2 Samuel 5
OGCA DIGEST OF CHAPTER 5
David king over all Israel. After David had reigned for seven years in Hebron all the tribes of Israel came to him and asked him to be king over them. Since Mephibosheth was dead, they needed to unite under one king.
David in Jerusalem. David needed a capital city. Hebron was too far south to be reached easily by all the people of Israel. The Jebusites still held the stronghold of Jerusalem. David took this and made it his capital city.
David against the Philistines. When the Philistines heard that David was anointed king over Israel, they saw his rise to power as a threat to their safety. They attacked him, but God delivered the Philistines into the hands of David.
LESSONS FOR LEARNING
Goodness unites God’s people. David was a good ruler. He had ruled well for seven years in the South over the one tribe of Judah. The rest of Israel saw that God was with him. They needed a leader and they naturally turned to David. This is always true among God’s people. They unite gladly behind a leader who is worthy of their allegiance.
Blessings are heaped on blessings. God has said that if we will give Him that which is rightfully His, He will open the windows of heaven (Malachi 3:10). He has done that in the lives of many of His followers. He did this for David. David moved from being king over one tribe to being king over twelve tribes. He moved from the city of Hebron to the well-fortified city of Jerusalem. More sons and daughters were born to him. God heaped blessings upon blessings, and He will do that for His followers today.
CHAPTER 5 IN REVIEW
What leaders of Israel came to David?
How old was he when he began to rule all Israel?
How long did he reign altogether?
How long did he rule over all Israel?
What city did David take as his capital?
What foreign king sent greetings to David?
What did he build for David?
How many sons were borne to David in Jerusalem?
Over what country did he reign?
Who first attacked David after he became king?
2 Samuel 5:1-5
- David Made King Over All Israel, 2 Samuel 5:1-15.
David King Over All Israel. 2 Samuel 5:1-5
Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, and spake, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh.
2 Also in time past, 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 a captain 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. 4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.
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.
*1.
By whom were the tribes represented at the anointing of David?* 2 Samuel 5:1
The tribes of Israel were represented at David’s anointing by the elders, the rulers of the tribes. David had previously been anointed by Samuel. At Hebron he had been anointed by the men of Judah.
Now David was anointed the third time. This time he was anointed by all the tribes and peoples of Israel. A fuller account of David’s being made king of Israel may be found in 1 Chronicles 12:23-40.
David was thirty years old when he began to reign. He reigned seven and one-half years at Hebron. He reigned 33 years at Jerusalem. In all the reign of David over Israel can be counted at forty years.
*2.
Why was David anointed again? 2 Samuel 5:3*
David’s anointing at Hebron by the elders of Israel was the third time that he had been anointed. He was anointed secretly first, by Samuel (1 Samuel 16:1 ff.). He was anointed over the tribe of Judah only soon after the death of Saul (2 Samuel 2:4). The third anointing was performed by all the tribes and leaders of the people of Israel. A fuller account of David’s becoming king over Israel may be found in 1 Chronicles 12:23-40.
*3.
What was the length of David’s reign? 2 Samuel 5:5*
David was thirty years old when he began to reign. He reigned seven and one-half years at Hebron over Judah only. He reigned thirty-three years over all the tribes of Israel. In all his reign was forty and one-half years. Reference is generally made to its being forty years in length, without counting the half year in addition. This was a joyous occasion for the chosen people of God. They came before David with a perfect heart, indicating that there was none to oppose this move. The people brought bread on asses, camels, and mules, an indication of the festivities connected with the occasion. This was the beginning of a glorious period in Israel’s history.
2 Samuel 5:6-16
David in Jerusalem. 2 Samuel 5:6-16
6 And the king and his men went to Jerusalem unto the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land: which spake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither: thinking, David cannot come in hither. 7 Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion: the same is the city of David.
8 And David said unto that day, 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.
9 So David dwelt in the fort, and called it the city of David. And David built round about from Millo and inward. 10 And David went on, and grew great, and the Lord God of hosts was with him.
