A Commentary on the Book of Second Samuel

Chapter Five

Unifying Israel and Judah - Then and Now

As reviewed in the Introduction, the tribe of Judah and the tribes of Israel, for some time now haven’t seen things politically eye-to-eye. There was some unification under King Saul’s reign but that didn’t last long. In this chapter we will see David, who is already king of Judah, become king to all the rest of Israel’s tribes, bringing all of Israel’s tribes together into one unified kingdom.

But later, due to continued disobedience to God, and Solomon embracing idolatry, God will separate the people again into two kingdoms. The northern kingdom will continue using the name Israel, and the southern kingdom will once again be called Judah. After several evil kings the northern kingdom will fall to the Assyrians and never again be seen as a separate nation. The southern kingdom over a hundred years later will also fall, but does rise again, only to be conquered again by the Romans.

The Bible often refers to the future restoration and unity of these two nations (for a few examples see: Deuteronomy 30:1-5; Isaiah 11:11-12; 33:20-24; 35:10; 43:1-44:28; 61:4-11; Jeremiah 23:3; 30:3; 31:4, 10, 33; 33:1-26; 50:19; Ezekiel 11:19-25; 34:11-24, 36:8-11, 22, 25-27; 37:21-23; Hosea 3:5; Joel 2:18-27; 3:17-18; Amos 9:11-15; Zephaniah 3:15-20; Zechariah 10:8-10; Malachi 3:1-5). When will this happen? We are witnessing this now in the nation of Israel, God is fulfilling these prophecies in front of our eyes! Here are a few selected passages from the book of Ezekiel (ESV):

Ezekiel 36:24 I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land.

Ezekiel 36:34-35 And the land that was desolate shall be tilled, instead of being the desolation that it was in the sight of all who passed by. And they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden, and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.’

Ezekiel 37:8-10 “But you, O mountains of Israel, shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to my people Israel, for they will soon come home. For behold, I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown. And I will multiply people on you, the whole house of Israel, all of it. The cities shall be inhabited and the waste places rebuilt

Ezekiel 37:16-23 “Son of man, take a stick and write on it, ‘For Judah, and the people of Israel associated with him’; then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph (the stick of Ephraim) and all the house of Israel associated with him.’ And join them one to another into one stick, that they may become one in your hand. And when your people say to you, ‘Will you not tell us what you mean by these?’ say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am about to take the stick of Joseph (that is in the hand of Ephraim) and the tribes of Israel associated with him. And I will join with it the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, that they may be one in my hand. When the sticks on which you write are in your hand before their eyes, then say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone, and will gather them from all around, and bring them to their own land. And I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. And one king shall be king over them all, and they shall be no longer two nations, and no longer divided into two kingdoms. They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols and their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions. But I will save them from all the backslidings in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.

In recent years God has reunited Judah and Israel in their land. He is moving in a mighty way today, it is exciting to watch prophecy unfold. We read throughout Ezekiel’s prophecies (and elsewhere in the Bible) two very important results of these prophecies coming true, the first referring to the Jews “Then they will know that I am the LORD” (see Ezekiel 36:11, 38; 37:6, 13, 14; 39:22) and secondly, “The nations will know that I am the LORD” (see Ezekiel 36:23, 36; 38:23; 39:6-7, 28). God will have revealed Himself to everyone!

But since many will still have not accepted God, and His Son as the Messiah (the Christ), there will also be a seven-year period that will, sadly, through great distress and anxiety (much like the periods of oppression during the time of the Judges and the conquering and subsequent captivities recorded in 1 & 2 Samuel and 1 & 2 Kings) help the Jews and all those dwelling on earth at that time (post-rapture), to remember God and seek forgiveness and recognize Jesus as their Savior.

David Anointed as King of Israel

[Verses 1-3 parallel 1 Chronicles 11:1-3]

5:1 Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “Behold, we are your bone and flesh.

The people of Israel come to David and proclaim that he is of the same lineage as they are, they are all descendants of Israel (Jacob). Which may sound strange to us, but they are “checking off” the first requirement for someone being their king, as recorded in Deuteronomy 17:15.

5:2 In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led out and brought in Israel. And the LORD said to you, ‘You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel.’ ”

They also remember that it was David who led the military in battle and brought everyone back victoriously. And that YHWH had told him, “You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel.” There is no record in the Bible that these words were spoken to David by God, but that does not negate or in any way ‘discount’ the statement. They knew that YHWH had called him to be the shepherd of His people Israel and to be prince (Hebrew nâ·ḡîḏ’, a leader, ruler) over Israel. The language used is similar to that we find in 1 Samuel 13:14; 25:30 (see also Psalm 78:70-72), it could have been who they remembered what Abner told them, “And Abner conferred with the elders of Israel, saying, “For some time past you have been seeking David as king over you. Now then bring it about, for the LORD has promised David, saying, ‘By the hand of my servant David I will save my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines, and from the hand of all their enemies.” (2 Samuel 3:17-18, ESV)

It should be noted that this verse is the first time the word ‘shepherd’ is related to the role of a king, ultimately pointing to the coming Messiah through the line of David (see John 10:1-18).

