Translation & Sermon by Nate Wilson for Christ The Redeemer Church, Manhattan, KS, 13 Feb 2022
Read my translation of the chapter: Then all the tribes of Israel went to David at Hebron and said {}, “Here we are! We are your bone and your flesh. Also, recently and in time past, when Saul was King over us, it was you who led Israel on missions and who brought her home. Furthermore, Yahweh said to you, ‘It is you who shall shepherd my people Israel, and it is you who will become president over Israel.’” So all the elders of Israel went to the King at Hebron, and King David contracted a covenant for them in Hebron in the presence of Yahweh. Then they anointed David to be king over Israel. David was thirty years old when he became king, {and} he reigned 40 years: In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty three years over all Israel and Judah. Presently, {David} went (along with his men) toward Jerusalem, against the Jebusites residing in that land, but {they} spoke to David saying, “You won’t get in here! Even our blind and our lame men can keep you occupied, saying ‘David won’t get in here!’” Nevertheless, David did capture the stronghold of Zion – that is, the City of David. So David said on that day, “Anyone who strikes down the Jebusites {} will have to approach both ‘the blind and the lame men’ (who hated the soul of David) by means of the aqueduct.” (Therefore they say, “The blind and lame won’t get in to the house.”) Then David resided in the stronghold and called it the City of David, and he built up {the city} all around from the rampart and towards the palace. So David went on to advance and become great, and Yahweh {} of Army-hosts was with him. Presently, Hiram, king of Tyre sent messengers to David along with cedar logs and wood craftsmen and {} masonry craftsmen, and they built a palace for David. And David knew that Yahweh had established him to be king over Israel and that He was raising up his kingdom for the sake of His people Israel. Now, David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem after he came from Hebron, and more sons and daughters were born to David, so these are the names of the ones born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon, then Ibhar and Elishua and Nepheg, and Japhia, then Elishama, and Eliada, and Eliphelet.
As I meditated on the structure of the first half of this chapter, I was struck by how it chronicles four ways that David’s kingship grew and how it attributes each area of the growth of David’s kingdom to God rather than to David.
It appears from the parallel account in 1 Chronicles 11-14 that there were hundreds of thousands of folks defecting to David from every one of the northern Israelite tribes before the elders of those tribes saw the handwriting on the wall and anointed David king.
Often, when a difficult political change needs to be made, organizational leaders will be cautious about acting too quickly for fear of bringing chaos upon their people. Often it takes folks who see ahead-of-time what God is doing and who make courageous breaks with the status quo to reassure their leaders that the path is safe enough to bring the whole group over.
Of course, Abner was one of those risk-taking trail-blazers, and the covenant which David made with the elders may have been the very one he had previously worked out with Abner and which Abner had been trying to get them to ratify when he was assasinated.
At any rate, representatives of all the northern tribes of Israel travelled to Hebron to meet with David and make him king over the northern tribes of Israel. They state three reasons why he should be king,
First, they say, “we are your bone and your flesh.” This phrase shows up only four other times in the Bible:
First in Gen. 2:23, when Adam commented on God’s creation of Eve: “This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman…" She had literally been made out of one of Adam’s bones, so she shared the same genetic material and was also designed to share close family relationship with him. God gave them that commonality and they embraced that commonality in a covenantal union. We also see this phrase in...
Gen. 29:14 when Laban says to his nephew Jacob, “Surely you are my bone and my flesh.” It seems to be an acknowledgment that they are genetically related, and it results in Jacob living in his house for a month, followed by the covenantal union of marriage to Laban’s daughter. This phrase also occurs in...
Judges 9:1-2 after Gideon was a judge over Israel and one of his 70 sons named Abimelech told his grandpa and his uncles, “Which is better for you, that all seventy of the sons of Jerubbaal reign over you, or that one reign over you? Remember that I am your own flesh and bone.” So again, it indicates genetic relationship, as well as covenantal relationship as he makes a bid with the elders of his town for political leadership.
The elders of Israel seem to be referencing a law that Moses had recorded in Deuteronomy 17:15 “You shall surely set a king over you whom the LORD your God chooses; one from among your brethren you shall set as king over you; you may not set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother.” Being of the same flesh and bone seems to be another way of stating this principle of kinship required of kings, and David uses it himself later in...
2 Sam. 19:12 when he recovered from his son’s coup attempt and sent a message to the elders of his tribe in Judah, saying, “You are my brothers; you are my bone and my flesh. Don’t be the last to bring back the king!”
I might also note that Jesus is therefore qualified to be our king, because Hebrews 2:14 states of Jesus, “Since, therefore, the children have shared flesh and blood, He also similarly partook of the same, in order that through death... He might release those who... were liable to slavery...”
Second, the elders of Israel recognize that David has already been doing a good job of one of the main things that a king should do, and that is to lead the army:
“Going out” implies going to war, and “bringing in” implies the troops coming back home safely.
David has been doing that since back in 1Samuel 18:13-16 “So Saul... positioned him for himself as an officer over a thousand troops. So David went out on missions and came back in the presence of the people… And all Israel and Judah was loving David because he was going out on missions and coming back in their presence.” (NAW)
Thirdly, the elders of Israel observed that David has been commissioned by the LORD Himself to “feed/shepherd” the people of Israel and be their “captain/leader/ruler/prince.”
The Hebrew word nagid doesn’t have so much to do with “controlling” or “making rules” as simply “being in the primary place of relationship,” which is why I translated it “president.”
Now, the words which the elders quote of Yahweh concerning David’s role as “shepherd” are not found anywhere else in scripture,
but, the parallel passage in 1 Chronicles 11:3 says that “...They anointed David to be king over Israel, just as Yahweh had predicted by the agency of Samuel.”
so it is possible that they are the actual words spoken by Samuel and just weren’t recorded back in 1 Sam. 16 when Samuel anointed David, but they are recorded here.
There are, however, scriptures
which occur after 2 Samuel which affirm God’s call
upon David to
shepherd Israel,
such as:
Psalm 78:71 “From
following the ewes that had young He brought him To shepherd
Jacob His people And Israel His inheritance.”
1
Chron. 17:6 "...I commanded the judges of
Israel to shepherd My people…"
Ezekiel
34:23 "I will establish one shepherd – my servant
David - over them, and he shall feed them . He shall feed them and
he shall be their shepherd.”
Furthermore, back in 1 Samuel 13:14, the prophet Samuel had told King Saul that David would become “president,” when he said, “but now your kingdom will not go on. Yahweh has sought out for Himself a man [whose] heart is like His, and Yahweh has commanded for him to preside [be prince/ruler/leader] over His people...” (NAW)
These three qualifications of kinship, military experience, and divine calling for leadership show real wisdom being exercised by these elders in their choice of David, and they very much fulfill the criteria for kingship from Deuteronomy 17:15.
So now, some 10 years after Samuel had anointed him in Bethlehem, David is finally anointed by all the tribal representatives to became king over all Israel at the age of 30.
Ten years probably felt like a long time to wait, but God has His reasons for giving us time to mature before giving us big responsibilities.
That’s why God didn’t make 5-year-olds able to have babies. Parenting takes maturity.
It was also a requirement in God’s law for priests to reach the age of 30 before serving in the temple1. It takes a certain level of maturity to exercise spiritual leadership; that’s a heavy responsibility.
