Translation & Sermon by Nate Wilson for Christ The Redeemer Church, Manhattan, KS, 9 Jan 2022
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passage in NAW: And so it was after this that David inquired with
Yahweh, saying, “May I go up into one of the towns of Judah?”
And Yahweh said to him, “Go up.” And David said, “Where
shall I go?” And He said, “To Hebron.” So David
went up there – and so did his two wives, Ahinoam from Jezreel
and Abigail (who had been Nabal’s wife) from Carmel, along
with {the} men who were with him. David brought up each with his
household, and they settled down in the neighborhoods of Hebron.
Then the men of Judah came and anointed David there to {be} king
over the house of Judah.
They also communicated with
David saying {that} the men of Jabesh Gilead {} had buried Saul. So,
David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead and said to them,
“May y’all be blessed by Yahweh since y’all
performed this act of lovingkindness to your master – {to}
Saul, {Yahweh’s anointed one} when y’all buried him. And
now, may Yahweh perform lovingkindness and faithfulness unto you,
and also I myself will perform unto you this good thing since y’all
performed that thing. So now, y’all strengthen your hands and
become part of the army, for Saul your master has died, and
furthermore it is me whom the households of Judah have anointed over
them to be king.
Meanwhile, Abner, Ner’s son, Saul’s
commanding-officer, grabbed Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, and
brought him over to Makhanaiym, and he made him king {over} Gilead
and {over} the {Geshurites} and {over} Jezreel and over Ephraim and
over Benjamin and over all Israel. Ish-bosheth, son of Saul, was 40
years old when he became king over Israel, and he was king two
years. However, the housholds of Judah were behind David, and the
calculation of the days in which David was king in Hebron over the
house of Judah was 7 years and 6 months.
David has learned hard lessons in the wilderness, and one of them is: Don’t go anywhere on your own initiative; before you do anything, make sure it is God’s will first!
The picture we see of David as he comes into his own in 2 Samuel is not of a self-directed man, but of a man who is utterly dependent on God.
Even though his headquarters in Ziqlag is a smoking ruin and it’s obvious something needs to change, he still asks God through the priest Abiathar, “Can we leave Ziqlag and move back to Judah, Yahweh?”
And the answer came back, “Go up.” (It would literally be uphill from the coastal plain next to the Mediterranean to move into the Judean hill country to the East.) But David presses further, “Where would you like me to settle, God?” And the answer came back, “Hebron.”
Hebron was the capitol city of Judah
about 30 miles1 West-North-West of Ziqlag, and was near his last base of operations in Judah (Ziph, Maon, Keilah, and the Cave of Adullam are all within 10 miles of Hebron, and his hometown of Bethlehem was within 15 miles, as were his wives’ hometowns).
Hebron was also a Levitical city of refuge.
Furthermore, Hebron was a historical center of God’s covenants, for “Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob [lived and] were buried there, to whom the promises concerning the land of Canan were made, and to Jacob especially concerning the kingdom to be established in Judah: it was therefore very fit, that in that place David should be initiated king.” (Willett)
It has also been noted that Hebron had “a strong defensive position” (Goldman) up on a ridge (Tsumura).
So, with God’s blessing, they made the move as a company of 600 men (with their wives2 and household effects) and settled in Hebron.
Remember that “cities” in those days were more the size of what we would call “neighborhoods” today, so they settled in several developments around Hebron.
The farm of the late Nabal was also around there, so maybe that’s where David settled.
The residents of that area seem to have been aware of David’s qualification for kingship, just as Abigail had been, and it is stated as though it were a matter of course that they came and anointed him to be their king as soon as he returned from exile, now that Saul was dead.
Even in the Biblical government of kings, no king ascended to the throne without the approval of the people – with the consent of the governed3.
This is consistent with the covenantal way God taught His people to relate to each other with mutual accountability to agreed-upon responsibilities – even for the King.
And, although it was just the tribe of Judah over which David was given jurisdiction, the parallel passage in 1 Chronicles 12 makes it clear that there were folks from many other tribes among David’s followers at the time:
There were relatives of Saul from the tribe of Benjamin, even from Saul’s capitol city of Gibea (v.27), as well as other Benjamites who came over (v.16ff),
There were folks from the tribe of Gad from the East side of the Jordan River who made especially good army commanders,
There were also some from Manasseh who left Saul’s army before Saul’s last battle and joined David and helped him recover his family from the Amalekite raiders (v.19ff),
And later on (v.25ff), hundreds of thousands more men are reported as joining David at Hebron from every one of the remaining tribes of Israel.
After years as a despised little brother, and years as a greenhorn army officer, and years as a political fugitive, God’s promise finally was coming true. David was King!
Now that David made the jump from Philistia back to Israel, there was much domestic news for David to catch up on. (He’s been out of the country for a couple of years by my reckoning.) The salient piece of news David picks up on is the honors given Saul’s body by the men of Jabesh Gilead.
Remember, Jabesh Gilead was an Israelite community on the East bank of the Jordan River.
