2 Samuel 5


2 Samuel 5 is the fifth chapter of the Second Book of Samuel in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible or the second part of Books of Samuel in the Hebrew Bible. According to Jewish tradition the book was attributed to the prophet Samuel, with additions by the prophets Gad and Nathan, but modern scholars view it as a composition of a number of independent texts of various ages from c. 630–540 BCE. This chapter contains the account of David's reign in Hebron and Jerusalem. This is within a section comprising 1 [Samuel 16] to 2 Samuel 5 which records the rise of David as the king of Israel, and a section comprising 2 Samuel 2–8 which deals with the period when David set up his kingdom.

Text

This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language. It is divided into 25 verses.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis, Aleppo Codex, and Codex Leningradensis. Fragments containing parts of this chapter in Hebrew were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls including 4Q51 with extant verses 1–3, 6–16, 18–19.
Extant ancient manuscripts of a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint include Codex Vaticanus and Codex Alexandrinus.

Old Testament references

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Places

Analysis

The narrative of David's reign in Hebron in 2 Samuel 1:1–5:5 has the following structure:
David's narrative of his ascension to the throne in Hebron is framed by an opening verse that looks backward to the final chapters of 1 Samuel and closing verses that look forward to David's rule in Jerusalem. The action begins when David received Saul's crown and concludes when he was finally able to wear that crown. David executes the Amalekite who claims to have assisted Saul with his suicide and those who murdered Ishbaal. Two laments were recorded: one for Saul and Jonathan and another shorter one for Abner. At the center are the two key episodes: the existence of two kings in the land, because Joab's forces could not conquer Saul's territory on the battlefield. However, this was resolved when Ishbaal foolishly challenged Abner's loyalty, causing Abner to switch sides that eventually brought Saul's kingdom under Davidic rule.

David anointed king of all Israel (5:1–5)

With Ishbaal's death, David had no more rival for the throne of Israel. The "tribes of Israel", noting his ties with the house of Saul, his proven leadership against the Philistines as well as God's promises to make him king, sent the 'elders of Israel' to Hebron to make 'a covenant... before the LORD', then anoint David as 'king'.

Verse 3

  • "They anointed David king over Israel": this was the third anointing of David, as the first was by Samuel, the second was by the tribe of Judah, and now by all the tribes of Israel, with great numbers of the people eating, drinking and rejoicing with David.

David conquered Jerusalem (5:6–10)

The next important step was the capture of Jerusalem, which until then was occupied by the 'Jebusites', who were of Canaanite origin. The name of Jerusalem is found in Egyptian Execration texts of the 19th and 18th centuries BCE and in the Amarna texts of the 14th century BCE. The Israelites did not capture the city when they conquered Canaan, so it became a foreign independent enclave until David captured it. The fortress is strategically located away from the main north–south routes and situated more or less on the border between Judah and the rest of Israel, so it was a wise choice as capital. The Jebusites were so confident that their city could never be taken, so they said to David that even handicapped persons, 'the blind and the lame', would be able to defend it. When David conquered the city he used the phrase back to call the defeated defenders 'the lame and the blind'. The attackers went 'up the water shaft' to enter the city, that is, the vertical shaft from the city to the Spring of Gihon, then David occupied the fortress on the hill in the south-eastern corner of Jerusalem, also called "Ophel", and renamed it 'the city of David'. The account of David capturing of the city has a fitting conclusion in verse 10, which could be intended as the closing statement of the history of David's rise to the throne of Israel.

Verse 9

  • "Millo": was an earth-fill to form a rampart or a platform, terracing on the eastern slope. In Hebrew this word always used with the definite article. The name is probably from an old Canaanite word for 'the fortification on the northern end of Mount Zion'. Solomon and Hezekiah strengthened it.

Verse 10

  • "The Lord God of hosts": the word "God" is not found in 4QSam or the Greek Septuagint, probably to have harmonization with the more common biblical phrase “the Lord of hosts".

David's growing fame and family (5:11–16)

This section contains two brief notes:
  1. Verses 11–12 reports the negotiations with king Hiram of Tyre, who had building materials and craftsmen for David's building projects. It can also refer to a later period
in David's reign as Hiram also helped with
Solomon's building projects.
  1. Verses 13–16 lists the sons born to David in Jerusalem as a continuation of the list in 2 Samuel 3:2–5. The same list, with some variations, is given in 1 Chronicles 3:5–8 and 1 Chronicles 14:5–7.

Verse 14

Two victories over the Philistines (5:17–25)

The narrative of David's two victories over the Philistines could be connected with an earlier point when he was 'anointed king over Israel', where his 'stronghold' was not yet Jerusalem, but could be Adullam. On both occasions David consulted God, receiving a distinct reply for each — straight positive on the first event, but a negative on the second occasion, followed by further advice — leading to victories in all cases.
The Philistines came up to Rephaim, a plain located south-west of Jerusalem, and in the first battle David defeated them at Baal-perazim. In the second battle David was advised to take a different route and attack from the flank
in the vicinity of 'balsam trees', bushy plants characteristic of a hilly region. The second victory was decisive as the Philistines were pushed 'from Geba' back to their border at Gezer.

General

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