And that’s the age when Jesus began His public ministry (Luke 3:23).
Likewise, in the New Testament, God chose the word “elders” to describe the leaders of the church. (We’re not told exactly how “old” one has to be, to be an “elder,” but maturity is implied as necessary to “keep watch over the souls2” of others).
Are you accepting the refining processes which God is bringing to bear on your life now in order to prepare you for the responsibilities He wants you to carry in the future? And are you willing to wait on the LORD until His maturing processes are ripened before taking on the leadership roles you dream of?
As we wrap up the story of David’s kingdom expanding to the northern tribes of Israel, remember that, “Yaheweh said that David would shepherd [Yahweh’s] people... and so all the elders of Israel came to David... and made a [kingship] covenant with him in the presence of Yahweh.” David’s kingdom expanded, not because David was such a great guy, but because Yahweh is such a great God! Don’t forget that!
Jerusalem3 had been around for centuries4. Melchisedec was from around there, and Abraham had been given a ram to substitute for the sacrifice of his son there. It was spiritually and militarily significant. David wanted it.
But the city was on a steep hill and surrounded by a thick wall, so it couldn’t be overcome by an army attacking it. (The armies of Benjamin and Judah had already tried and failed to conquer it5.) It would be easy for even a blind or lame man to pick off every enemy as they came up the hill or tried to climb the wall. The Jebusites therefore trusted their fortifications so much that they thought they could mock God’s anointed. Their confidence was sadly misplaced!
Deuteronomy 20:10-18 says, “When you go near a city to fight against it, then proclaim an offer of peace to it. And it shall be that if they accept your offer of peace, and open to you, then all the people who are found in it shall be placed under tribute to you, and serve you. Now if the city will not make peace with you, but war against you, then you shall besiege it. And when the LORD your God delivers it into your hands, you shall strike every male in it with the edge of the sword... of the cities of these peoples which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance, you shall let nothing that breathes remain alive, but you shall utterly destroy them: the Hittite and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite, just as the LORD your God has commanded you, lest they teach you to do according to all their abominations which they have done for their gods, and you sin against the LORD your God.”
David obeyed God’s instructions in Deuteronomy 20, by launching a campaign against the Jebusites (whom God had commanded Israel to destroy because their “iniquity” was “complete”6). And, as God had commanded, David sent a messenger first to say something to the effect of, “If you will surrender unconditionally to us and become our servants and stop worshipping idols and instead worship our God, then we will let you live, otherwise, our God has told us to destroy you.”
God had hardened the Jebusites’ hearts, however, so they did not accept David’s terms of peace, and instead they taunted him.
One thing we learned from David’s run-in with Nabal back in 1 Samuel was that David couldn’t take insults very well! Those Jebusites probably didn’t realize what a mistake they were making to tell David that he couldn’t obey God and capture Jerusalem and then to tell him that Jerusalem was so strong that even their blind men and their lame men could defend it.
(Their words also seem to insinuate that David was all-talk and no action, and therefore they could keep David from capturing Jerusalem simply by having their blind and lame men yell, “You can’t get in!” and that David would just argue with them rather than actually attacking.)
In v.7, our historian quickly tells us that David didn’t put up with that; he capured the city, then we are told how:
In v.8, David identifies the “water tunnel” as the way to penetrate the city. Modern Bible scholars had no idea what David was talking about until the year 1867, when an archaeologist by the name of Warren discovered a 230-foot tunnel that runs from the top of the hill (where the Jebusite citadel sat) down to Gihon Spring outside the city walls at the base of the hill. It was a narrow tunnel that you would have to walk single-file to get through, but if the city was beseiged, you could still collect water to drink without leaving the protection of the fortress. That water tunnel was the only way to get past the city’s defenses.
David then gives his soldiers a pep talk before they go in. Now, there is disagreement among the Biblical manuscripts over whether David said he hated the Jebusites or whether he said that the Jebusites hated him, but the oldest manuscripts all say that the Jebusites hated David.
David may have carried some animus against the Jebusites after that taunting they gave him, but I’m going with the historic text which says that they also hated David.
The Bible doesn’t portray David as a man who hated foreigners,
and furthermore, If they had not hated the soul of David, they would have accepted his terms of surrender and become his servants, because they wouldn’t have minded him being their king, but as it was, they hated him; they would rather die than serve him, so that’s what happened.
And, we might add, that’s what will happen to all who hate the Messiah and who will not accept the Messiah’s terms of peace (the Gospel message) and become His servants.
It is possible that this is the point where David brought the head of Goliath to Jerusalem (mentioned in 1 Samuel 17:54), either before the battle to inspire the faith of the Israelites (and to get the Jebusites to question their confidence) or as a trophy to put on display in a museum at his new and permanent capitol city.
The parallel passage in 1 Chronicles 11 states that Joab was the first Israelite solder up the narrow water tunnel to penetrate the interior of the city, so, for his bravery, he got out of the doghouse for murdering Abner, and David awarded him with a continuance of his role as his army general. (David said, “Anyone who strikes the Jebusites first will become my chief officer!” And Joab son of Zeruiah went up first, and he became head. Then David resided in the stronghold, therefore they called it the City of David. And he built up the city all around from the rampart even to the surrounding-wall. Meanwhile, Joab repaired the rest of the city. 1 Chron. 11:6-8, NAW)
The Millo is considered a proper noun in many English versions, labelling a part of the defenses of the city of Jerusalem. It is from a root word which means “fill.”
The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary says that it describes ramparts7 made by building two walls close to each other and filling in the space between them with dirt;
The NIV describes them as “supporting terraces;”
And the Soncino Bible Commentary adds that, since Jerusalem had steep ravines on the South, East and West sides, the strategic place for this earthwork-defensive wall would be the north side of the city where the slope was gentler.
Now, from the safety of their new walled city, David and the Israelites were able to poke fun at the Jebusites who had previously taunted them, saying, “The blind and the lame won’t enter the house.”
Exactly what this means is debated8, but here’s my take on it:
Since the Jebusites had said they had blind and lame men who could hold David’s army at bay, David may have called all of the Jebusites “blind and lame men” by metonomy,
so the “blind and lame” not entering his house would be equivalent to Jebusites not entering his house, which they would have done as servants if they had accepted his initial terms of peace.
I can just hear David grousing over their retort about their blind and lame being able to hold him off and saying, “‘Blind and lame?’ That does it! When we get through with them, they’re ALL gonna be ‘blind and lame!” Better yet, ain’t gonna be any ‘blind and lame’ Jebusites left to even make house-servants of!”
At any rate, note what verse 10 says about David’s acquisition of this strategic piece of real estate in Jerusalem. Was it because David was such a great warrior? Who gets the credit? “So David went on to advance and become great, for the LORD of Hosts was with him.”
If you are a believer in “great David’s greater son9” Jesus, and you see any progress in your life, will you give Him the glory and say, “The Lord was with me!”
There is some debate as to whether this is the same King Hiram who helped Solomon build the temple, or whether it was his father by the same name10, but before the king of Tyre would have built a palace for David, he had to have known:
that David was the new king of Israel,
that David was a stable enough king to invest-in without fear of his investment being lost in the next war,
that David had just settled in a newly-conquered city and needed a house,
and that David would want to be on friendly terms with the neighboring kingdom of Tyre to the northeast.
