A short Insight into SHMUEL 2, Chapter 12 By Rabbi Nisson Dov Miller

(PLEASE LEARN FOR A RUFUA SHELAMA FOR THE GEDOLIM Rav Elyashiv -Yosef Sholom ben Chaya Musha, Rav Shteinman - Aaron Yehuda Leib ben Gitel Feiga, Rav Weiss - Yitzchak Tuvia ben Rikal, Rav Belsky - Yisroel ben Chana Tzirtel, Rav Yosef - Yaakov Chai ben Margalit And Telzer Rosh Yeshiva, Yitxchok Izak ben Trina Devorah for a refuah shleima b’soch kol cholei am Yisrael.) After Nasan Hanavi asked David to judge the case of the wealthy man who stole the lone sheep of the poor man, King David responded (verse 5), “David was very indignant about this man and he said to Nasan, 'As Hashem lives, any man who does this deserves to die.'” The commentators are perplexed at the severe sentence that King David was ready to meet out against the wealthy man. After all, according to normative halacha, fourfold payment, as is mentioned in the next verse, is the proper judgment. Why did King David feel such a severe sentence was in order?