It had been previously destroyed by the Israelites for being covenant-breakers during the time of the Judges. There was a strong connection between that city and the tribe of Benjamin on the West side of the Jordan River because all the unmarried women in Jabesh Gilead had been kept alive and married off to the remnant of the men of Benjamin to keep the tribe of Benjamin from going extinct (because the tribe of Benjamin had also been almost completely destroyed by the Israelite army).
Saul’s Dad was one of the survivors from that tribe of Benjamin, and by the time Saul had become king, enough people had resettled Jabesh Gilead that it got the attention of the king of Ammon (from the modern-day capitol of the country of Jordan) who laid seige to them, and Saul was called upon to deliver Jabesh from being wiped out again. Saul’s successful rescue won Jabesh Gilead’s enduring loyalty.
It would take some doing for David to win them over as successor-king, but David goes at it. There is a vaccuum of national leadership right now, and folks would be scrambling to fill it, so now was the time for the rightful king to start claiming a leadership role.
First David offers praise to the militia from Jabesh for their loyalty and thoughtfulness and kindness regarding Saul. Everybody loves to hear their actions praised!
David also brought God into the message, relating everything good that happens to Yahweh, “May you be blessed by Yahweh… may Yahweh show lovingkindness and truth to you.” This makes clear to them the religious worldview from which David is operating. It’s a clear signal of his faith. If they were Baal-worshippers, they might blow him off, but if they are devoted to Yahweh, they will welcome David’s overture as truly aligned with their God.
In the oldest manuscripts of 2 Samuel, David adds an adjectival phrase describing Saul as “Yahweh’s anointed.” Most of our English Bibles were translated before the Dead Sea Scrolls were known, so it probably isn’t in your version of v.5, but apart from this instance, which is debateable, there are 8 other instances in 1st and 2nd Samuel4 where David called Saul “Yahweh’s anointed,” so it doesn’t add anything new in David’s mouth for him to speak of Saul as the “Lord’s anointed” to the folks at Jabesh, but it is a strategic emphasis on the reason behind recognizing someone to be king.
The King of God’s people can’t be just anybody, he must be someone whom God has anointed to be king.
When the Jabesh Gileadites heard that Samuel had anointed David to be king after having anointed Saul to be king, they might readily accept David as the new king.
And, like every good king, David is prepared to do something good for them. The logical sequence starts in verse 5,
“since” they “performed” an act of “lovingkindness” to the Lord’s anointed,
David has asked God to “perform lovingkindness and truth” to them,
and David pledges also to “perform” “this good” to them
“since” they “performed” “that thing.”
All four verbs are the same root word in Hebrew, but, unfortunately, most English translations render them with different English roots like “show,” “requite,” and “do,” so that it’s harder to see the connection that is there.
This praise from David towards the Jabeshites for going good is consistent with what Romans 13 says a good king should do.5
David is offering to make a covenant with them which is, in turn, built upon God’s covenant with them. He is offering to take over the role of master/king, which they has previously accepted of Saul, and to protect them from all foreign enemies.
The Hebrew words “chesed va emet” were a common phrase used in civil contracts or covenants: Chesed is translated “lovingkindness/mercy,” and emet is translated “faithfulness/truth.” Although there are other places these words occur, they occur in this exact same spelling in:
the covenant arrangement between Abraham and Laban for the marriage of their children in Genesis 24:49,
the covenant that Abraham made with his son Joseph concerning his last will and testament in Genesis 47:29,
the covenant ceremony between God and the people of Israel summarized in the 10 commandments in Exodus 34:6 (cf. Ps. 86:15),
the covenant of protection of an ally between Rahab and the Israelite spies in Joshua 2:14,
and the political alliance between King David and Ittai the Gittite across the Jordan in 2 Samuel 15:20.
Psalm 25:10 also relates chesed and emet to God’s covenant with His people: “All Yahweh's paths are lovingkindness and faithfulness for those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.(NAW, cf. Ps. 61:8, 85:11)
“Grace and truth” are… the two sides by which the goodness of God is manifested to men, namely in His forgiving grace [chesed], and in His trustworthiness... the fulfilment of His promises [emet].” ~Keil & Delitzsch
We also see these two things characterizing the kingly duties of the Messiah: Psalm 89:15 Righteousness and justice are making your throne established, lovingkindness and faithfulness advance before your face. (NAW)
They are also applied to the covenantal duties of an earthly king in Prov. 20:28 Lovingkindness and faithfulness protect the king, and he supports his throne with lovingkindness. (NAW) This is what characterizes God; this is what should characterize a king, and this is what should characterize God’s people as well.
Proverbs 3:1-4 “My son… Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart, And so find favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man.” (NKJV)
What is the New Testament equivalent? It doesn’t seem to have a word-for-word correspondence, but the same pair of ideas can be found in several New Testament passages characterizing Christ and imitated by Christians:
John 1:14 & 17 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth… For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” (NKJV) Grace and truth characterize God and they characterize Christ and his saving work.