Hiram was well-informed and up on the current events!
The cedar wood of Tyre and neighboring Lebanon was world-famous, so this was a really nice gift. Can you imagine how good the house smelled?
He also sent along stonemasons to help build the walls, and the remains of those large stone walls were recently discovered by an archaeologist in 2006. (Tsumura)
This surely would have obligated David to Hiram to some extent. Hiram built David a palace, what could David do for Hiram in return?
Well, Tyre was a small city-state, just one town on the Mediterranean seacost north of the Philistines. My guess is that Hiram wanted David to feel obligated to keep the Philistines from threatening Tyre. As long as David kept the Philistines engaged in Israel, the Philistines wouldn’t be able to encroach further north to Tyre, and I think that’s what Hiram wanted.
Perhaps, by the same token, Hiram would also prefer not having Hebrews raiding him either, so he figured if he was on good terms with the king of Israel, David would make sure the Israelites didn’t give any trouble to the kingdom of Tyre.
Furthermore, Tyre was a big trade center, bridging sea traffic from the Mediterranean to overland routes throughout Asia, so they would be very interested in keeping good relations with Israel so that there was no threat to traders coming to them overland from Asia and Africa. (Tsumura)
So at the very outset of his reign, before he had done much to prove himself, David is being treated as an equal by the kings of other nations, as a valuable ally!
Later on, the Queen of Sheba would say to David, “Blessed be the LORD your God, who delighted in you, setting you on the throne of Israel! Because the LORD has loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, to do justice and righteousness.” (1 Kings 10:9, NKJV)
God is the ultimate giver of brick and mortar. V.12 tells us David knew that it was the LORD who established him when Hiram built him a palace. If you want a house, are you asking God for one? When you get a house, will you thank God for establishing you in it? Is the glory going to flow to Him?
Finally, our text ennumerates 11 more sons born to David in Jerusalem by the time of the writing of 2 Samuel, the first four of whom had Bathsheba as their mother. Presumably the other 7 were from Shulamith (the other wife David married in Jerusalem) as well as the 7 wives he had married previously who had already borne him 6 sons in Hebron (2 Sam. 2:2ff).
Now, there is a second edition of this list published in 1 Chronicles 3 and again in 1 Chronicles 14, which adds two more sons. My guess is that two more sons were born in Jerusalem to wives of David after the 2 Samuel 5 account was written, and that Chronicles was written up after Samuel, so the Chronicles edition just brought the list up-to-date11.
And, there appears to be a third edition of the list of David’s sons in the Greek Septuagint of 2 Samuel 5, which is at least as old as the 300’s AD because it is in the Vaticanus manuscript, but it is not in the Dead Sea Manuscripts which date back to 50 BC, so it might just be like margin notes from an oral tradition and not actually Scripture. Anyway, the Septuagint contains not only the 13 sons mentioned in 1 Chronicles, but also the names of 10 more sons! Now, 1 Chronicles 3:9 tells us that its list of 13 sons does not include the children of any of David’s concubines, so my guess is that 10 extra names in the Septuagint are intended to list the sons of David’s 10 concubines (2 Samuel 20:3).
That’s a whopping total of 29 sons, and 1 Chronicles tells us that there were daughters too, but since it was not traditional to list daughters, we don’t have a record of their names except for one daughter named Tamar.
This proliferation of wives and children is somewhat ambiguous as to whether it demonstrates God’s blessing or David’s disobedience. I think both are the case simultaneously.
The Bible is clear, from Genesis on12, that polygamy is not God’s will. And God expressly forbade it of kings in Deuteronomy 17:17, saying, “He [the king] may not take many wives for himself…”
And yet, God’s word also says, “...children are a heritage from the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward.” (Psalm 127:3, NKJV) So each one of David’s many sons and daughters was a miraculous gift of life from God. Without God’s work he wouldn’t have gotten a single child. God blessed even a very dysfunctional family.
I want to especially note two of the sons in the list: Solomon and Nathan.
Solomon will be the next King, and then, according to the introduction to the Gospel of Matthew, he will be the 23rd-great-grandfather of Joseph, the adoptive father of Jesus!
And then, according to the Gospel of Luke13, David’s son Nathan was the 37th-great-grandfather of Mary, the mother of Jesus14.
Jesus the Messiah became the focal point of David and Bathsheba’s descendents from two converging genealogical lines. Jesus is the physical descendant of David who fulfills all of God’s promises to David about being king forever.
There we have four ways that David’s kingship grew, and the record reflects that each was the result of God’s presence and blessing.
David’s kingdom grew from the one tribe of Judah to all 12 tribes of Israel because God said it would be so,
David acquired the coveted real estate of Jerusalem because God was with him,
David got a custom-built palace from Phonecia because the Lord had established him,
And David filled his house with children because God gave those children as a gift.
Don’t trust in your own skills and gifts like the Jebusites did; trust in God like David did, and let the world around you know that every gift, every success, every blessing came from Him.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3, NKJV)
|
2 Sam 5:14-16 LXX |
2 Sam 5:14-16 MT |
1 Chron. 3:5-9 MT (LXX matches) |
1 Chron 14:4 MT (LXX matches) |
1 |
Sammus |
Shammua |
Shimea |
Shammua |
2 |
Sobab |
Shobab |
Shobab |
Shobab |
3 |
Nathan |
Nathan |
Nathan |
Nathan |
4 |
Solomon |
Solomon |
Solomon |
Solomon |
5 |
Ebear |
Ibhar |
Ibhar |
