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2 SAMUEL 5

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

READING CYCLE THREE (see "Bible Interpretation Seminar")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects. Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

1. First paragraph
2. Second paragraph
3. Etc.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 5:1-5
  ¹Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, "Behold, we are your bone and your flesh. ²Previously, when Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and in. And the Lord said to you, 'You will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be a ruler over Israel.'" ³So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them before the Lord at Hebron; then they anointed David king over Israel. ⁴David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years. ⁵At Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.

5:1 "all the tribes of Israel" Israel is the new name given to Jacob in Gen. 32:22-32. It came to be a collective title for his sons (i.e., tribes). Josephus, Antiq. 7.2.2, gives a list of the numbers of fighting men from each tribe that came to the coronation (cf. 1 Chr. 12:23-40).

SPECIAL TOPIC: ISRAEL (THE NAME)

5:1-2 There are three reasons given why David should be king of the united tribes.

1. He was their relative, v. 1 (for other uses of this idiom, see Gen. 2:23; 29:14; Jdgs. 9:2; 2 Sam. 19:12-13)
2. He was a successful military leader under Saul (cf. 1 Samuel 18), v. 2 (lit. "lead out and in")
3. He was the Lord's choice (cf. 1 Sam. 16:13; 2 Samuel 7), v. 2

The LXX follows the MT's idiom of "in times past" (cf. 2 Sam. 3:17; i.e., the recent history, not ancient history).

▣ "You will shepherd My people Israel" This is powerful imagery used of YHWH, Himself's, presence, care, and provision.

1. Moses acted like a shepherd, Num. 27:17
2. David was a shepherd when Samuel called and anointed him (cf. 2 Sam. 7:8)
3. YHWH is characterized as a shepherd in Psalm 23; 78:52; 80:1; Isa. 40:11
4. the Messiah is described by this imagery in John 10:1; 1 Pet. 2:25 (wounded in Zechariah 13)

This NOUN (BDB 617) is defined as "what is conspicuous," "in front." It has the connotation of a divinely "chosen leader."

1. Saul ‒ 1 Sam. 9:16; 10:1
2. David ‒ 1 Sam. 13:14; 25:30; 2 Sam. 6:21
3. Solomon ‒ 1 Chr. 29:22

5:3 "the elders" See SPECIAL TOPIC: ELDERS.

▣ "covenant" The added phrase "before the Lord," shows the covenant involved YHWH, not just David.

SPECIAL TOPIC: COVENANT

▣ "they anointed David" This was the third anointing.

1. one by Samuel in Bethlehem before his family, 1 Sam. 16:13
2. one in Hebron before Judah by the men of Judah, 2 Sam. 2:4
3. finally in Hebron by all of Israel, 2 Sam. 5:3

SPECIAL TOPIC: "ANOINTING" IN THE BIBLE

5:4-5 This is a standard summary statement of a covenant king. It occurs many times in 1 and 2 Kings.

5:4 "forty" See SPECIAL TOPIC: SYMBOLIC NUMBERS IN SCRIPTURE, #7.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 5:6-10
  ⁶Now the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, and they said to David, "You shall not come in here, but the blind and lame will turn you away"; thinking, "David cannot enter here." ⁷Nevertheless, David captured the stronghold of Zion, that is the city of David. ⁸David said on that day, "Whoever would strike the Jebusites, let him reach the lame and the blind, who are hated by David's soul, through the water tunnel." Therefore they say, "The blind or the lame shall not come into the house." ⁹So David lived in the stronghold and called it the city of David. And David built all around from the Millo and inward. ¹⁰David became greater and greater, for the Lord God of hosts was with him.

5:6 "Jerusalem" Apparently the city was divided into two halves, a lower city probably on Mt. Moriah and an upper fortress on Mt. Zion. The lower city fell to Joshua and was burned although it was never occupied by the Hebrews, cf. Josh. 11:3; 15:63; Jdgs. 1:8,21. This city wa a natural fortress and was located between the borders of Ephraim and Benjamin, therefore, it made a perfect site for the capital of Israel.

This city goes by several names in this chapter.

1. Jerusalem
2. the stronghold of Zion (for "Zion" see NIDOTTE, vol. 4, pp. 1314-1321)
3. the city of David, vv. 7,9

SPECIAL TOPIC: MORIAH, SALEM, JEBUS, ZION, JERUSALEM

▣ "Jebusites" See SPECIAL TOPIC: PRE-ISRAELITE INHABITANTS OF PALESTINE.