Titus 3:4&7 “when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared... we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” Mercy/love and faithfulness also are to characterize followers of Christ:
Jesus said in Matthew 23:23, “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because y'all are tithing your mint and your dill and your cumin, yet y'all are letting go of the weightier matters of the law: the justice and the mercy and the faithfulness. Now, it was necessary to do these things, while not letting go of those things either.” (NAW)
And Paul wrote to Philemon (1:4-5), “I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers, hearing of your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints.” (NKJV) Love and faith are the marks of being in the New Covenant relationship with God!
David may also have been “implying that by their good deed [of burying Saul’s body] they have themselves discharged their responsibility to Saul and that ‘they are now free to establish a new formal relationship with David (rather than with Saul’s descendants)…’” ~Tsumura6
Furthermore, David tries to recruit them for his army7, using Saul’s own army-recruiting phrase, “son of valor,” the first word of which unfortunately is dropped out of most English translations but has always been there in the Hebrew and Greek.
That phrase was earlier in 1 Samuel 14:52 “...when Saul saw any strong man or any son of valor [KJV, NASB, ESV = “valiant man” NIV = “brave man,” NLT = “brave young man”], he would gather him to himself.” (NAW) In other words, these were the guys he recruited for his army.
And that included David in 1 Samuel 18:17a Then Saul said to David, “Look at my oldest daughter Merab; I will give her to you to be your wife. Just be a son of valor (KJV, ESV = “be valiant,” NASB = “be a valiant man,” NIV = “serve bravely,” NLT = “prove yourself to be a real warrior”) for me, and fight Yahweh's battles.” (NAW) In other words, Saul is telling David he will let David marry his daughter as long as David focuses on being a good soldier.
Now, in 1 Samuel 31:12, the militia-men from Jabesh Gilead who recovered Saul’s body from the Philistines were already called “men of valor,” so David is recruiting them to be part of his army. (For this reason, I take issue with the NLT where they have David asking them merely to become “loyal subjects.”)
David leaves them in no doubt as to who will lead this army. The word “me” is emphatic in Hebrew, “It is me whom they (plural) have anointed to be king.”
David is taking his role as king seriously and working right away on his important role in providing national security.
He lets these folks across the Jordan in the central part of the country know that the mega-tribe of Judah to the south has already ratified him to be king over them, and he is calling them also to acknowledge him as their new master after Saul.
“[T]he announcement of his royal power in Judah, accompanied by the pledge of his protection of the men of Jabesh-gilead, should they be exposed to danger for their adventure at Beth-shan, would bear an important significance in all parts of the country and hold out an assurance that he would render them the same timely and energetic succor that Saul had done at the beginning of his reign.” ~Jamieson
Unfortunately, the account is not clear on how the men of Jabesh Gilead responded to David8.
Now, while David was doing all this, Saul’s army general, Abner, who was also Saul’s uncle, perhaps knowing about David9, or perhaps not knowing about David, was seeking to establish order for Israel – as well as job-security for himself. He grabbed Saul’s remaining heir through Queen Achinoam, namely, Ish-bosheth – who is also called “Ish-baal10” in 1 Chronicles (8:33 & 9:39), and “Ishvi” in 1 Samuel (14:49), and retreated to Makhanayim, a relatively-safe place across the Jordan River, about 18 miles south of Jabesh Gilead on the Jabbok River.
This was a central location for Israel, halfway between the Dead Sea and Sea of Galilee.
It was also fertile land next to a river for growing food. (Willett)
It also had some spiritual significance as the place where Jacob (also known as Israel) wrestled with the angel of God (Gen. 35). So once again the people of Israel will wrestle with God’s anointed from Makhanayim.
Ishbosheth, by the way, means “Man of Shame,” Ish-baal means “Fire of the Tyrant,” and Ishvi11 means “He is like me.” One might well wonder why this 40-year-old man had not died at Saul’s side with his three older brothers. Commentators have confidently asserted:
that it was because he was too cowardly to go into battle (Willett),
that it was because he was an imbecile (Jamieson),
or that he went to the battle but escaped along with Abner (K&D),
but actually, the Bible doesn’t say why.
Somehow Abner set up Ishbosheth over just about all of Israel except for the tribe of Judah.
An extent of land area is described for his rule in v.9 as far as the region of “Gilead” to the east of the Jordan River,
as far as tribe of Asher12 to the North, about even with the top of the Sea of Galilee,
and West as far as the “Jezreel” valley which stretches from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea,
geographic descriptions which would encompass the tribes of Asher, Zebulon, Naphtali, Issachar, and Manassah (and perhaps Gad),
then the central and southern tribes of “Ephraim” and “Benjamin,”
thus summarily “over all Israel.”
It must be recognized, however, that the Philistines were actually in control of a lot of that area from the Jezreel Valley, which they had just conquered.
Lots of theories have been published to explain the five year difference between the account of David’s reign and the account of Ishbosheth’s, but the point in V.10 is that the illegitimate contender had a short-lived reign of only two years. Those who fight against God’s plan will not prosper.
Furthermore, since it was Abner who crowned Ishbosheth, then, as a result, Ishbosheth was really just a pupppet king who was dependent upon Abner. The moment a dispute arose between him and Abner, Ishbosheth lost his power.
