فَغَفَرنا لَهُ ذٰلِكَ ۖ وَإِنَّ لَهُ عِندَنا لَزُلفىٰ وَحُسنَ مَآبٍ

So We forgave him that and indeed he has [a station of] nearness with Us and a good destination.

EXEGESIS

Zulfā (nearness) means closeness that is indicative of station (ḥuẓwah) and position (manzilah).^{‎[1]Raghib, p. 382.} Here it means closeness to God’s mercy and His rewards in paradise.^{‎[2]Tibyan, 8/554.}

Maʾāb (destination) comes from awb meaning to return somewhere, and is only used for intelligent beings, as in, so let anyone who wishes take resort (maʾāb) with his Lord (78:39); and obviously those who choose to return to God willingly will be blissful, as Allah, with Him is a good destination (3:14).^{‎[3]Raghib, p. 97.} So here it means a good place to return to on the Day of Judgement,^{‎[4]Tabari, 23/97.} in other words, paradise.

EXPOSITION

The question that must be answered here is that if Prophet David (a) did not commit a sin as we argued, then why did he seek forgiveness and why does God say We forgave him that? Prophet David (a) seeking forgiveness should be understood as an expression of humility and God forgiving him as an expression of love and reassurance. Prophet David (a), as all prophets, was full of humility, always thinking of his shortcomings with regards to his duty towards God. A less pious believer might become proud and boastful after showing some limited obeisance to God, thinking himself superior to others and of high station. Prophets of God, on the other hand, would always strive to better themselves. As Prophet Abraham (a) said: And who, I hope, will forgive me my iniquities on the Day of Retribution (26:82). This is all the more impressive when we consider that often admitting mistakes becomes harder the higher a person’s social status becomes.^{‎[5]Mudarrisi, 11/346.}

All of this harkens back to the issue of conceit mentioned in verse 2. Compare the attitude of Prophet David (a) with regards to the smallest of lapses; his humility in front of the contenders, his humility with regards to his Lord. Compare that to his high station in this life and his status as king, and his even higher station in the hereafter, indeed he has [a station of] nearness with Us and a good destination. Then compare that to the conceit of the Meccan elite.

Good destination should be referring to paradise, promised here to Prophet David (a). In addition to that he is also said to have nearness. This nearness is an additional boon given to some of the highest levels of believers admitted to the gardens of eternity, and the foremost ones are the foremost ones: they are the ones brought near (muqarrabūn) (56:10-11).^{‎[6]Compare this for example to verse 49, and see also the commentary on verses 55:36, 55:62, and 83:17-21.}

Finally, it should be noted that God mentions this high station only after mentioning the trial that Prophet David (a) went through (We had indeed tested him). No one can achieve nearness to God without withstanding difficult trials; Do the people suppose that they will be let off because they say ‘We have faith’ and they will not be tested? Certainly We tested those who were before them (29:2-3), and no one is tested more than the prophets of God.

[1] Raghib, p. 382.
[2] Tibyan, 8/554.
[3] Raghib, p. 97.
[4] Tabari, 23/97.
[5] Mudarrisi, 11/346.
[6] Compare this for example to verse 49, and see also the commentary on verses 55:36, 55:62, and 83:17-21.