With the ark now safely in Jerusalem, David turns to the obvious contrast between his own house (palace) and Yahweh’s tent (17:1). Interestingly, the court prophet Nathan rashly affirms David’s intention (17:2), but immediately that night Yahweh appears to Nathan in a dream, overturning the prophet’s words. What follows in 17:3–15 constitutes Yahweh’s revelation to Nathan, beginning in 17:4 and 7 with the introductory formula typical of prophetic speech. These introductory formulas divide the speech into two parts, with verses 4–6 questioning the necessity of a permanent house for Yahweh and verses 7–14 affirming the leadership of David. Interestingly, verses 4b and 10b form a complete sentence, the first verse claiming that David is “not the one to build me a house to dwell in,” and the …