▣ "the blind and lame" This may be an ANE curse idiom. See IVP Bible Background Commentary (OT), p. 327.

The MT supports those "who hated the soul of David" (BDB 971, KB 1338, Qal PERFECT). However, the Masoretic scholars (and DSS) suggested a change to those "who are hated by David's soul" (Qere, Qal PASSIVE PARTICIPLE). The UBS Text Project, p. 218, gives the MT a "B" rating (some doubt).

▣ "through the water tunnel" David avoided a prolonged siege or frontal attack by moving his men through the water tunnel that supplied the city with water. However, it must be stated the word "water tunnel" is rare and the meaning uncertain. BDB suggests "pipe," "spout," "conduit." The parallel in 1 Chronicles does not have this word.

▣ "The blind or lame shall not come into the house" The JPSOA capitalizes "House," which makes it refer to the temple. This is an editorial addition to explain a later practice (i.e., Lev. 21:17-23).

5:9 David fortified the city by expanding and raising its walls.

▣ "Millo" This (BDB 571) may refer to the repair of the terraces by "filling in" the dirt (cf. 2 Sam.5:9; 1 Kgs. 9:15,24; 11:27; 2 Chr. 32:5). The Millo may have supported the foundations of David's palace on the hill called "Zion."

5:10 This is a theological statement like 2 Sam. 3:1. David's success was due to YHWH's presence and plan (i.e., "the Lord was with him," cf. 1 Sam. 16:18; 18:12,14).

SPECIAL TOPIC: YHWH'S ETERNAL REDEMPTIVE PLAN

▣ "the Lord God of hosts" The LXX and DSS do not have "God" in this title.

SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITY, D.

SPECIAL TOPIC: Lord OF HOSTS

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 5:11-12
  ¹¹Then Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David with cedar trees and carpenters and stonemasons; and they built a house for David. ¹²And David realized that the Lord had established him as king over Israel, and that He had exalted his kingdom for the sake of His people Israel.

5:11 This is the first mention of Hiram, King of Tyre. Tyre was the coastal nation north of Israel (i.e., Phoenicia).

The following is my note from 1 Chr. 14:1:

1 Chr. 14:1 "Hiram king of Tyre" This was the king of Phoenicia from 969-936 b.c. (Albright). He provided materials and artisans for

1. David's palace ‒ here; 2 Sam. 5:11
2. Solomon's palace ‒ 1 Kgs. 9:1,10
3. Solomon's Temple ‒ 1 Kings 5; 9:10-14

Josephus also gives information about Hiram (cf. Antiq. 7.3.3; 7.12.4; 8.6.6,7,9).

His name is spelled several different ways.

1. Hiram ‒ 2 Sam. 5:11; 1 Kgs. 5:1ff; 9:11
2. Hirom ‒ 1 Kgs. 5:10,18; Josephus
3. Huram ‒ 2 Chr. 2:3,11

Because most of Hiram's activities occur in Solomon's reign, some scholars put David's palace construction late in his reign (i.e., Expositor's Bible Commentary, vol. 4, p. 382). We must just admit we have no good extra-biblical, historical information about Hiram. The Chronicles obviously are not a chronologically based history but a theologically based reconstruction.

▣ "cedar" See NIDOTTE, vol. 1, pp. 510-511 and UBS, Fauna and Flora of the Bible, p. 108.

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

5:13-16 David adds eleven more wives, which was

1. a sign of wealth and success
2. political alliances

We are not given their mother's names or nationalities, like we were in 2 Sam. 3:2-5. These wives were visible evidence of the statement in 2 Sam. 5:10.

5:13 "concubines" Roland deVaux, Ancient Israel, gives the options for this term's usage.

1. slaves, pp. 83,86
2. royal, pp. 115-117
3. inheritance, pp. 53-54

See NIDOTTE, vol. 3, pp. 618-619.

The MT has "Eliada" (BDB 45) but the 1 Chr. 14:7 parallel has "Beeliada," while 1 Chr. 3:8 has "Eliada." The UBS Text Project, pp. 218-219, thinks the name originally had "Baal" at the beginning, like Ishbaal and Meribbaal, but it was changed by later Jewish scribes to Eliada (i.e., "Baal" to "El") for theological purposes. It seemed improper to later scribes for David's child to have Baal in his name. Originally Baal was used for YHWH.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 5:17-21
  ¹⁷When the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to seek out David; and when David heard of it, he went down to the stronghold. ¹⁸Now the Philistines came and spread themselves out in the valley of Rephaim. ¹⁹Then David inquired of the Lord, saying, "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." ²⁰So David came to Baal-perazim and defeated them there; and he said, "The Lord has broken through my enemies before me like the breakthrough of waters." Therefore he named that place Baal-perazim. ²¹They abandoned their idols there, so David and his men carried them away.