11 And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, and carpenters, and masons: and they built David a house. 12 And David perceived that the Lord had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for his people Israel’s sake. 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.
14 And these be the names of those that were born unto him in Jerusalem; Shammua, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon,
15 Ibhar also, and Elishua, and Nepheg, and Japhia, 16 And Elishama, and Eliada, and Eliphalet.
*4.
How was Jerusalem taken? 2 Samuel 5:6-7*
There was no better place in the promised land for a capitol than the city of Jebusites which had formerly borne the name, Jebus. All former attempts to capture the city had failed. So secure did the inhabitants of the city feel that they taunted David by saying, Except thou shalt take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither (2 Samuel 5:6). The men dwelling in Jerusalem thought that even those who were halt and blind and lame among them could successfully defend the city against the onslaughts of David’s men.
Zion and Millo are both ridges in the city of Jerusalem, Zion is the more easterly and the higher of the two. Millo was a stronghold built up by David. This same stronghold was strengthened by Solomon and rebuilt by Hezekiah. Joab, the son of Zeruiah, first smote the Jebusites. He entered the city through a water main that emptied at a point below the main stronghold. David had announced that whoever was first to get into the city would become his captain. Joab performed this feat and thus became captain of David’s armies.
*5.
Where was the stronghold of Zion? 2 Samuel 5:7*
In David’s time the city of Jerusalem was confined to the summit of Mount Zion, and the stronghold of its defenses was a fortification called Millo. Recent excavations have been made at the southern end of Mount Moriah, leading to the erroneous conclusion that Mount Zion, the city of David, was down on Ophel. This was disproved by Warren and Conder in their excavations during the middle of the nineteenth century. Mount Zion itself, was completely isolated by surrounding ravines, except at the northwest corner, where a narrow saddle of rock connected it with higher ground, stretching off in that direction. The modern Joppa gate stands at the top of this saddle. This would be the usual way to attack the city, but David went in from the south through the water course and was able to surprise the people. Josephus tells of David’s capturing a lower city before he assaulted the citadel, but this cannot be verified. The city was indeed a great city, and found its way into the heart of David who praised it in such lines as those in the forty-eighth Psalm:
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness.
Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.
God is known in her places for a refuge.
Walk about Zion, and go round about her: tell the towers thereof.
Mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her palaces; that ye may tell it to the generation following. For this our God is our God for ever and ever; He will be our guide even unto death.
The city has continued as one of the world’s most ancient and most important centers of human activity. A rundown of some important incidents in the history of Jerusalem reveals these dates and events:
1010 B.C.
Taken by David
967
First Temple built by Solomon
587
City taken by Nebuchadnezzar
537
Reoccupied by the Jews
516
Second Temple dedicated
168
City taken by Antiochus Epiphanes and Temple desecrated
165
Temple cleansed by Judas Maccabaeus
63
City taken by Pompey
11
Third Temple built by Herod
70 A.D.
City taken and Temple destroyed by Titus 136
City rebuilt by Hadrian
614
City taken by the Persians
629
Retaken by Heraclitus
637
Taken by the Mohammedans
1099
Taken by the Crusaders
1187
Taken by Saladin
1229
Surrendered to the Emperor Frederic II
1244
Taken by the Tartars
1247
Taken by the Sultan of Egypt
1517
Taken by the Ottoman Sultan Selim I
1917
Taken from the Turks by the Allied Forces of Great Britain, France, and Italy
1956
Divided between Israel and Jordan
*6.
Why did Hiram, king of Tyre, send messengers to David? 2 Samuel 5:11-12*
Significant is the statement, And David waxed greater and greater; for Jehovah, the God of hosts, was with him (2 Samuel 5:10). Hiram, the king of Tyre, could see that David was growing stronger and stronger. Hiram knew that the cedar trees, carpenters, and masons would be needed by a king of a growing empire. He knew too, that the new king would need a palace. He provided these and enabled David to have a place to live befitting a king. The people of Tyre depended upon the south-country for their food supply. The king of Tyre wanted to be a friend of David’S.