5:3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the LORD, and they anointed David king over Israel.

The elders of Israel came to David, they were undoubtedly with the tribes of Israel that had come to Hebron (see verse one), these men of authority now approach David and they agreed to a covenant which is ‘signed’ (put into effect) before YHWH. They earnestly agreed to the conditions of the covenant (which we do not know the contents of, and should not be confused by the covenants made between man and God, like the one given to the Israelites at Mount Sinai through Moses, see Genesis 19:1-9) and was witnessed before YHWH (likely sworn under an oath to God). They then anointed David as king over Israel, probably in a ceremony similar to the time he was anointed as king of Judah (see 2 Samuel 2:4). Again, we are not given any details to who was involved or what was spoken during these ceremonies. David was now king over the unified kingdom of Israel.

5:4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. 5 At Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.

The author stops the narrative and inserts ‘statistics’ regarding David’s reign. First, he notes that David was thirty years old when he started to reign, and secondly, that he reigned for a total of forty years. The author then breaks it down by the location where David reigned, he first reigned over Judah for seven years and six months in Hebron, and then later at Jerusalem (which was occupied by the Jebusites up to the time David was able to purge them).

Since many of the inhabitants of the Promised Land prior to the arrival of the Israelites were still in the land (like the Jebusites), even after a significant number were purged by Joshua and others, the command for their removal was still valid and needed to be obeyed (see Exodus 23:23-24; Deuteronomy 7:1-2; 20:17).

[Verses 6-10 parallel 1 Chronicles 11:4-9]

5:6 And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, “You will not come in here, but the blind and the lame will ward you off”—thinking, “David cannot come in here.”

In his first recorded act as Israel’s king, David takes the initiative to follow those, now centuries old commands that were given to Moses, to continue the campaign against the foreigners in the land. He begins with Jerusalem (while occupied by the Jebusites it was referred to as Jebus, see Joshua 18:28; 1 Chronicles 11:4).

The Jebusites taunt David by telling him that he could never get into the city, that even the blind and lame could fend him off, as they were thinking (Hebrew lē ’mōr’, a verb meaning to say, in addition to speech, it can refer to inner thoughts), that “David cannot come in here.”

5:7 Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David.

Regardless of how the Jebusites thought about their defenses, David was able to breakdown the stronghold of Zion. The meaning of the name ‘Zion’ is largely unknown, it is used in Scripture to refer to the city of David and Jerusalem as we see in this verse, to the Temple Mount (see Psalm 9:11-12), to the area or cities of Judah (see Psalm 69:35-36), and to God’s holy mountain (see Psalm 48:2-3). It is also a reference to the future dwelling place of Israel’s divine king (see Isaiah 2:1-4; 24:23; 60:14; 65:17-25; Joel 3:17, 21; Joel 3:17; Micah 4:2, 7; Zechariah 8:1-3). The following verse explains how David was able to penetrate the city.

5:8 And David said on that day, “Whoever would strike the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack ‘the lame and the blind,’ who are hated by David’s soul.” Therefore it is said, “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.”

In the Hebrew text we are told that David determined that the only way to defeat the Jebusites was to use the ṣin·nôr’, which has been translated in a number of ways including: “water shaft” (AMP, CSB, ESV, GW, ISV, NIV, NKJV, NRSV, REB, RSV, TLV); “water tunnel” (CEV, GNB, LSB, NASB, NCV, NET, NLT); “water supply” (LEB); “gutter” (KJV); “grappling-iron” (NEB); “dagger” (LXX); and in Psalm 42:7 the same word is usually translated as “waterfalls” or “waterspout.” Most believe it refers to “Warren’s Shaft” (see below), others believe it to be some form of a water conveyance system like a drain pipe on the side of the wall. However, that isn’t the most confusing part of the verse, the remainder of the verse is also widely translated and interpreted. Most agree that the text of this verse, to some degree, has been corrupted, and therefore its original intention may not be discoverable (the Septuagint and the DSS read similar to the Hebrew text offering little to no help from them, the Aramaic Targum renders this verse very differently, see below), but it seems likely that David was “returning the taunt” as an insult, that they (David and his men) would go in and attack those “lame and blind” Jebusites who are hated by David. And, “That is the origin of the saying, “The blind and the lame may not enter the house.” (2 Samuel 5:8b, NLT) But again, all of these interpretations are more speculative than certainty!

