INTRODUCTION TO SECOND SAMUEL 5 In this chapter we have an account of all the tribes of Israel coming to Hebron, and anointing David king over them, 2 Samuel 5:1; of his expedition against the Jebusites in Jerusalem, and taking from them the strong hold of Zion, 2 Samuel 5:6; of his building an hou... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN CAME ALL THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL TO DAVID UNTO HEBRON,.... All the rest of the tribes, save the tribe of Judah, who had made him king over them in Hebron seven years ago. These were ambassadors sent in the name of the several tribes to him, quickly after the deaths of Abner and Ishbosheth; from ha... [ Continue Reading ]
ALSO IN TIME PAST, WHEN SAUL WAS KING OVER US,.... Even over all the tribes of Israel: THOU WAST HE THAT LEDDEST OUT AND BROUGHTEST IN ISRAEL; that led out the armies of Israel against their enemies, fought their battles for them, obtained victories, and brought the troops under his command home in... [ Continue Reading ]
SO ALL THE ELDERS OF ISRAEL CAME TO THE KING TO HEBRON,.... Which either explains what is meant by the tribes coming to him, 2 Samuel 5:1; namely, coming by their elders as their representatives; or else the meaning is, that the messengers the tribes sent, when they returned and reported the favoura... [ Continue Reading ]
DAVID [WAS] THIRTY YEARS OLD WHEN HE BEGAN REIGN,.... Over Judah, which was the age of his antitype Christ, when he entered upon his public ministry, Luke 3:23; [AND] HE REIGNED FORTY YEARS; and six months, as appears by 2 Samuel 5:5; but the months are not mentioned, only the round number of years... [ Continue Reading ]
IN HEBRON HE REIGNED OVER JUDAH SEVEN YEARS AND SIX MONTHS,.... So long the kingdom of Israel continued in the house of Saul after his death; and by this it appears that David was near thirty eight years of age when the elders of Israel came and made him their king: AND IN JERUSALEM HE REIGNED THIR... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE KING AND HIS MEN WENT TO JERUSALEM,.... Which, at least part of it, belonged to the tribe of Benjamin; and therefore until all Israel, and that tribe, with the rest, made him king, he did not attempt the reduction of it, but now he immediately set out on an expedition against it: UNTO THE J... [ Continue Reading ]
NEVERTHELESS, DAVID TOOK THE STRONG HOLD OF ZION,.... A fortress without the city, and separate from it, and which was very strong; and the taking it might facilitate the taking of the city, which yet as appears by what follows, was very difficult to do: THE SAME [IS] THE CITY OF DAVID; it was afte... [ Continue Reading ]
AND DAVID SAID ON THAT DAY,.... On which he took the strong hold of Zion: WHOSOEVER GETTETH UP TO THE GUTTER; where it is generally supposed the blind and lame were, whether images or real men: but what is meant by "Tzinnur", we render "gutter", is not easy to say; we follow some of the Jewish writ... [ Continue Reading ]
SO DAVID DWELT IN THE FORT,.... The strong hold of Zion, which he took: AND CALLED IT THE CITY OF DAVID; from his own name, to keep up the memory of his taking it, and of his habitation in it: AND DAVID BUILT ROUND ABOUT, FROM MILLO AND INWARD; built a wall about it, and enlarged the place, increa... [ Continue Reading ]
AND DAVID WENT ON, AND GREW GREAT,.... In honour and wealth, in fame and reputation, in subduing his enemies, obtaining conquests over them, and enlarging his dominions: AND THE LORD GOD OF HOSTS, of armies above and below, [WAS] WITH HIM: to whom all his prosperity and success was owing. The Targ... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HIRAM KING OF TYRE,.... This was father of that Hiram that lived in the times of Solomon, whose name was Abibalus before he took the name of Hiram, which became a common name of the kings of Tyre; his former name may be seen in the ancient historians quoted by Josephus s; of the city of Tyre, Is... [ Continue Reading ]