David’s kingship, on the other hand, although it began with only one tribe of Israel, was based upon the consent of the households of that tribe, so it was not dependent on any one person. But more importantly, David’s kingship was based upon God’s choice of him for that role, when the prophet Samuel anointed him decades before. There is much stability to be found in a clear calling from God and a clear consensus of wise counsellors.
We’ll see David rule as king in Hebron over Judah for the two years that Ishboseth was king, plus perhaps five more years13 from Hebron over all of Israel, plus 33 more years from Jerusalem over all of Israel, in fulfillment of the prophecies of Jacob and Samuel14. God is faithful to fulfill all His promises, even though they usually require a lot of waiting in faith on His timing for their fulfillment! What promises do you have from God? Do you have some of those promises from the Bible memorized? Are you trusting in His lovingkindness and faithfulness? Will you wait on Him for those promises to be fulfilled incrementally?
In Psalm 61, we have a record of the words David prayed after he took vows as King: “Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah For You, O God, have heard my vows; You have given me the heritage of those who fear Your name. You will prolong the king's life, His years as many generations. He shall abide before God forever. Oh, prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him! So I will sing praise to Your name forever, That I may daily perform my vows.” (NKJV)
Do you hear the deep dependence upon God that David exemplefies, even as king? He remembers when he took shelter in those rocks when Saul was hunting him down and how God preserved his life, and he determines to keep trusting in the shelter of His wings, trusting that God will provide saving mercy and truth each day to preserve his life, and when this life is over, he is looking forward to living with God forever in heaven.
Do you see how David was a type of Christ, and how the two establish a trajectory for all of us who are anointed with the Holy Spirit to follow?
Just as David inquired of God before entering Judah and soliciting kingship, Jesus fasted and prayed before beginning His public ministry. Likewise, let us not launch into projects – even good things that you know God has called you to do – without first praying and getting a sense of God’s timing. (Willett)
Just as David brought those who had suffered exile alongside him into the prominent places of his court when God bestowed kingship upon him, so Jesus said to His disciples, “[Y]ou... who have continued with Me in My trials... I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Luke 22:28-30, NKJV) Now, none of y’all are likely to be a king over a country, but God has given each one of you a calling (Rom. 11:29; 1 Cor. 1:26; 7:20; Eph. 1:18; 4:1-4) in order that you may share the blessings of salvation – the mercy and truth – that He has given you. “So, let not mercy and truth forsake you” ( Proverbs 3:1-4). Don’t neglect “lovingkindness and faithfulness,” those “weightier matters of the law” (Matthew 23:23).
Also, “David rose gradually; he was first anointed king in reversion [by Samuel], then in possession of one tribe only, and at last of all the tribes. Thus the kingdom of the Messiah, the Son of David, is set up by degrees; he is Lord of all by divine designation, but we see not yet all things put under him… ‘[H]e that believeth doth not make haste,’ but waits God's time for the accomplishment of God's promises.” ~Matthew Henry
Also, just as David was opposed by an illegitimate contender to the throne, so also is Christ opposed by Satan through the world, as Psalm 2 says, “the rulers take counsel against Yahweh and His anointed one.” And Jesus warned His disciples that if there was opposition to Him there would be opposition to His followers, but we are to be of good cheer for He has overcome the world15.
LXX |
Brenton |
DRB |
KJV |
NAW |
MT |
1 Καὶ ἐγένετο μετὰ ταῦτα καὶ ἐπηρώτησεν Δαυιδ ἐν κυρίῳ λέγων Εἰ ἀναβῶ εἰς μίαν τῶν πόλεων Ιουδα; καὶ εἶπεν κύριος πρὸς αὐτόν Ἀνάβηθι. καὶ εἶπεν Δαυιδ Ποῦ ἀναβῶ; καὶ εἶπεν Εἰς Χεβρων. |
1 And it came to pass after this that David enquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up into one of the cities of Juda? and the Lord said to him, Go up. And David said, Whither shall I go up? and he said, To Chebron. |
1 And after these things David consulted the Lord, saying: Shall I go up into one of the cities of Juda? And the Lord said to him: Go up. And David said: Whither shall I go up? And he answered [him]: Into Hebron. |