5:17 The problems with the Philistines continue (cf. v, 22). Another sign of YHWH's presence will be their defeat!

▣ "the stronghold" This NOUN (BDB 845 II) has the ARTICLE, which may make it refer to the fortress at Jerusalem. However, some scholars think it refers to a fortified position near Adullum (cf. 1 Sam. 22:1,4-5; 24:22; 2 Sam. 23:13-14), which was southwest of Jerusalem about 15 miles. It was close to the Philistine area.

5:18,22 "the valley of Rephaim" This valley is close to Jerusalem (cf. Josh. 15:8; 18:16), not the Baqa Valley, which was known by the same name but was far to the north on the east side of Jordan.

5:19 "David inquired of the Lord" This was a common practice of David. He wanted to follow YHWH's plan and desires (cf. 1 Sam. 23:2,4,6,9-12; 30:8; 2 Sam. 2:1; 5:19,23).

This was done by means of the High Priest casting the Urim and Thummim.

SPECIAL TOPIC: URIM AND THUMMIM

▣ "the Lord said to David" This was not verbal revelation but the use of the lots of the ephod of the High Priest.

1. Qal IMPERATIVE, "go up"
2. INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE and IMPERFECT VERB of the same root (BDB 678, KB 733, "I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand"

SPECIAL TOPIC: URIM AND THUMMIM

SPECIAL TOPIC: EPHOD

5:20 "he named that place Baal-perazim" The name (BDB 128) is explained in the parallel in 1 Chr. 14:11 (i.e., "God has broken through my enemies by my hand, like the break-through of waters"). YHWH is "the Lord of breaches" (which is the meaning of the name; note "baal" is used of YHWH).

Notice that in early times the Israelites used names of the pagan gods for YHWH. Here, "Baal" (i.e., Lord, Master, owner) refers to YHWH. Later this word came to be used exclusively of the male Canaanite fertility god. Later Jewish scribes started changing the names of people of this period.

5:21 Apparently the Philistines took their idols (cf. 1 Sam. 31:9) into battle, like Israel sometimes took the ark (cf. 1 Sam. 4:3-4). This is a purposeful reversal of 1 Sam. 4:11.

1 Chronicles 14:12 says David burned the abandoned idols as commanded in Deut. 7:5,25; 12:3.

SPECIAL TOPIC: ISRAEL'S MANDATED RESPONSE TO CANAANITE FERTILITY WORSHIP

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 5:22-25
  ²²Now the Philistines came up once again and spread themselves out in the valley of Rephaim. ²³When David inquired of the Lord, He said, "You shall not go directly up; circle around behind them and come at them in front of the balsam trees. ²⁴It shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then you shall act promptly, for then the Lord will have gone out before you to strike the army of the Philistines." ²⁵Then David did so, just as the Lord had commanded him, and struck down the Philistines from Geba as far as Gezer.

5:23-24 YHWH reveals to David a very specific plan about how to attack the second Philistine army. This implies David's answer came from a prophet, not the lots.

YHWH could have defeated them easily but He wanted David's heart and obedience (cf. 1 Chr. 14:16)!

5:24 "when you hear the sound of marching" This implies a supernatural act of YHWH, similar to the events of the conquest (i.e., Holy War). Notice it is His victory.

The "marching" (NOUN, BDB 857, used only here and the parallels in 1 Chr. 14:15) could be

1. the Philistine army on the move
2. the sound of the wind, sounding like a large army of Israelites

I like #2! (YHWH as Divine Warrior, see NIDOTTE, vol. 4, pp. 545-549).

5:25 "David did so, just as the Lord had commanded him" David had a heart for YHWH.

1. he respected Him
2. he inquired of Him often
3. he faithfully obeyed the revelation

He was not sinless but he became a type of faithful follower!

▣ "Geba. . .to Gezer" Geba is north of Jerusalem and Gezer is a city in the Philistine coastal area to the west.

These two defeats allowed David to control the Judean hill country. The Philistines remained in their five city-states but their influence and power did not continue.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

1. What was "the water tunnel" of v. 8?
2. What was the "Millo" of v. 9?
3. What is the theological significance of v. 12?
4. Who is the "Baal" of v. 20?
5. Is v. 24 an aspect of Holy War?
6. What is the theological significance of v. 25?

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