AND DAVID PERCEIVED THAT THE LORD HAD ESTABLISHED HIM KING OVER ISRAEL,.... By the prosperity and success which attended him in everything he set his hand to: AND THAT HE HAD EXALTED HIS KINGDOM FOR HIS PEOPLE ISRAEL'S SAKE; for their advantage and glory more than for his own.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND DAVID TOOK [HIM] MORE CONCUBINES AND WIVES OUT OF JERUSALEM, AFTER HE WAS COME FROM HEBRON,.... He had six when he was at Hebron, 2 Samuel 3:2, and now he took more, which was not to his honour, and contrary to the law of God, Deuteronomy 17:17; the concubines were a sort of half wives, as the w... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THESE [BE] THE NAMES OF THOSE THAT WERE BORN UNTO HIM IN JERUSALEM,.... The names of his sons, for his daughters are not mentioned, and these seem to be such only that were born of his wives, see 1 Chronicles 3:9; SHAMMUA, AND SHOBAB, AND NATHAN, AND SOLOMON; these four were by Bathsheba; the f... [ Continue Reading ]
IBHAR ALSO, AND ELISHUA, AND NEPHEG, AND JAPHIA. Elishua is called Elishama, 1 Chronicles 3:6.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND ELISHAMA, AND ELIADA, AND ELIPHALET. Seven more by some other wife or wives; nine are mentioned in 1 Chronicles 3:6; there being in that account two Eliphalets, and another called Nogah; which two, one of the Eliphalets, and Nogah, might die without sons, as Kimchi thinks, and so are not mention... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT WHEN THE PHILISTINES HEARD THAT THEY HAD ANOINTED DAVID KING OVER ISRAEL,.... That the civil war in the nation was now at an end, which they hoped would have issued in their destruction, and therefore lay still and quiet; but now being united under the government of David, and he hereby greatly... [ Continue Reading ]
THE PHILISTINES ALSO CAME AND SPREAD THEMSELVES IN THE VALLEY OF REPHAIM. Or "of the giants", as Joshua 15:8; which lay to the west of Jerusalem; of which, Joshua 15:8; the Philistines spreading themselves in it, shows that they were very numerous.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND DAVID INQUIRED OF THE LORD,.... By Abiathar, and the Urim and Thummim, in the ephod he had on: SAYING, SHALL I GO UP TO THE PHILISTINES? who by this time were gone from the valley to an higher place, to Mount Perazim, as in Isaiah 28:21; WILT THOU DELIVER THEM INTO MY HAND? here two questions... [ Continue Reading ]
AND DAVID CAME TO BAALPERAZIM,.... As it was after called, for here it has its name by anticipation, and whither the Philistines were come from the valley of Rephaim; see 1 Chronicles 14:11; which was at no great distance, the one being the hill, to which the other was the valley, computed to be abo... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY LEFT THEIR IMAGES,.... Their idol gods, which they brought with them to protect and defend them, and give them success; perhaps in imitation of the Israelites, who formerly brought the ark of God into their camp against the Philistines, 1 Samuel 4:3; and it appears to have been the custom o... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE PHILISTINES CAME UP YET AGAIN,.... And, as Josephus says z, with an army three times larger than the former: AND SPREAD THEMSELVES IN THE VALLEY OF REPHAIM; in the same place where they were before, 2 Samuel 5:20. z Antiqu. l. 7. c. 4. sect. 1.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN DAVID INQUIRED OF THE LORD,.... For though he had success before, and got the victory, he would not engage again with them without having the mind and will of God, on whom he knew victory alone depended: HE SAID, THOU SHALT NOT GO UP; that is, directly, and in a straight line: [BUT] FETCH... [ Continue Reading ]
AND LET IT BE, WHEN THOU HEAREST THE SOUND OF A GOING IN THE TOPS OF THE MULBERRY TREES,.... Of a going of the wind on the tops of these trees, making a rustling upon them, and that in such a manner as to resemble the going of men, or march of armies, as if they were moving in the air over the tops... [ Continue Reading ]
AND DAVID DID SO AS THE LORD COMMANDED HIM,.... In all things he was obedient to the command of God; Saul was not: he got behind the army of the Philistines, as he was directed; and when he heard the sound in the mulberry trees, he arose and fell upon his enemies: AND SMOTE THE PHILISTINES FROM GEB... [ Continue Reading ]