1
And it came to pass after this, that David enquired of the LORD,
saying, Shall I go up into |
1 And so it was after this that David inquired with Yahweh, saying, “May I go up into one of the towns of Judah?” And Yahweh said to him, “Go up.” And David said, “Where shall I go?” And He said, “To Hebron.” |
1 וַיְהִי אַחֲרֵי- כֵן וַיִּשְׁאַל דָּוִד בַּיהוָה לֵאמֹר הַאֶעֱלֶה בְּאַחַת עָרֵי יְהוּדָה וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֵלָיו עֲלֵה וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד אָנָה אֶעֱלֶה וַיֹּאמֶר חֶבְרֹנָה: |
2 καὶ ἀνέβη ἐκεῖ Δαυιδ [εἰς Χεβρων] καὶ ἀμφότεραι αἱ γυναῖκες αὐτοῦ, Αχινοομ ἡ Ιεζραηλῖτις καὶ Αβιγαια ἡ γυνὴ Ναβαλ τοῦ Καρμηλίου, |
2 And David went up thither [to Chebron], he and both his wives, Achinaam the Jezraelitess, and Abigaia the wife of Nabal the Carmelite, |
2 So David went up X, and his two wives Achinoam the Jezrahelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal of Carmel: |
2 So David went up thither, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail Nabal's wife the Carmelite. |
2 So David went up there – and so did his two wives, Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail (who had been Nabal’s wife) from Carmel, |
2 וַיַּעַל שָׁם דָּוִד וְגַם שְׁתֵּי נָשָׁיו אֲחִינֹעַם הַיִּזְרְעֵלִית וַאֲבִיגַיִל אֵשֶׁת נָבָל הַכַּרְמְלִי: |
3 καὶ οἱ ἄνδρες X οἱ μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ, X X ἕκαστος καὶ ὁ οἶκος αὐτοῦ, καὶ κατῴκουν ἐν ταῖς πόλεσιν Χεβρων. |
3
and X
X
|
3
And |
3 And his men that were with him did David bring up, every man with his household: and they dwelt in the cities of Hebron. |
3 along with {the} men who were with him. David brought up each with his household, and they settled down in the neighborhoods of Hebron. |
3 וַאֲנָשָׁיוB אֲשֶׁר-עִמּוֹ הֶעֱלָה דָוִד אִישׁ וּבֵיתוֹ וַיֵּשְׁבוּ בְּעָרֵי חֶבְרוֹן: |
4 καὶ ἔρχονται ἄνδρες τῆς Ιουδαίας καὶ χρίουσιν τὸν Δαυιδ ἐκεῖ τοῦ βασιλεύειν ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον Ιουδα. Καὶ ἀπήγγειλαν τῷ Δαυιδ λέγοντες [ὅτι] Οἱ ἄνδρες Ιαβις τῆς Γαλααδίτιδος X ἔθαψαν τὸν Σαουλ. |
4 And the men of Judea come, and anoint David there to reign over the house of Juda; and they reported to David, saying {thatC}, The men of Jabis of the country of Galaad X have buried Saul. |
4
And the men of Juda came, and anointed David there, to
be
king over the house of Juda. And |
4 And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David X king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, That the men of Jabeshgilead were they that buried Saul. |
4 Then the men of Judah came and anointed David there to {be} king over the house of Judah. They also communicated with David saying {that} the men of Jabesh Gilead {} had buried Saul. |
4 וַיָּבֹאוּ אַנְשֵׁי יְהוּדָה וַיִּמְשְׁחוּ- שָׁם אֶת-דָּוִד לְמֶלֶךְD עַל-בֵּית יְהוּדָה וַיַּגִּדוּ לְדָוִד לֵאמֹר אַנְשֵׁי יָבֵישׁ גִּלְעָד אֲשֶׁר קָבְרוּ אֶת-שָׁאוּל:ס |
5
καὶ ἀπέστειλεν
Δαυιδ ἀγγέλους
πρὸς τοὺς |
5
And David sent messengers to the |
5 David therefore sent messengers to the men of Jabes Galaad, and said to them: Blessed be you to the Lord, who have shewn this mercy to your master X Saul, and have buried him. |
5 And David sent messengers unto the men of Jabeshgilead, and said unto them, Blessed be ye of the LORD, that ye have shewed this kindness unto your lord, even unto Saul, and have buried him. |
5 So, David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead and said to them, “May y’all be blessed by Yahweh since y’all performed this act of lovingkindness to your master – {to} Saul, {Yahweh’s anointed one} when y’all buried him. |
5 וַיִּשְׁלַח דָּוִד מַלְאָכִים אֶל-אַנְשֵׁי יָבֵישׁ גִּלְעָד וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם בְּרֻכִים אַתֶּם לַיהוָה אֲשֶׁר עֲשִׂיתֶם הַחֶסֶדG הַזֶּה Hעִם- אֲדֹנֵיכֶם Iעִם- שָׁאוּל וַתִּקְבְּרוּ אֹתוֹ: |
6 καὶ νῦν ποιήσαι κύριος μεθ᾿ ὑμῶν ἔλεος καὶ ἀλήθειαν, καί γε ἐγὼ ποιήσω μεθ᾿ ὑμῶν τὰ ἀγαθὰ ταῦτα, ὅτι ἐποιήσατε τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο· |
6 And now may the Lord deal in mercy and truth towards you: and I also will requite towards you this good [deed], because ye have done this. |
6 And now the Lord surely will render you mercy and truth, and I also will requite you [for] this good [turn], because you have done this thing. |
6
And now the LORD shew
kindness and truth unto you: and I also will requite
you this |
6 And now, may Yahweh perform lovingkindness and faithfulness unto you, and also I myself will perform unto you this good thing since y’all performed that thing. |