Ibhar |
6 |
Elisue |
Elishua |
Elishama |
Elishua |
7 |
Naphec |
Nepheg |
Nepheg |
Nepheg |
8 |
Jephies |
Japhia |
Japhia |
Japhia |
9 |
Elisama |
Elishama |
Elishama |
Elishama |
10 |
Elidae |
Eliada |
Eliada |
[B]eliada |
11 |
Eliphalath |
Eliphelet. |
Eliphelet |
Eliphelet |
12 |
Samae |
|
“besides the sons of the concubines” |
|
13 |
Jessibath |
|
|
|
14 |
Nathan |
|
|
|
15 |
Galamaan |
|
|
|
16 |
Jebaar |
|
|
|
17 |
Theesus |
|
|
|
18 |
Eliphalat |
|
Eliphelet |
Elpalet |
19 |
Naged |
|
Nogah |
Nogah |
20 |
Naphec |
|
|
|
21 |
Janathan |
|
|
|
22 |
Leasamys |
|
|
|
23 |
Baalimath |
|
|
|
24 |
Eliphaath |
|
|
|
LXX |
Brenton |
DRB |
KJV |
NAW |
MT 2Sam5 |
MT 1Chr |
NAW |
1 Καὶ παραγίνονται πᾶσαι αἱ φυλαὶ Ισραηλ πρὸς Δαυιδ εἰς Χεβρων καὶ εἶπαν [αὐτῷ] X ἸδοὺX ὀστᾶ σου καὶ σάρκες σου ἡμεῖς· |
1 And all the tribes of Israel come to David to Chebron, and they said [to himB] X, Behold X, we are thy bone and thy flesh. |
1 Then all the tribes of Israel came to David in Hebron X, X saying: Behold we are thy bone and thy flesh. |
1 Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, and spake, saying, Behold X, we are thy bone and thy flesh. |
1 Then all the tribes of Israel went to David at Hebron and said {}, “Here we are! We are your bone and your flesh. |
1 וַיָּבֹאוּ כָּל- שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל-דָּוִד חֶבְרוֹנָה וַיֹּאמְרוּ לֵאמֹרC הִנְנוּ עַצְמְךָD וּבְשָׂרְךָ אֲנָחְנוּ: |
11:1 וַיִּקָּבְצוּ כָל-X יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל-דָּוִיד חֶבְרוֹנָה לֵאמֹרx הִנֵּהx עַצְמְךָ וּבְשָׂרְךָ אֲנָחְנוּ: |
1 Then all Israel assembled to David at Hebron to say, “Here we are, your bone and your flesh. |
2 καὶ ἐχθὲς καὶ τρίτην ὄντος Σαουλ βασιλέως ἐφ᾿ ἡμῖν σὺ ἦσθα [ὁ] ἐξάγων καὶ εἰσάγων τὸν Ισραηλ, καὶ εἶπεν κύριος πρὸς σέ Σὺ ποιμανεῖς τὸν λαόν μου τὸν Ισραηλ, καὶ σὺ ἔσει εἰς ἡγούμενον ἐπὶ τὸν Ισραηλ. |
2 And heretofore X X Saul being king over us, thou was he that didst lead out and bring in Israel: and the Lord said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be for a leader to my people Israel. |
2 Moreover yesterday also and the day before, when Saul was king over us, thou wast he that did lead out and bring in Israel: and the Lord said to thee: Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be X prince over Israel. |
2 Also in time past X X, when Saul was king over us, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and the LORD said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be X a captain over Israel. |
2 Also, recently and in time past, when Saul was King over us, it was you who led Israel on missions and who brought her home. Furthermore, Yahweh said to you, ‘It is you who shall shepherd my people Israel, and it is you who will become president over Israel.’” |
2 גַּם-אֶתְמוֹל גַּם-שִׁלְשׁוֹם בִּהְיוֹת שָׁאוּל מֶלֶךְ עָלֵינוּ אַתָּה הָיִיתָהE מוֹצִיא וְהַמֵּבִיF אֶת- יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה לְךָ אַתָּה תִרְעֶה אֶת-עַמִּי אֶת-יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאַתָּה תִּהְיֶה לְנָגִיד עַל- יִשְׂרָאֵל: |
11:2 גַּם-תְּמוֹל גַּם-שִׁלְשׁוֹם גַּם בִּהְיוֹת שָׁאוּל מֶלֶךְ X אַתָּה X הַמּוֹצִיא וְהַמֵּבִיא אֶת- יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ לְךָ אַתָּה תִרְעֶה אֶת-עַמִּי אֶת- יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאַתָּה תִּהְיֶה xנָגִיד עַל עַמִּי יִשְׂרָאֵל: |
2 Also, recently, and in time past, when Saul was king, it was you who led Israel on missions and who brought her home. Furthermore, Yahweh your God said to you, ‘It is you who shall shepherd my people Israel, and it is you who will preside over my people Israel.’” |
3 καὶ ἔρχονται πάντες οἱ πρεσβύτεροι Ισραηλ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα εἰς Χεβρων, καὶ διέθετο αὐτοῖς ὁ βασιλεὺς Δαυιδ διαθήκην ἐν Χεβρων ἐνώπιον κυρίου, καὶ χρίουσιν τὸν Δαυιδ εἰς βασιλέα ἐπὶ [πάντα] Ισραηλ. -- |
3 And all the elders of Israel come to the king to Chebron; and king David made a covenant with them in Chebron before the Lord; and they anoint David king over [all] Israel. |
3 X The ancients also of Israel came to the king of Hebron, and king David made a league with them in Hebron before the Lord: and they anointed David to be king over Israel. |
3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David made a league with them in Hebron before the LORD: and they anointed David king over Israel. |
3 So all the elders of Israel went to the King at Hebron, and King David contracted a covenant for them in Hebron in the presence of Yahweh. Then they anointed David to be king over Israel. |
3 וַיָּבֹאוּ כָּל- זִקְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל-הַמֶּלֶךְ חֶבְרוֹנָה וַיִּכְרֹת לָהֶם הַמֶּלֶךְ דָּוִד בְּרִיתG בְּחֶבְרוֹן לִפְנֵי יְהוָה וַיִּמְשְׁחוּ אֶת-דָּוִד לְמֶלֶךְ עַל-יִשְׂרָאֵל:פ |
11:3
וַיָּבֹאוּ
כָּל-
זִקְנֵי
יִשְׂרָאֵל
אֶל-הַמֶּלֶךְ
חֶבְרוֹנָה
וַיִּכְרֹת
לָהֶם X |
3 So all the elders of Israel went to the King at Hebron, and King David contracted a covenant for them in Hebron in the presence of Yahweh. Then they anointed David to be king over Israel, just as Yahweh had predicted by the agency of Samuel. |
4 υἱὸς τριάκοντα ἐτῶν Δαυιδ ἐν τῷ βασιλεῦσαι αὐτὸν [καὶ] τεσσαράκοντα ἔτη ἐβασίλευσεν, |
4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign, [and] he reigned forty years. |
4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign, [and] he reigned forty years. |
4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. |
4 David was thirty years old when he became king, {and} he reigned 40 years: |
4 Hבֶּן-שְׁלֹשִׁים שָׁנָה דָּוִד בְּמָלְכוֹ Iאַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה מָלָךְJ: |
29:27 והַיָּמִים אֲשֶׁר מָלַךְ עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה |
29:27 And the days which he reigned over Israel were 40 years: |
5 ἑπτὰ ἔτη καὶ ἓξ μῆνας ἐβασίλευσεν ἐν Χεβρων ἐπὶ τὸν Ιουδαν καὶ τριάκοντα τρία ἔτη ἐβασίλευσεν ἐπὶ πάντα Ισραηλ καὶ Ιουδαν ἐν Ιερουσαλημ. |
5 Seven years and six months he reigned in Chebron over Juda, and thirty-three years he reigned over all Israel and Juda in Jerusalem. |