No defensible translation of the passage has yet been proposed, and it is natural to conjecture that the text is corrupt, though its restoration is now perhaps impossible.^[1]

5:9 And David lived in the stronghold and called it the city of David. And David built the city all around from the Millo inward.

The once longstanding stronghold of the Jebusites now becomes David’s new home. While it made sense that now being the king of all Israel to move to a more centralized location than Hebron, it is also the location selected by God (see 2 Chronicles 7:16; Psalm 48:1-2, 8; 68:16; 122:3-4; 132:13-14; Isaiah 60:14; Ezekiel 5:5; Joel 3:17; Zechariah 1:14, 16-17; 3:2).

We are told that David built the city of David all around the Millo (Hebrew mil·lô(’)’, considered a proper name, believed to be a man-made citadel built on a terrace, other translations include terraces, ramparts, and a landfill, this is the first this word appears in Scripture) inward (see also 1 Chronicles 11:7-8).

Once David had moved his residence from Hebron to Jerusalem, the first step was to repair, reinforce, and fortify it in order to guarantee his security. The “building” activities (בָּנָה, banah) referred to here were not for purpose of beautification, much less luxury: They were for security. The other needs would come later. The “stronghold” (i.e., “City of David”) was surrounded on three sides (east, south, and west) by valleys. But fortifications were needed around the peninsular rock outcropping. That is what “on all sides” (סָבִיב, saviv) means here as Youngblood explains:^[2]

As the city expanded, the terraces would expand accordingly (1 Kings 9:15, 24; 11:27) and in any event would be in constant need of repair and reinforcement (2 Chronicles 32:5). First Chronicles 11:8 observes that, in addition to David’s building activities, Joab (David’s commander-in-chief and the point man in Jerusalem’s conquest) “restored the rest of the city” (parts of which were doubtless damaged or destroyed as a result of Joab’s attack to capture it).^[3]

5:10 And David became greater and greater, for the LORD, the God of hosts, was with him.

The author informs us that David became greater and greater (other translations include stronger and stronger, more and more powerful, and more and more esteemed) for YHWH, the God of Hosts (Hebrew ṣᵉḇā·ʾôṯ’, click here to read more about this word) was with him.

[Verses 11-12 parallel 1 Chronicles 14:1-2]

5:11 And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, also carpenters and masons who built David a house.

We are introduced to Hiram, the king of Tyre, a city known for its trade and shipping, located on the Mediterranean coast on the northern border of Asher’s territory (see Joshua 19:2). Hiram apparently saw David as a rising influence in the region and established a lasting friendship with him. He sent David cedar wood, carpenters, and stone masons to Jerusalem to build David a house.

5:12 And David knew that the LORD had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.

After seeing all that God had been doing for David and Israel, David realized that God had established him as king and blessed the kingdom for the sake of His people Israel.

[Verses 13-16 parallel 1 Chronicles 3:5-8]

5:13 And David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he came from Hebron, and more sons and daughters were born to David. 14 And these are the names of those who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, 15 Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, 16 Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.

In a similar manner to what was written in 2 Samuel 3:2-5 regarding David’s sons born in Hebron, the author now informs us about David’s sons born in Jerusalem. In 1 Chronicles 3:5 we are told that the mother of the first four listed is Bath-shua (Bath-sheba), but the identities of the mothers for the remaining number (which are different than the number of sons listed here) are unknown.

The list of David’s sons born in Jerusalem vary from the two listings found in the book of 1 Chronicles. This table provides a comparison.

Considerations

Warren’s Shaft (Tunnel)

Discovered by Charles Warren, a British engineer, archaeologist, and military officer in 1867. It is a natural vertical shaft next to the Gihon Spring. It was demonstrated by one of Warren’s men that the shaft could be traversed from the bottom (outside the city) to the top (inside the city). But we do not know if this shaft was used by David to penetrate Jerusalem.

Verses 6-8 as translated from the Targum (reference only - no commentary)

6 And the king and his men went to Jerusalem, to the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land. And they said to David, "You shall not enter here, unless you remove the sinners and the guilty ones who say, 'David shall not enter here.'" 7 And David took the stronghold of Zion; the same is the city of David. 8 And David said on that day, “Whoever strikes the Jebusites and conquers the city, and the sinners and the guilty whom David’s soul hates, therefore they shall say, ‘The sinners and the guilty shall not enter the house.’”^[4]

David Defeats the Philistines

[Verse 17 parallels 1 Chronicles 14:8]

5:17 When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. But David heard of it and went down to the stronghold.

