Albert Barnes Commentary 2 Samuel 7:2

"that the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains." — 2 Samuel 7:2 (ASV)

Nathan the prophet - He is first mentioned here but plays an important part later (for example, 2 Samuel 12:1; 1 Kings 1:10; 1 Chronicles 29:29; 2 Chronicles 9:29).

From the latter two passages, it appears that he wrote the history of David’s reign and at least part of Solomon’s. His distinctive title is "the prophet," while Gad’s was "the seer" (compare to 1 Samuel 9:9). He was probably much younger than David.

In 2 Samuel 7:3, he spoke his own private opinion; in 2 Samuel 7:4, this was corrected by the word of the Lord.