2 Samuel 5

2 Samuel 5 is the chapter in which David, who had been in conflict with the house of Saul, becomes king over all Israel. After Saul's son Ish-bosheth is murdered in the preceding chapter, 2 Samuel 4, the tribes of Israel come to David.

Outline

• Verses 1–5: All the tribes of Israel and their elders come to Hebron, make a covenant with David, and anoint him king. David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. In Hebron he reigned over Judah for seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.
• Verses 6–10: David goes to Jerusalem, where the Jebusites lived, and captures the stronghold of Zion. He names it the City of David and builds around it from Millo inward.
• Verses 11–16: Hiram king of Tyre sends cedar trees, carpenters, and masons, who build David a house. The chapter then lists the names of eleven sons born to David in Jerusalem, among them Solomon.
• Verses 17–21: When the Philistines spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim, David inquires of the LORD and defeats them at Baal-perazim. He carries away the idols the Philistines left behind.
• Verses 22–25: The Philistines come up again. Following the LORD's instructions, David circles behind the enemy and attacks them from opposite the mulberry trees, striking them down from Geba to Gezer.

Key Verses

• 2 Samuel 5:2 "Thou shalt feed my people Israel" — This expression portrays the king as the shepherd of the people, an image carried forward in the shepherd imagery of the later prophetic books and the New Testament.
• 2 Samuel 5:7 "Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion" — This marks the beginning of Jerusalem's role as the political and religious center of Israel.
• 2 Samuel 5:10 "And David went on, and grew great, and the LORD God of hosts was with him." — The verse attributes the establishment of David's kingdom to God's presence with him.

People and Places

• David — Becomes king over all Israel at Hebron.
• Hiram — King of Tyre. A king of Tyre by the same name also appears in 1 Kings 5, helping Solomon build the temple.
• The Jebusites — A Canaanite people who lived in Jerusalem before David.
• The valley of Rephaim — A valley near Jerusalem where the Philistine army encamped twice.
• Baal-perazim — The place where David defeated the Philistines. Verse 20 explains the origin of its name.

Points for Reflection

• The references in verse 8 to "the gutter" and to "the lame and the blind" are obscure, and interpretations differ. Many take the "gutter" to be a water channel leading into the city. Some read the verse as David turning back on the Jebusites the very taunt they had made in verse 6. Others read it alongside 2 Samuel 9, in which David later seats the lame Mephibosheth at his own table.
• The same events are also recorded in 1 Chronicles 11 and 1 Chronicles 14. 1 Chronicles 11 adds that Joab went up first and became chief of the army. 1 Chronicles 14 records that David burned the Philistines' idols.
• Among the sons born in Jerusalem, Solomon appears in the genealogy of Matthew 1 and Nathan in the genealogy of Luke 3 as ancestors of Jesus. This Nathan is David's son and a different person from Nathan the prophet.
• In the New Testament, Zion, the City of David, is also used to refer to the city of God's people. Hebrews 12:22 speaks of "mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God."

In the Korean Church

• The scenes in which David "enquired of the LORD" (verses 19 and 23) before going into battle are frequently cited in sermons on prayer and seeking God's will.