Apparently the Philistines felt that while David was the king of Judah, and especially when engaged in war with the Israelites, the Philistines considered David either their ally, or at most, a neutral party. But that all changed when the Philistines heard that he was now king of all of Israel, he was now an enemy. So they made it a priority to find and engage him in battle, probably thinking that it would be easier to fight him now before he has established a strong army. When David heard that the Philistines were looking for him, so he went to the stronghold identified in verse nine, in Jerusalem. Some believe the events recorded in this verse occurred between David being anointed as king of Israel, and the battle with the Jebusites, making the reference to a stronghold being something other than Jerusalem, such as the cave of Adullam.

[Verses 18-21 parallel 1 Chronicles 14:9-12]

5:18 Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. 19 And David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you give them into my hand?” And the LORD said to David, “Go up, for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand.”

The Philistines approach Jerusalem but spread out in the Valley of Rephaim^[5] which was less than a mile from Jerusalem (see Joshua 15:8; 18:16), possibly to lure David out of the stronghold. David inquires from YHWH whether he should go out and engage the Philistines, and God tells him to go as he will be victorious.

5:20 And David came to Baal-perazim, and David defeated them there. And he said, “The LORD has broken through my enemies before me like a breaking flood.” Therefore the name of that place is called Baal-perazim.

David went to Baal-perazim in the north end of the Valley of Rephaim and defeated the Philistines there, and since YHWH allowed them to “break through” the Philistines like a raging flood, the location was named Baal-perazim, which means “lord of breaking through” or “lord of the breakthrough.” Many locations in the Bible are referred to by a name before being officially named, click here to read more.

As the name of the place is explained here, however, Baʿal does not denote the Canaanite or Phoenician god of that name, but is a title of Yahweh (cf. on 4:4); and נעל פרצים, in the sense of ‘Master of breakings forth’ (upon the foe), is understood as commemorating the victory (comp. יהוה  נסי Ex. 17:15; יהוה שלום Jud. 6:24).^[6]

5:21 And the Philistines left their idols there, and David and his men carried them away.

Like many of the ancient pagan cultures the Philistines had brought the idols of their deities with them into battle. But when they were overwhelmed by David and his men, they left their idols behind. It was the practice that when an enemy’s idols were captured, like the Ark of the Covenant was many years earlier (see 1 Samuel 4:11), the idol was brought back to demonstrate superiority. Here we read that David and his men carried them away, but not to take them back with them, but to destroy them as Deuteronomy 7:5 required. The parallel passage in 1 Chronicles 14:12 indicates that David had them burn the idols.

[Verses 22-25 parallel 1 Chronicles 14:13-17]

5:22 And the Philistines came up yet again and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim.

The Philistines later tried again to conquer David and his men in the same valley near Jerusalem. Perhaps prepared this time for David’s direct assault.

5:23 And when David inquired of the LORD, he said, “You shall not go up; go around to their rear, and come against them opposite the balsam trees. 24 And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then rouse yourself, for then the LORD has gone out before you to strike down the army of the Philistines.”

But David did not assume that the old plan of attack would work and sought once again the guidance of YHWH. God had a different plan for David, he was not to approach from the front, instead he was to go around the Philistines opposite the balsam trees (Hebrew bᵉḵā·ʾîm’, unknown exact translation, seen translated as: balsam trees, baka shrubs, mulberry trees, poplar trees, and aspen trees). He told them to wait there until they heard the sound of marching in the tops of the trees, and then go and attack the Philistines. As YHWH will go out before them and strike down the army of the Philistines. God would create the sound of men marching which would cause the Philistines to be confused and panic, and then David was to attack.

5:25 And David did as the LORD commanded him, and struck down the Philistines from Geba to Gezer.

David did as he was instructed by YHWH and was able to strike down the Philistines and were able to fight them from Geba (also known as Gibeah, a Levitical city of Benjamin on the northern border of Judah, see 2 Kings 23:8, the parallel account in 1 Chronicles 14:16 refers to it as the city of Gibeon, which was less than four miles away) to Gezer (a Levitical city of Ephraim in the northern portion of the Shephelah, estimated to be forty miles away from Geba)..

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[1] Lange, J. P., Schaff, P., Erdmann, D., Toy, C. H., & Broadus, J. A. (2008). A commentary on the Holy Scriptures: 1 & 2 Samuel (p. 405). Logos Bible Software.

[2] Hoffner, H. A., Jr. (2015). 1 & 2 Samuel (Vol. 2, p. 246). Lexham Press.

[3] Youngblood, R. F. (1992). 1, 2 Samuel. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel (Vol. 3, p. 856). Zondervan Publishing House.

[4] Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon. (2005). Targum Jonathan to the Prophets. Hebrew Union College. Translated into English by Logos.

[5] Rephaim was one of the tribal names for the Nephilim, click here to read about these unusual people that were now gone.

[6] Driver, S. R. (1913). Notes on the Hebrew text and topography of the books of Samuel (pp. 263–264). Clarendon Press.