What does it mean for the Lord to be the father of David’s son?
2 Samuel 7:14 (ESV)
14I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men,
In the context of the ancient Near East, this phrase should be understood as an adoption formula. Similar to Genesis 17:7 and Exodus 6:7, it denotes the Lord adopting an offspring of David1 to be his son or representative on earth.2
14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men,