Two men lived in the same city—the one “rich” and the other “poor” (a term by which David described himself in 1 Sam. 18:23). The decided contrast in their material circumstances underlies what happened. 12:2–3 Livestock were an index of wealth (cf. 1 Sam. 25:2; 30:20), so the rich man with “very many flocks and herds” did not suffer from any lack of resources. On the other hand, all the poor man owned was “one little ewe lamb,” which he must have struggled hard to purchase. He treated the pet lamb