Nathan's prophecy in II Sam 7 and in I Chr 17: Text, context, and meaning

The purpose of this article is to examine the textual and contextual differences between Nathan's prophecy in II Sam 7 and in I Chr 17. In contrast to scholars who try to explain the textual differences between the sources exclusively in accordance with a particular theory, we have tried to point out several possible causes for such differences. The central line of these differences is to focus the prophecy on Solomon, the Temple builder. The intent of these changes is not related to eschatology or »messianism«. Focussing the prophecy on Solomon helps portray the transition from the kingdom of David to that of Solomon as a smooth transition.