6 וְעַתָּה יַעַשׂ- יְהוָה Jעִמָּכֶם חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת וְגַם אָנֹכִי אֶעֱשֶׂה אִתְּכֶם הַטּוֹבָה הַזֹּאת אֲשֶׁר עֲשִׂיתֶם הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה: |
7
καὶ νῦν κραταιούσθωσαν
αἱ χεῖρες ὑμῶν
καὶ γίνεσθε
εἰς υἱοὺς
δυνατούς, ὅτι
τέθνηκεν ὁ κύριος
ὑμῶν Σαουλ,
καί γε ἐμὲ
κέχρικ |
7 And now let your hands be made strong, and be X X valiant; for your master Saul is dead, and moreover the house of Juda have anointed me to be king over them. |
7
X
X Let
your hands be strengthened,
and be ye |
7 Therefore now let your hands be strengthened, and be ye X X valiant: for your master Saul is dead, and also the house of Judah have anointed me X king over them. |
7 So now, y’all strengthen your hands and become part of the army, for Saul your master has died, and furthermore it is me whom the households of Judah have anointed over them to be king. |
7 וְעַתָּה תֶּחֱזַקְנָה יְדֵיכֶם וִהְיוּ לִבְנֵי-חַיִל כִּיK- מֵת אֲדֹנֵיכֶם שָׁאוּל וְגַם-אֹתִי מָשְׁחוּL בֵית- יְהוּדָה לְמֶלֶךְ עֲלֵיהֶםM: פ |
8
Καὶ Αβεννηρ
υἱὸς Νηρ ἀρχιστράτηγος
τοῦ Σαουλ
ἔλαβεν τὸν
ΙεβοσθεN
υἱὸν Σαουλ
καὶ |
8
But Abenner, the son of Ner, the commander-in-chief
of
Saul's [army],
took Jebosthe son of Saul, and brought him |
8 But Abner the son of Ner, general of Saul's army, took Isboseth the son of Saul, and led him [about] through the camp, |
8 But Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul's host, took Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim; |
8 Meanwhile, Abner, Ner’s son, Saul’s commanding-officer, grabbed Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, and brought him over to Makhanaiym, |
8 וְאַבְנֵר בֶּן- נֵר שַׂר-צָבָאO אֲשֶׁר לְשָׁאוּל לָקַח אֶת- אִישׁ בֹּשֶׁת בֶּן-שָׁאוּל וַיַּעֲבִרֵהוּ מַחֲנָיִם: |
9 καὶ ἐβασίλευσεν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὴν Γαλααδῖτιν καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν Θασιρι καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν Ιεζραελ καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν Εφραιμ καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν Βενιαμιν καὶ ἐπὶ πάντα Ισραηλ. |
9 and made him king over the land of Galaad, and over Thasiri, and over Jezrael, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel. |
9 And made him king over Galaad, and over Gessuri, and over Jezrahel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel. |
9 And made him king over Gilead, and over the Ashurites, and over Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel. |
9 and he made him king {over} Gilead and {over} the {Geshurites} and {over} Jezreel and over Ephraim and over Benjamin and over all Israel. |
9 וַיַּמְלִכֵהוּ אֶל- הַגִּלְעָד וְאֶל- הָאֲשׁוּרִיP וְאֶל- יִזְרְעֶאל Qוְעַל- אֶפְרַיִם וְעַל- בִּנְיָמִן וְעַל- יִשְׂרָאֵל כֻּלֹּה: פ |
10 τεσσαράκοντα ἐτῶν Ιεβοσθε υἱὸς Σαουλ, ὅτε ἐβασίλευσεν ἐπὶ τὸν Ισραηλ, καὶ δύο ἔτη ἐβασίλευσεν πλὴν τοῦ οἴκου Ιουδα, [οἳ] ἦσαν ὀπίσω Δαυιδ· |
10 Jebosthe, Saul's son was forty years old, when he reigned over Israel; and he reigned two years, but not [over] the house of Juda, [who] followed David. |
10 Isboseth the son of Saul was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years; and only the house of Juda followed David. |
10 Ishbosheth Saul's son was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David. |
10 Ish-bosheth, son of Saul, was 40 years old when he became king over Israel, and he was king two years. However, the housholds of Judah were behind David, |
10בֶּן-אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה אִישׁ-בֹּשֶׁת בֶּן-שָׁאוּל בְּמָלְכוֹ עַל-יִשְׂרָאֵל וּשְׁתַּיִם שָׁנִים מָלָךְ R אַךְ בֵּית יְהוּדָה הָיוּ אַחֲרֵי דָוִד: |
11 καὶ ἐγένοντο XS αἱ ἡμέραι, ἃς Δαυιδ ἐβασίλευσεν ἐν Χεβρων ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον Ιουδα, ἑπτὰ ἔτη καὶ ἓξ μῆνας. |
11
And the X
days
which David reigned in Chebron over the house of Juda w |
11 And the number of the days that David abode, reigning in Hebron over the house of Juda, was seven years and six months. |
11 And the X time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months. |
11 and the calculation of the days in which David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was 7 years and 6 months. |
11 וַיְהִי מִסְפַּר הַיָּמִים אֲשֶׁר הָיָה דָוִד מֶלֶךְ בְּחֶבְרוֹן עַל- בֵּית יְהוּדָה שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים וְשִׁשָּׁה חֳדָשִׁים: ס |
1Based upon BibleWorks Mapping software and confirmed by NICOT. Alternately, John Gill passed along the estimate from Bunting’s Travels (p.137) that it was only 16 miles.
