David Conquers Jerusalem from Jebusites

As soon as David was anointed king over all Israel, he saw the need of a better site than Hebron for his capital. Hebron was in the extreme south of the territory occupied by the Hebrews. He evidently preferred to retain his capital in Judah, and Jerusalem offered an ideal site (see Joshua 15:63 Judges 1:21). Joshua had slain and defeated the king of Jerusalem (Joshua 10:23—26 12:10), and later the city had been taken and destroyed by Judah (see Judges 1:7). But the Jebusites, who occupied Jerusalem, were not completely conquered, and either continued to hold at least a part of the city or retook it after being driven out (Joshua 15:63 Judges 1:21 19:11, 12). The dislodging of the Jebusites from this important stronghold was an important victory for David at the beginning of his reign over all Israel.

The inhabitants of Jebus had confidence in the strength of their city, and taunted David about his inability to take their fortress, telling him that the blind and the lame would be sufficient to hold the city against the forces of Israel. The Jebusite stronghold was on Mt. Zion, south of Mt. Moriah, the elevation on which the Temple was later built. The mountain was flanked on two sides by deep valleys, and was admirably suited for defense. To its defenders, Jebus seemed impregnable. It had held out against the Israelites for many years. Less than 4 mi. (6.4 km.) from Saul's capital, Gibeah, the city still maintained its independence at the close of the reign of Saul. Nevertheless the capital of the Jebusites was not able to withstand the prowess of David and his able commander.