39; Matthew 1:6–7. Spellings from the Reina-Valera 1960, Almeida Revista e Corrigida, Nuova Riveduta 2006 and Louis Segond Bibles.
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