5 In Hebron he reigned over Juda seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned three and thirty years over all Israel and Juda. |
5 In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah. |
5 In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty three years over all Israel and Judah. |
5 בְּחֶבְרוֹן מָלַךְ עַל-יְהוּדָה שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים וְשִׁשָּׁה חֳדָשִׁים וּבִירוּשָׁלִַם מָלַךְ שְׁלֹשִׁים וְשָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנָה עַל כָּל-יִשְׂרָאֵל וִיהוּדָה: |
בְּחֶבְרוֹן מָלַךְ X X שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים X X וּבִירוּשָׁלִַם מָלַךְ שְׁלֹשִׁים וְשָׁלוֹשׁ |
In Hebron he reigned seven years, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty three. |
6
Καὶ ἀπῆλθεν
|
6
And |
6
And the king and [all]
the men that were with him went [to]
Jerusalem to
the Jebusites the inhabitants of the land: and |
6
And the king and his men went to Jerusalem unto
the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land: which spake unto
David, saying, Except |
6 Presently, {David} went (along with his men) toward Jerusalem, against the Jebusites residing in that land, but {they} spoke to David saying, “You won’t get in here! Even our blind and our lame men can keep you {occupied}, saying ‘David won’t get in here!’” |
6 וַיֵּלֶךְ הַמֶּלֶךְK וַאֲנָשָׁיו יְרוּשָׁלִַם אֶל-הַיְבֻסִיL יוֹשֵׁב הָאָרֶץ וַיֹּאמֶרM לְדָוִד לֵאמֹר לֹא-תָבוֹא הֵנָּה כִּי אִםN- הֱסִירְךָO הַעִוְרִים וְהַפִּסְחִים לֵאמֹר לֹא-יָבוֹא דָוִד הֵנָּה:P |
11:4 וַיֵּלֶךְ דָּוִיד וְכָל-יִשְׂרָאֵל יְרוּשָׁלִַם הִיא יְבוּס וְשָׁם הַיְבוּסִי יֹשְׁבֵי הָאָרֶץ: |
4 Presently, David went (along with all Israel) toward Jerusalem (that is, Jebus, and the residents of the land there were the Jebusites), |
11:5 וַיֹּאמְרוּ יֹשְׁבֵי יְבוּס לְדָוִיד לֹא תָבוֹא הֵנָּה X X X X X X X X X X וַיִּלְכֹּד דָּוִיד אֶת-מְצֻדַת צִיּוֹן הִיא עִיר דָּוִיד: |
5
but the residents of Jebus said to David, “You won’t
get in here!” |
||||||
7 καὶ κατελάβετο Δαυιδ τὴν περιοχὴν Σιων (αὕτη ἡ πόλις τοῦ Δαυιδ). |
7 And David took [firstQ] the hold of Sion: this is the city of David. |
7 But David took the castle of Sion, the same is the city of David. |
7 Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion: the same is the city of David. |
7 Nevertheless, David did capture the stronghold of Zion – that is, the City of David. |
7 וַיִּלְכֹּד דָּוִד אֵת מְצֻדַת צִיּוֹן הִיא עִיר דָּוִד: |
||
8 καὶ εἶπεν Δαυιδ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ Πᾶς τύπτων Ιεβουσαῖον X ἁπτέσθω ἐν παραξιφίδι καὶ τοὺς χωλοὺς καὶ τοὺς τυφλοὺς καὶ τοὺς μισοῦντας τὴν ψυχὴν Δαυιδ· διὰ τοῦτο ἐροῦσιν Τυφλοὶ καὶ χωλοὶ οὐκ εἰσελεύσονται εἰς οἶκον κυρίου. |
8 And David said on that day, Every one that smites the Jebusite, X let him attack with the dagger both the lame and the blind, and those that hate the soul of David. Therefore they say, The lame and the blind shall not enter into the house of the Lord. |
8 For David had offered that day a reward to whosoever should strike the Jebusites and get up to the gutter[s of the tops of the houses, and take away] the blind and the lame that hated the soul of David: therefore it is said in the proverb: The blind and the lame shall not come into the temple. |
8 And David said on that day, X Whosoever getteth up to the gutter, and smiteth the Jebusites, and the lame and the blind, that are hated [of] David's soul, he shall be chief and captain. Wherefore they said, The blind and the lame shall not come into the house. |
8 So David said on that day, “Anyone who strikes down the Jebusites {} will have to approach both ‘the blind and the lame men’ (who hated the soul of David) by means of the aqueduct.” (Therefore they say, “The blind and lame won’t get in to the house.”) |
8 וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא כָּל-מַכֵּה יְבֻסִי וְיִגַּעR בַּצִּנּוֹרS וְאֶת-הַפִּסְחִים וְאֶת-הַעִוְרִיםT שְׂנֹאוU נֶפֶשׁ דָּוִד עַל-כֵּן יֹאמְרוּ עִוֵּר וּפִסֵּחַ לֹא יָבוֹא אֶל-הַבָּיִתV: |
11:6 וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִיד כָּל-מַכֵּה יְבוּסִי בָּרִאשׁוֹנָה יִהְיֶה לְרֹאשׁ וּלְשָׂר וַיַּעַל בָּרִאשׁוֹנָה יוֹאָב בֶּן- צְרוּיָה וַיְהִי לְרֹאשׁ: |
6 So David said, “Anyone who strikes the Jebusites first will become my chief officer!” And Joab son of Zeruiah went up first, and he became head. |
9 καὶ ἐκάθισεν Δαυιδ ἐν τῇ περιοχῇ, καὶ ἐκλήθη αὕτη ἡ πόλις Δαυιδ· καὶ ᾠκοδόμησεν X [Wτὴν πόλιν] κύκλῳ ἀπὸ τῆς ἄκρας καὶ τὸν οἶκον [αὐτοῦ]. |
9 And David dwelt in the hold, and it was called the city of David, and he built [the city itself] round about from the citadel, and [he built] his [own] house. |
9
And David dwelt in the castle,
and called it, The city of David: and built round about from Mello
and |
9
So David dwelt in the fort,
and called it the city of David. And David built round about from
Millo and |
9 Then David resided in the stronghold and called it the City of David, and he built up {the city} all around from the rampart and towards the palace. |
9 וַיֵּשֶׁב דָּוִד בַּמְּצֻדָה וַיִּקְרָא-לָהּ עִיר דָּוִד וַיִּבֶן דָּוִדX סָבִיב מִן-הַמִּלּוֹאY וָבָיְתָהZ: |
11:7 וַיֵּשֶׁב דָּוִיד בַּמְצָדx עַל-כֵּן קָרְאוּ- לוֹ עִיר דָּוִיד: |
7 Then David resided in the stronghold, therefore they called it the City of David. |
11:8 וַיִּבֶן הָעִיר מִסָּבִיב מִן-הַמִּלּוֹא וְעַד-הַסָּבִיב וְיוֹאָב יְחַיֶּה אֶת-שְׁאָר הָעִיר: |
8 And he built up the city all around from the rampart even to the surrounding-wall. Meanwhile, Joab repaired the rest of the city. |
||||||
10 καὶ ἐπορεύετο Δαυιδ πορευόμενος καὶ μεγαλυνόμενος, καὶ κύριος X παντοκράτωρ μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ. -- |
10 And David X advanced and became great, and the Lord X Almighty was with him. |
10
And |
10 And David went on, and grew great, and the LORD God of hosts was with him. |
10 So David went on to advance and become great, and Yahweh {} of Army-hosts was with him. |
10 וַיֵּלֶךְ דָּוִד הָלוֹךְ וְגָדוֹלAA וַיהוָה אֱלֹהֵיAB צְבָאוֹת עִמּוֹ:פ |
11:9 וַיֵּלֶךְ דָּוִיד הָלוֹךְ וְגָדוֹל וַיהוָה צְבָאוֹת עִמּוֹ:פ |
