Tyndale Open Study Notes2 Samuel 5

After the murder of Abner and Ish-bosheth, the elders of the northern tribes accepted David as their king. So, David gained:

• an extended empire (2 Samuel 5:1–5),

• a new capital city (2 Samuel 5:6–10),

• a new palace (2 Samuel 5:11),

• a new family (2 Samuel 5:13–16), and

• renewed confidence (2 Samuel 5:17–25).

your own flesh and blood: Years of civil war had set one Israelite against another and led to much bloodshed (see 2 Samuel 3:1).

• you were the one: In the ancient world, a covenant relationship was sometimes formed between a ruler and the people who served him. Scholars often call this a suzerain–vassal treaty (an agreement between a powerful ruler and weaker subjects). This kind of relationship often began because the ruler had helped the people in the past, especially by rescuing them from enemies. Examples include:

  • Gideon (see Judges 8:22),

  • Jephthah (Judges 11:8–11), and

  • Saul (1 Samuel 11:1–15).

  This political practice helps explain the covenant idea in Scripture. God was Israel’s covenant Lord because he had rescued them from slavery in Egypt (compare Exodus 19:4; 20:1–2).

• to you the LORD said: Israel already knew that God had chosen David as king (compare 2 Samuel 3:9).

• You will shepherd My people Israel: This phrase is quoted in Matthew 2:6 when King Herod asks the leading priests about the prophecies concerning the Messiah (God's chosen one).

• King David made a covenant (a binding agreement) that required the people’s loyalty. At the same time, it allowed each tribe to keep its identity and each person to keep dignity. The covenant served as a basic law for the nation. It included rules that obligated both the king and the people.

• they anointed him king: Although Samuel had already anointed David earlier (1 Samuel 16:13), this public ceremony showed that the people now accepted David as their king.

Hebron: See study note on 2 Samuel 2:1.

David acquired a new capital city, Jerusalem, for the newly extended kingdom.

• The Jebusites lived in Jerusalem before King David captured the city (see Exodus 34:11; Deuteronomy 7:1–6; 20:17; Joshua 15:63; Judges 1:21). Nothing is known about the Jebusites outside the Bible.

  Archaeological texts from Mari, in Syria, mention a similar name, Yabasi. This name appears both as a clan name and as the name of a place.

• Even the blind and lame: The Jebusites believed their city could not be captured. They thought Jerusalem was secure and impossible to defeat.

  Another possible translation is, You will not enter here unless you remove the blind and the lame. This statement suggests that David’s capture of Jerusalem seemed as impossible as curing blindness and lameness.

The fortress of Zion: At this time, Jerusalem was probably a small settlement, covering about nine to twelve square acres.
The pride of the Jebusites, together with the fact that no one had captured the city before, suggests that Jerusalem had strong defenses and was well protected.

• Scholars debate how David captured Jerusalem. One view is that David’s men entered the city through a water tunnel. This tunnel may have carried water into the city and also allowed soldiers to move inside. However, not all interpreters agree with this explanation.

  Another view is that David and his men captured Jerusalem through a more typical military attack. They may have built siege works (structures used to attack a city) and climbed over the city walls. The Hebrew word often translated water tunnel appears only here and in Psalm 42:7, where it is translated “waterfalls.“ Because of this, some scholars think the word may be figurative. In that case, it would describe the violence and intensity of the attack, not a literal tunnel.

• The blind and the lame will never enter the palace: The word palace could mean either the temple, which was not yet built, or David’s palace. This saying may help explain why Mephibosheth, a descendant of Saul who was disabled, did not become king (see study note on 2 Samuel 4:4).

• David also promised that those who led the siege of Jerusalem would become commanders in his army (see 1 Chronicles 11:6).

• took up residence in the fortress: After capturing the city, David made the fortress in Jerusalem his home. Jerusalem was a practical place for David to rule the expanded kingdom.
  The city was centrally located and neutral, lying on the border between Judah and the northern territories. Its strong natural defenses and water tunnel were especially important during a siege (an attack meant to surround and cut off a city).

• the supporting terraces: See study note on 1 Kings 9:15.

the LORD … was with him: Although David was a skilled and charismatic leader, his growing success was ultimately due to God’s blessing.

Hiram king of Tyre: Although the meeting of these two neighboring kings is reported just after Jerusalem’s conquest, it probably happened much later. Hiram remained king in Tyre until at least Solomon's twenty-fourth year. One ancient source says he was king for thirty-four years.

Another tradition suggests Hiram became king of Tyre just eight years before Solomon became king of Israel. This same king later did a similar favor for Solomon (1 Kings 5:1–18).

The report of Hiram’s support is likely included here because it connects with the theme of David being confirmed and firmly established as Israel’s king (2 Samuel 5:12).

David realized that his reign as king over Israel was for the sake of God’s people Israel, not just for his personal benefit or enrichment.

The growth of David’s family showed his increasing success and authority as king of Israel. Solomon was the most important of David’s sons who were born in Jerusalem (see 2 Samuel 12:24–25).

• For the first time as king, David fought the Philistines in battle.

• Up to this point in 2 Samuel, David’s life follows a clear and repeated pattern:

  • He was crowned king in Hebron (2 Samuel 2:4).

  • He won a battle (2 Samuel 2:12–17).

  • He grew stronger (2 Samuel 3:1).

  • He started a large family (2 Samuel 3:2–5).

  A similar pattern appears again later:

  • David was crowned king in Jerusalem (2 Samuel 5:3).

  • He grew stronger again (2 Samuel 5:10).

  • He expanded his family (2 Samuel 5:13–14).

  • He won another battle (2 Samuel 5:17–25).

  This repeated pattern emphasizes both of David’s coronations. Each one is marked by signs of God’s blessing and success.

The valley of Rephaim is located between Bethlehem and Jerusalem (compare 2 Samuel 23:13–14).

Baal-perazim: David used the word Baal here to honor the Lord for the victory he gave Israel. At that time, baal could mean “lord” or “master,” and it could be used as a title for the Lord.

The name Baal-perazim means “the lord of breakthroughs” or “the lord who breaks through.” It likely refers to God breaking through enemy lines, like water breaking through a barrier. This title later became unacceptable because the worship of the Canaanite god Baal became a serious problem in Israel.

Every time David fought the Philistines in 2 Samuel (2 Samuel 5:17–25; 8:1; 21:15–22; 23:13–17), he won without losing a single soldier. This was very different from Saul, who could not defeat the Philistines.

David … carried them away: David took the Philistines' idols as revenge for their earlier capture of the ark during Eli's time (1 Samuel 4:1b–11). Instead of keeping the idols as trophies, David burned them (1 Chronicles 14:12).

David asked the Lord again (2 Samuel 5:19), but this time God gave a much more detailed answer. Instead of a direct attack like in 2 Samuel 5:20, God told David to go around behind the enemy.

Gibeon: David drove the Philistines out of Israel's central hills, from Gibeon in the east (in Benjamin, north of Jerusalem) to Gezer in the west.