*7.
Why did David take more wives? 2 Samuel 5:13*
David was taking his place among kings of the Near East; these kings normally had many wives. David already had seven wives, according to the account in 2 Samuel 3:2-5, if we include Michal. His family is not only mentioned here and in the third chapter, but throughout this narrative. We know that David later married Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah (2 Samuel 11:27). In all of these listings we find that he also had nineteen sons. Mention is made of only one daughter, Tamar (2 Samuel 13:1).
2 Samuel 5:17-25
David Against the Philistines 2 Samuel 5:17-25
17 But when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines came up to seek David; and David heard of it, and went down to the hold.
18 The Philistines also came and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. 19 And David inquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up to the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into mine hand? And the Lord said unto David, Go up: for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into thine hand. 20 And David came to Baal-perazim, and David smote them there, and said, The Lord hath broken forth upon mine enemies before me, as the breach of waters. Therefore he called the name of that place Baal-perazim. 21 And there they left their images, and David and his men burned them. 22 And the Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. 23 And when David inquired of the Lord, he said, Thou shalt not go up; but fetch a compass behind them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees.
24 And let it be, when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the Lord go out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines. 25 And David did so, as the Lord had commanded him; and smote the Philistines from Geba until thou come to Gazer.
*8.
What was the purpose of the Philistine invasion? 2 Samuel 5:17-21*
The Philistines learned that David had been anointed king over Israel. They naturally desired to attack him before he was able to strengthen himself greatly. David went down to the stronghold. Had he already been in control of Jerusalem at this time he probably would not have left the city. As it was, he went down to meet the hosts of the enemy which were encamped in the valley of Rephaim. The valley of Rephaim leads away from the west side of Jerusalem. Its main course extends toward the Philistine plain. The main body of the valley can be located not far from Bethlehem. The Philistines, who had seen David’s rising power and desired to check him, evidently found this to be a likely spot for a pitched battle. Baal-perazim, as a name, signifies, The place of breakings forth. The Philistines gave way all at once, like water breaking loose. The people called the place, the breaking away of Baal. It was here that the enemy left the images that they had brought with them into the battle. David and his men took them away to be burned.
*9.
Where was the battle of the Mulberry Trees? 2 Samuel 5:22-25*
In the second attack, the Philistines again encamped in the valley of Rephaim. They had gone farther north this time. Chronicles says that the place of retreat is Gibeon, a site farther west. The name Geba may have been mistaken for Gibeah. Probably the names were confused. The location according to Chronicles would be some seven or eight miles from Jerusalem in a northwesterly direction.
*10.
Where was Gazer? 2 Samuel 5:25*
Gazer is another name for Gezer. Gezer was a very ancient city on the Shephelah. It lay just above the maritime plains, some eighteen miles northwest of Jerusalem and seventeen miles southwest of Joppa. The site was strategic since it guarded one of the few roads of access from Joppa to Jerusalem. –Tel Gezer is the modern town of Khirbet-yerdeh. It is called Gezer in 2 Samuel 5:25 and 1 Chronicles 14:16. The occupation of the site goes back to times of the Canaanites who occupied the area in the last half of the third millennium before Christ. Their descendants were in the area when the Israelites came into the land under Joshua. Joshua smote the king of Gezer (Joshua 12:12). Yet the Canaanites regained control of the city and remained safe behind their extensive fortifications (Judges 1:29). A famous calendar containing an agenda for a Palestinian farmer’s activities in the age of Saul and David was translated by W. F. Albright from Hebrew characters dating around 925 B.C. Whether the Philistines were able to find refuge in Gezer or not, we cannot tell from this narrative, but it was apparent that David was not able to pursue them any further than this well-fortified settlement.