9 So David went on to advance and become great, and Yahweh of Army-hosts was with him. |
11 καὶ ἀπέστειλεν Χιραμ βασιλεὺς Τύρου ἀγγέλους πρὸς Δαυιδ καὶ ξύλα κέδρινα καὶ τέκτονας ξύλων καὶ τέκτονας λίθων X, καὶ ᾠκοδόμησαν οἶκον τῷ Δαυιδ. |
11 And Chiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar wood, and carpenters, and stone-masons X: and they built a house for David. |
11 And Hiram the king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, and carpenters, and masons for wall[s]: and they built a house for David. |
11 And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, and carpenters, and X masons X: and they built David an house. |
11 Presently, Hiram, king of Tyre sent messengers to David along with cedar logs and wood craftmen and {} masonry craftmen, and they built a palace for David. |
11 וַיִּשְׁלַח חִירָם מֶלֶךְ-צֹר מַלְאָכִים אֶל- דָּוִד וַעֲצֵי אֲרָזִים וְחָרָשֵׁי עֵץ וְחָרָשֵׁי אֶבֶןAC קִיר וַיִּבְנוּ-בַיִת לְדָוִד: |
14:1 וַיִּשְׁלַח חִירָםAD מֶלֶךְ-צֹר מַלְאָכִים אֶל- דָּוִיד וַעֲצֵי אֲרָזִים וְחָרָשֵׁי קִירX וְחָרָשֵׁי עֵצִים לִבְנוֹת לוֹ בָּיִת: |
14:1 Presently, Hiram, king of Tyre, sent messengers to David along with cedar logs and masonry craftsmen and wood craftsmen to build a palace for him. |
12
καὶ ἔγνω Δαυιδ
ὅτι ἡτοίμασεν
αὐτὸν κύριος
εἰς βασιλέα
ἐπὶ Ισραηλ, καὶ
ὅτι ἐπήρ |
12
And David knew that the Lord had prepared him to be king over
Israel, and that X
his
kingdom |
12
And David knew that the Lord had confirmed him king over Israel,
and that he had exalted his kingdom |
12 And David perceived that the LORD had established him X king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for his people Israel's sake. |
12 And David knew that Yahweh had established him to be king over Israel and that He was raising up his kingdom for the sake of His people Israel. |
12
וַיֵּדַע
דָּוִד כִּי-הֱכִינוֹ
יְהוָה לְמֶלֶךְ
עַל-
יִשְׂרָאֵל
וְכִי נִשֵּׂאAE |
14:2 וַיֵּדַע דָּוִיד כִּי-הֱכִינוֹ יְהוָה לְמֶלֶךְ עַל- יִשְׂרָאֵל xכִּי- נִשֵּׂאת לְמַעְלָה מַלְכוּתוֹ בַּעֲבוּר עַמּוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל: פ |
2 And David knew that Yahweh had established him to be king over Israel, for his kingdom was being lifted upward for the sake of His people Israel. |
13 καὶ ἔλαβεν Δαυιδ ἔτι γυναῖκαςAG καὶ παλλακὰς ἐξ Ιερουσαλημ μετὰ τὸ ἐλθεῖν αὐτὸν ἐκ Χεβρων, καὶ ἐγένοντο τῷ Δαυιδ ἔτι υἱοὶ καὶ θυγατέρες. |
13 And David took again wives and concubines out of Jerusalem, after he came from Chebron: and David had still more sons and daughters born to him. |
13
And David took more concubines and wives of Jerusalem, after he
was come from Hebron: and there were born to David |
13 And David took him more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem, after he was come from Hebron: and there were yet sons and daughters born to David. |
13 Now, David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem after he came from Hebron, and more sons and daughters were born to David, |
13 וַיִּקַּח דָּוִד עוֹד פִּלַגְשִׁים וְנָשִׁים AHמִירוּשָׁלִַם אַחֲרֵי בֹּאוֹ מֵחֶבְרוֹן וַיִּוָּלְדוּ עוֹד לְדָוִדAI בָּנִים וּבָנוֹת: |
14:3
וַיִּקַּח
דָּוִיד עוֹד
X
xנָשִׁים
בִּירוּשָׁלִָם |
3 Now, David took more wives in Jerusalem, and David fathered more sons and daughters, |
14 καὶ ταῦτα τὰ ὀνόματα τῶν γεννηθέντων αὐτῷ ἐν Ιερουσαλημ· Σαμμους καὶ Σωβαβ καὶ Ναθαν καὶ Σαλωμων |
14 And these are the names of those that were born to him in Jerusalem; Sammus, and Sobab, and Nathan, and Solomon. |
14 And these are the names of them, that were born to him in Jerusalem, Samua, and Sobab, and Nathan, and Solomon, |
14 And these be the names of those that were born unto him in Jerusalem; Shammua, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon, |
14 so these are the names of the ones born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon, |
14
וְאֵלֶּה
שְׁמוֹת הַיִּלֹּדִים |
14:4
וְאֵלֶּה
שְׁמוֹת הַיְלוּדִים
אֲשֶׁר
הָיוּ־ |
4 so these are the names of the ones born who belonged to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, and Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon, |
15 καὶ Εβεαρ καὶ Ελισους καὶ Ναφεκ καὶ Ιεφιες |
15 And Ebear, and Elisue, and Naphec, and Jephies. |
15 And Jebahar, and Elisua, and Nepheg, 16 And Japhia, |
15 Ibhar also, and Elishua, and Nepheg, and Japhia, |
15 then Ibhar and Elishua and Nepheg, and Japhia, |
15
וְיִבְחָר
וֶאֱלִישׁוּעַAK |
14:5
וְיִבְחָר
וֶאֱלִישׁוּעַ |
5
then Ibhar and Elishua |
16
καὶ Ελισαμα
καὶ Ελιδαε
καὶ Ελιφαλαθ,
|
16
And Elisama, and Elidae, and Eliphalath, [Samae,
Jessibath, Nathan, |
and Elisama, and Elioda, and Eliphaleth. |
16 And Elishama, and Eliada, and Eliphalet. |
|
|
14:6
וְנֹגַהּ
וְנֶפֶג וְיָפִיעַ׃
|
6 then Nogah, and Nepheg, and Japhia, 7
then Elishama, |
1Numbers 4:3 “from thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, all who enter the service to do the work in the tabernacle of meeting.” (NKJV)
2Hebrews 13:7
3“[D]eriued of ijreh, ‘he will be seene’: as Abraham saith, ‘in the mount will the Lord be seen,’ Gen. 22. and shalem, ‘peace’: so Ierushalem signifieth ‘the vision of peace...’” ~Andrew Willett
4It is mentioned in the Tel-el-Amarna Letters around 1,400BC.
5Judges 1:8 “Now the children of Judah fought against Jerusalem and took it; they struck it with the edge of the sword and set the city on fire…. 21 But the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who inhabited Jerusalem; so the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.”
6Genesis 15:16-21
7This position was supported by the Targums, Willett, Goldman, and Tsumura. Matthew Henry’s supposition that it described the “town-hall or state-house” seems to be an outlier. K&D noted parallelism with “tower” in Jdg. 9:6 &46-49.
8Some
have interpreted “blind and lame” to mean “idols,”
in other words, there were two idols called “the blind ones”
and “lame ones” that the Jebusites thought would protect
their city, and David refused to add those idols to his temple, but
it would be mighty odd for pagans
to give such dorrogatory names to their idols, and it would be
mighty odd for David to even consider bring an idol into the
tabernacle.
