Nathan (prophet)


Nathan is a prophet in the Hebrew Bible.

Biblical accounts

His actions are described in the Books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles.
Nathan was a court prophet who lived in the time of King David. He is introduced in and as an advisor to David, with whom David reflects on the contrast between his own comfortable home and the tent in which the Ark of the Covenant is accommodated. Nathan then announced to David the covenant God was making with him, contrasting David's proposal to build a house for the Ark with God's plan to build a house for David. Later, he came to David to reprimand him for committing adultery with Bathsheba while she was the wife of Uriah the Hittite, whose death the King had also arranged to hide his previous transgression.
According to Chronicles, Nathan wrote histories of the reigns of both David and Solomon, and was involved in the music of the temple.
In it is Nathan who tells the dying David of the plot of Adonijah to become king, resulting in Solomon being proclaimed king instead. Nathan presides at the anointing of King Solomon, and his name appears in Handel's coronation anthem "Zadok the Priest".

Feast day

The feast day of Nathan the Prophet is on 24 October. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite, he is commemorated as a saint on the Sunday of the Holy Fathers.

As a name

Derived from this biblical character, "Nathan" is commonly used as a male first name in various countries.