Who was Nathan in the Bible?

The name of five Old Testament Israelites

Hebrew name: נָתָן (nathan)

Name meaning: “He gave”

a. A prophet (2 Samuel 12:24 ff.)

Mentioned in 32 passages in the Old Testament, Nathan was a significant figure in Israel’s history. He had direct involvement and influence with King David and his prophecies regarding the Davidic line served as foundational texts for Israel’s expectations of the messiah (2 Samuel 7 and 12).

b. Father of one of David’s warriors (2 Samuel 23:36)

Nathan was the father of Igal, one of David’s “mighty men” – an elite group of warriors under the command of David.

c. A descendant of Judah (1 Chronicles 2:36)

Nathan the son of Attai is listed among the descendants of Judah, son of Jacob and the ancestral head of the tribe of Judah.

d. An associate of Ezra (Ezra 8:16)

Nathan was one of the men sent by Ezra to Casiphia, a city near Babylon, to request that Levites return to Jerusalem to serve in the temple.

e. A divorcee under Ezra (Ezra 10:39)

Nathan was one of the individuals who had taken foreign wives. Ezra requested that all men who had married foreign wives separate from them as part of the community’s repentance and commitment to following God’s law.