The
Soncino Commentaries suggested it just meant that the fortress was
impregnable, but then I
would expect the saying to be, “The strongest mighty men will
not get in to the house,” not,
“the blind and lame won’t.”
Andrew Willett
suggested that David
ordered that the blind and lame should not enter his palace “as
a monument of this thankfulnes to God,” but I don’t see
how that connects logically.
9“Hail to the Lord's Anointed, Great David's greater Son! Hail, in the time appointed, His reign on earth begun! He comes to break oppression, To set the captive free, To take away transgression, And rule in equity.” ~James Montgomery
10Menander’s chronology would make it impossible for them to be the same person, but the Bible indicates they were the same. For more information, see the long editorial note on this in Keil & Delitzsch’s commentary on this passage.
11Alternately, Keil & Delitzsch suggest that they died young and so weren’t counted as significant by Samuel’s historian.
12“The two shall become one flesh” (Gen. 2:24) and, for instance, note the singular “vine” in Ps. 128:3 “Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine In the very heart of your house, Your children like olive plants All around your table.” (NKJV)
13Luke 3:31 “...the son of Melea, the son of Menan, the son of Mattathah, the son of Nathan, the son of David” (NKJV)
14http://www.creation.com has an interesting article on these geneaologies, affirming that it is not unusual to have one genealogical line much longer than the other.
AMy
original chart includes the NASB, ESV, and NIV, but their copyright
restrictions have forced 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 5 is
4Q51Samuela, which contains fragments of vs. 1-19, and
which has been dated between 50-25 B.C. Where the DSS is legible and
in agreement with the MT, the MT is colored purple. Where the DSS
supports the LXX (or Vulgate) 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}.
I have also marked up the parallel passage
in the MT of 1 Chronicles 11 & 14 by placing a capitol X where a
whole word found in the 2 Sam text is not found in the 1 Chron text,
a lower case “x” when a letter of a word is in 2Sam but
not 1 Chron, grey text to indicate words in the 1Chr text not found
in 2Sam, and orange text to indicate words where a synonym was
substituted.
BMany Hebrew manuscripts as well as the Syriac and some Targums support inserting “to him,” but it’s not in the DSS, MS or Vulgate or the parallel passage in 1 Chron. It makes no difference in meaning, though, since it is implied by context whether or not it’s explicitly stated.
CThe duplication of the word “spoke” is not found in some modern Hebrew manuscripts, DSS, LXX, Vulgate, Syriac, Targums or the parallel passage in 1 Chron. It makes no difference in meaning, as it is a common figure of speech in Hebrew to say, “They spoke saying...”
DThis
phrase shows up only four other times in the Bible:
Gen
2:23 And Adam said: "This is now bone of my bones And flesh of
my flesh; She shall be called Woman…"
Gen. 29:14
And Laban said to him [Jacob], "Surely you are my bone and my
flesh." And he stayed with him for a month.
Judges 9:1
Then Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem, to his mother's
brothers, and spoke with them and with all the family of the house
of his mother's father, saying, 2 "Please speak in the hearing
of all the men of Shechem:`Which is better for you, that all seventy
of the sons of Jerubbaal reign over you, or that one reign over
you?' Remember that I am your own flesh and bone."
2Sam.
19:11 So King David sent to Zadok and Abiathar the priests, saying,
"Speak to the elders of Judah, saying,`Why are you the last to
bring the king back to his house, since the words of all Israel have
come to the king, to his very house? 12 `You are my brethren, you
are my bone and my flesh. Why then are you the last to bring back
the king?'
EQere = הָיִיתָ הַמּוֹצִיא וְהַמֵּבִיא – the paragogic he at the end of the verb-of-being is shifted over one space to instead be the first letter of the next word, making that word definite, and the weak final aleph (which normally tends to be dropped out) is added back into the third word, all making for easier reading, but not changing the translation. The Qere has strong support from the parallel passage in 1 Chron 11, from the DSS (which is obliterated at this point, but which has space for the extra aleph), and the LXX (which has a definite article before the first participle).
F“Going
out” implies going to war, and “bringing in”
implies the troops coming back home safely. David is described as
doing that back in 1Samuel 18:13-16 “So Saul... positioned him
for himself as an officer over a thousand troops. So David went
out on missions and came back in the presence of the
people… And all Israel and Judah was loving David because he
was going out on missions and coming back in their
presence.” (NAW)
“feed/shepherd” references:
Psa 78:71 From following the ewes that had young He brought him, To
shepherd Jacob His people, And Israel His
inheritance. 1Ch 17:6 "...the judges of Israel, whom I
commanded to shepherd My people..." Eze 34:23 "I
will establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them
My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd.”
(NKJV)
The parallel passage in 1 Chronicles 11:3 says that
“...They anointed David to be king over Israel, just as Yahweh
had predicted by the agency of Samuel.” Back in 1 Samuel
13:14, the prophet Samuel had told King Saul, “but now your
kingdom will not go on. Yahweh has sought out for Himself a man
[whose] heart is like His, and Yahweh has commanded for him to
preside over His people because you did not value what Yahweh
commanded you.” (NAW) That
man who would “preside/be prince/leader/commander” over
God’s people was David.
GIt appears from the parallel account in 1 Chronicles 11-14 that there were a lot of folks defecting to David from every northern Israelite tribe before the elders saw the handwriting on the wall and anointed David king. Often, when a difficult political change needs to be made, organizational leaders will be cautious about acting too quickly for fear of bringing chaos upon their people. Often it takes folks who see ahead of time what God is doing and who make courageous breaks with the status quo to reassure their leaders that the path is safe enough to bring the whole group over. The covenant which David made with the elders could well have been the very one he had previously worked out with Abner which Abner had been about to get them to ratify.
HDSS seems to omit verses 4-5, which comports with 1 Chron rather than the MT of 1 Sam.
ILXX, Syriac, Targum, and Vulgate all insert “and” here. DSS does not contain this verse.
Jcf. 2 Samuel 2:10 “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” (NAW) Thirty was the traditional age for beginning a role of public service. It was a requirement for priests (Numbers 4:3 “from thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, all who enter the service to do the work in the tabernacle of meeting.” NKJV), and that’s when Jesus began His ministry (Luke 3:23). God had to mature David first for a while before he could properly fulfill the role of public office.
KA couple of Hebrew manuscripts, as well as the MT of 1 Chron 11 and the LXX (except for the Lucian Rescension) and the Syriac read “David.” It means the same thing as “the king,” though. The DSS is obliterated at this point in the verse.
LAccording to God’s original instructions in Deuteronomy 20, David park his army within striking range of Jerusalem and sent a messenger to say, “If you will surrender unconditionally to us and become our servants and stop worshipping idols and instead worship our God, we will let you live, otherwise, our God has told us to destroy you.” (Deuteronomy 20:10-18 "When you go near a city to fight against it, then proclaim an offer of peace to it. And it shall be that if they accept your offer of peace, and open to you, then all the people who are found in it shall be placed under tribute to you, and serve you. Now if the city will not make peace with you, but war against you, then you shall besiege it. And when the LORD your God delivers it into your hands, you shall strike every male in it with the edge of the sword... of the cities of these peoples which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance, you shall let nothing that breathes remain alive, but you shall utterly destroy them: the Hittite and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite, just as the LORD your God has commanded you, lest they teach you to do according to all their abominations which they have done for their gods, and you sin against the LORD your God.”)