2David didn’t have any children yet.
3Samuel Rutherford made this case cogently in his book, Lex Rex.
41 Samuel 24:6,10; 26:9,11,16,23; 2 Samuel 1:14,16.
5“Thus Dauid sheweth himselfe a patterne of a good King, who is appointed as for the punishment of the wicked, so for the praise and reward of weldoers: as before he put to death the Amalekite for confessing he had killed Saul, so now hee promiseth reward to the Iabeshites, for their kindnesse toward him.” ~Willett
6quoting K.D. Sakenfeld’s The Meaning of Hesed in the Hebrew Bible: A New Inquiry, Scholars Press, 1978, p. 111.
7It should be admitted, however, that no other commentator I read arrived at this conclusion except for McCarter.
8Tsumura asserted, based on “Gilead” being listed among the dominions of Ish-Bosheth, that the men of Jabesh Gilead refused David and followed Ish-Bosheth, but it is conceivable that the region in general followed Ish-boseth while Jabesh in particular did not.
9Willett argued anachronistically from 3:18 that Abner knew David was God’s anointed. Gill agreed that Abner purposefully defied God’s will because of his own ambition for power.
10Goldman noted the trend of two other names which were changed from “-baal” to “-bosheth,” Merib-baal (1Chron. 8:34) to Mephiboseth (2 Sam 4:4), and Jerubbaal (Judges 8:35) to Jerubbesheth (2 Sam 11:21) with the explanation that “because of the association of the name Baal with the Canaanite deities and their worship, bosheth ‘shame’ was substituted for Baal.”
11There is some debate as to whether Ishbosheth was the same as Ishvi or Melchishua, but the record of 1 & 2 Sam is clear that three sons of Saul died, so this was the remaining one.
12K&D agreed with Gill that it couldn’t be the independent kingdom of Gesher over which Israel never took dominion, but K&D stood against all the other commentators I read (except for Tsumura) in asserting that this couldn’t be the tribe of Asher, and K&D were alone in asserting that Ishbosheth’s reign couldn’t have extended very far west of the Jordan and that the northwestern tribes of Asher, Zebulon, Issachar and Naphtali could not be meant.
13This is Goldman’s position and that of Tsumura. Alternately, Willet held the position that Ishbosheth reigned 7 years total, and that the statement in 2 Sam. 2:10 is like that of 1 Sam. 13:1, in that it was an initial two years after which the significant events of the rest of the chapter took place. Henry accepted the 2 years as a total for Ishbosheth, suggesting that Abner was in power the other 5 years (cf. K&D who suggested that Abner took 5 years to consolidate power, then anointed Ishboseth king) or else that the ensuing “long war” was 5 years in which Ishbosheth’s kingship was disputed, the latter of which was Gill’s position. Others, like Kimchi asserted that there was simply no king over Israel for those 5 years. Such dispute led K&D to assert, “this difference in the length of the two reigns... cannot be explained.”
141 Samuel 16:1-14 Now the LORD said to Samuel, "...I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons… Jesse... brought [the youngest] in... And Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward…”
15"If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you... If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you… In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 15:18-20, 16:33, NKJV)
AMy
original chart includes NASB and NIV and ESV, but their copyright
restrictions force me to remove them from the publicly-available
edition of this chart. (NAW is my translation.) When a translation
adds words not in the Hebrew text, but does not indicate it has done
so by the use of italics (or greyed-out text), I put the added words
in [square brackets]. When one version chooses a wording which is
different from all the other translations, I underline it.
When a version chooses a translation which, in my opinion, either
departs too far from the root meaning of the Hebrew word or departs
too far from the grammar form of the original text, I use strikeout.
And when a version omits a word which is in the original text, I
insert an X. (I also place an X at the end of a word if the original
word is plural but the English translation is singular.) I
occasionally use colors to help the reader see correlations between
the various editions and versions when there are more than two
different translations of a given word. The only known Dead Sea
Scroll containing 2 Samuel 2 is 4Q51Samuela, which
contains fragments of vs. 5-32, and which has been dated between
50-25 B.C. Where the DSS is legible and is the same as the MT, the
MT has been colored purple. Where the DSS or Vulgate support the LXX
with omissions or text not in the MT, I have highlighted
with yellow the LXX
and its translation into English, and where I have accepted that
into my NAW translation, I have marked it with {pointed brackets}.
BVulgate & LXX do not contain the pronoun “his,” but “the men” is not different in meaning from “his men” in this case.
CThe word “that” is in the LXX (including the Vaticanus) as well as in the Vulgate and Syriac, but it is not in the MT or the Lucian rescription of the LXX (which presumably was emending the LXX to the MT form).
DLXX, Syriac, Targums, and Vulgate all render this noun in the MT as an infinitive verb “to reign.”