MMT is active singular (“he/it said”), LXX reads passive singular “it was said,” but Syriac, Targum, Vulgate, and the MT of 1 Chron all read active plural “they said,” but this is not essentially different from the singular “Jerusalem… said.” The DSS is obliterated here, but there is certainly room for the extra vav required to make this verb plural.
NDSS and LXX don’t have this word, and it makes more sense without it.
ODSS reads **הסית (from סות “to incite” instead of from סור “to turn away” which is in the MT). The LXX appears to be following what was in the DSS rather than the MT.
POne thing we learned from Nabal’s run-in with David in 1 Samuel was that David couldn’t take taunts very well! It was the wrong thing for those Jebusites to tell David that he couldn’t obey God and capture Jerusalem and then to tell him that Jerusalem was so strong that even their blind men and their lame men could defend it. There might be the added jibe that they considered David to be all-talk and no action, so they could keep David from capturing Jerusalem by simply having their blind and lame men yell, “You can’t get in!” and David would just argue with them rather than actually attacking. Our historian quickly tells us that David didn’t put up with that; he capured the city, then we are told how:
QCuriously, the Vaticanus adds the prefix προ- (“first”) to the verb in the standard LXX, but the MT gives no reason to.
RDSS and LXX don’t have a conjunction here, Syriac and Targums do.
SOnly here and Psalm 42:8, which is speaks of water. LXX and Syriac appear to have misunderstood as “dagger,” and, no doubt, they did use their daggers to fight, but Joab and his men entered through a tunnel which the Jebusites had dug, from the top of the hill (where Jerusalem sat) down to the Gihon Spring at the base of the hill. It was a narrow tunnell that you would have to walk single-file to get through, but if the city was beseiged, they could still collect water to drink even if they couldn’t leave the walls of the city. The city was on a hill and surrounded by a thick wall, so it couldn’t be overcome by an army attacking it. It would be easy for even a blind or lame man to pick off every enemy as they came up the hill or tried to climb the wall. The Jebusites therefore trusted their fortifications so much that they thought they could mock God’s anointed. Their confidence was sadly misplaced, and God’s anointed conquered them! It appears from the parallel passage in 1 Chronicles 11 that Joab was the first Israelite solder up the narrow water tunnel to penetrate the interior of the city, so David awarded him with a continuance of his role as his army general. It is possible that this is the point in the chronology where David brought the head of Goliath to Jerusalem (1 Samuel 17:54), either before the battle to inspire the faith of the Israelites (and to get the Jebusites to question their confidence) or as a trophy to put on display in a museum at his new and permanent capitol city.
TDSS and Vulgate switch the order of “lame” and “blind” from the order in the MT & LXX.
UThe
MT suffix is vav (“they hated David”), the Qere
suffix is yod [שְׂנֻאֵי
“those who
are hated by David”], the LXX reads like the MT except as a
participle “those who hated,” and the DSS suffix is he
[שנאה
“she hated”
or “she who hated”].
All
the manuscripts and ancient versions have an active verb (“they
hated David” or “they who hated David”), but in
the Middle ages, Masoretic scribes suggested that the
last letter of whe word be changed in order to make it a
passive verb (“they are hated by David”), and that is
the way most modern English versions render it, and, from what we
know of David, he probably did carry animus against the Jebusites
after that taunting they gave him, but I prefer the original meaning
that they also hated David. If they had not hated the soul of David,
they would have accepted his terms of surrender and become his
servants, but they would rather die than serve him, so that’s
what happened. And, we might add, that’s what will happen to
all who hate the Messiah and who will not accept the Messiah’s
terms of peace (the Gospel message) and become His servants.
VPerhaps this saying was a way they made fun of the Jebusites, using their own words against them. Since they said they had blind and lame men who would hold David’s army at bay, David may have called all of the Jebusites “blind and lame men” by metonomy, so the “blind and lame” not entering his house would be equivalent to Jebusites not entering his house as servants like he had initially offered in his terms of peace. I can just hear David grousing about their retort about their blind and lame being able to hold him off and saying, “ ‘Blind and lame?’ That does it! When we get through with them, they’re ALL gonna be ‘blind and lame!” Better yet, ain’t gonna even be any ‘blind and lame’ Jebusites left to make house-servants of!”
WThe Vaticanus reads αυτην, changing the definite article to a demonstrative, but not much different in meaning.
XThe DSS [ryu hnbyw], LXX, Vulgate, and 1 Chron 14 substitute “the city” for the MT’s (and Syriac’s & Targums’) “David” here.
YThe Millo is considered a proper noun, labelling a part of the defenses of the city of Jerusalem. It is from a root word which means “fill.” The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary says that it describes ramparts made by building two walls close to each other and filling in the space between them with dirt, but the NIV describes them as “supporting terraces.” It is only mentioned in the following verses: 2 Sam. 5:9; 1 Ki. 9:15, 24; 11:27; 1 Chr. 11:8; 2 Chr. 32:5.
ZThe word is “house” in both the Greek and the Hebrew. It seems the English versions followed the Latin Vulgate with “inwards” but it may not be different in meaning since the king’s house would be further inside the walls.
AAcf. 2 Samuel 3:1 “Now, the war was long between the house of Saul and the house of David, but David actually got stronger as he went along, whereas the house of Saul actually got weaker as it went along.” (NAW)
AB“God” is not in the DSS or LXX. It doesn’t change anything because Yahweh is God.
ACDSS (and the MT of 1 Chron 14 and the Lucian Rescrition) omit this word “stone.” LXX instead omits the word “wall.” Vulgate, Syriac, and Targum have both words. Either word is dispensible without losing the meaning, though.
ADQere = חוּרָם – the same name just spelled with a longer first vowel
AECuriously, LXX follows the passive spelling found in 1 Chron 14.
AFSyriac (על) and Vulgate (super) read “over,” LXX (δια) reads “on account of.” These don’t result in essentially different meanings, though. cf. 1 Kings 10:9 "Blessed be the LORD your God, who delighted in you, setting you on the throne of Israel! Because the LORD has loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, to do justice and righteousness." (NKJV)
AGLXX switched the order of these words “concubines” and “wives,” but it doesn’t change the meaning. 1 Chron. 14 dropped out “concubines.” He had at least 10 concubines total.
AHTsumura explains the unexpected “from” (one would expect “in”), as well as its unexpected form (you’d expect it to be spelled מן), by the way it would sound if it were read aloud by a lector to a copy-scribe. The final “m” from the previous word would minimize being able to hear a “b” sound if that were the original prefix to “Jerusalem.”
AIDSS [dwu dywdl], LXX, and 1 Chron14 switch the order of these two words, but it doesn’t change the meaning.
AJIn the DSS, the word before Shobab ends with an aleph. It would be possible to end Shammua with an aleph as an alternate spelling that would not affect the pronunciation.
AKThe DSS is obliterated between Ibhar and Elishama, but the text of the MT would not nearly fill the space. It appears that the DSS here is the same as 1 Chron.14, which adds two more names not in the 2 Samuel 5 list, but there is not enough space in the DSS for the additional 10 names found in the LXX.