EThe Vaticanus enumerates the subject of this compound verb as “David,” which is merely implied in the standard LXX, MT, and Latin, so the meaning is the same. Adding David’s name here makes the shift from plural “messengers” to the singular “he said” more clear, but isn’t necessary.
FAlthough not in any other manuscripts, this is a common phrase in the books of Samuel (found in 1 Samuel 13:16,22; 19:1; 20:27; 23:16; 2 Samuel 1:4,5,12,17; 4:4; 21:12,13,14) and 2 Sam. 21 confirms the truth of Jonathan being included.
GThe DSS is illegible at this point, but has space for another whole word here. The word “of God” has been suggested, but it is not in any other known ancient manuscript, so we will leave it be.
HThe DSS reads על (“upon” instead of the MT “with”), and the LXX supports the DSS with επι (“upon”). The meaning is not too different, though. In the second repetition of this preposition in this verse, the DSS is illegible, but the LXX uses the same preposition επι. (In the next verse, when the LXX renders the Hebrew preposition “with” (עמ), it uses μετα.)
IThe DSS is obliterated at this point, but it has space for 27 more characters compared to the 17 characters which remain in the MT edition of this verse. This is enough to include one of the two additional statements in the LXX, either “Yahweh’s anointed” (ותקברו אתו hwhy jy?m על אדניכם על שאול – Purple text indicates legible DSS text, Black text indicates MT text, Grey text indicates LXX text back-translated) or “and Jonathan his son” (על אדניכם על שאול ותקברו אתו ויהונתן בנו). My pick is the former, since Saul and the transition between anointed kings seems to be David’s focus.
JThe DSS reads the synonym את, but it makes no difference in translation. The LXX “with” could support either.
KGill, noting that the men of Jabesh who had buried Saul didn’t need to be told that Saul was dead, translated the כי … וגם as “though… notwithstanding.” Tsumura labeled it a “speaker-oriented” ki, “explaining why David said this.”
LHere and in v.10 in the MT, the verb-of-being is plural, whereas the subject (“house of Judah”) is singular. In the LXX, the same disparity is preserved in this verse, but the subject is pluralized in v.10.
MThe last two words of the MT (and Vulgate) in this verse are in reverse order of the older DSS and LXX manuscripts, but it doesn’t change the meaning.
NLater Greek editions (Aquila, Symmachus, Theodotian) called him Ish-baal (Εισβααλ) “Baal’s man” or “the dictator’s man.”
ODSS adds a definite article (“the”) to the word “commanding/army/host” (abxh), but this doesn’t change the meaning. cf. K&D “chief-captain,” Tsumura “army commander” cf. 1 Samuel 14:50 “...the name of the army general שַׂר־צְבָאוֹ was Abner, son of Ner, Saul's uncle.”
PThe DSS is illegible here, but doesn’t have enough space between legible portions of the verse for the 6-letter word in the MT, although there is room for a shorter word like גשר(י) or אשור. The Syriac (gswr) and Vulgate (Gesuri) seem to support an initial “g” consonant (16th century Clementine edition doubled the “s”), but Targum (bjt ‘sr “house of Asher”) and the MT suggest an initial “a,” and the LXX (and later Greek versions) suggests an initial “t.” As for the ending, the Syriac and Targum don’t have the “ai” ending (although the Targum’s “house of” could be an expression of the same concept), whereas the Vulgate and Masoretic do. The DSS doesn’t necessarily decide between them. As a simple voting matter, the “ai” ending seems to have more support for it. As for the initial letter, support seems pretty closely matched beetween “g” “a” and “t,” but the “a” makes the most sense geographically, there being no known place names matching the consonantal progression “tsr,” and Asher being in the NW corner of Israel and thus best denoting “all Israel,” by encompassing Asher, Zebulon, Naphtali, and Issachar, which would not be circumscribed by “Gesher" on the East side of the sea of Galilee, although the meaning would be about the same in terms of describing northern latitude.
QThe switch in preposition from “to” to “over” in the MT is not found in the Vulgate or LXX, where the preposition “over” is repeated all six times. The DSS doesn’t help because the first 3 prepositions are illegible, and both prepositions in Hebrew are the same number of letters long. Two different prepositions could conveivably indicate first an extent of land area (as far as the region of “Gilead” to the east of the Jordan River, as far as the kingdom of “Gesher” or the tribe of “Asher” – both about even with the top of the Sea of Galilee to the North, and as far as the “Jezreel” valley stretches West from the Jordan), geographic descriptions which would encompass the tribes of Asher, Zebulon, Naphtali, Issachar, and Manassah (and perhaps Gad), then the following 3 prepositions could indicate jurisdiction “over” tribal peoples of “Ephraim” and “Benjamin,” to the South (although Ephraim could also be a region name), and thus summarily “over all Israel.”
RDSS starts v. 10 here, omitting Ishbotheth’s name, age, and length of reign, but it’s in the LXX & Vulgate, so we’ll keep it.
SAlthough the text of the DSS is illegible at this point, the spacing between legible portions of this verse supports the extra word “number/accounting/calculation/length” in the MT.