2 Samuel 5:1-10
David Becomes King over All Israel
Read the passage
1Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “Here we are, your own flesh and blood.
2Even in times past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them back. And to you the LORD said, ‘You will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be ruler over them.’”
3So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, where King David made with them a covenant before the LORD. And they anointed him king over Israel.
4David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years.
5In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.
6Now the king and his men marched to Jerusalem against the Jebusites who inhabited the land. The Jebusites said to David: “You will never get in here. Even the blind and lame can repel you.” For they thought, “David cannot get in here.”
7Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion (that is, the City of David).
8On that day he said, “Whoever attacks the Jebusites must use the water shaft to reach the lame and blind who are despised by David.” That is why it is said, “The blind and the lame will never enter the palace.”
9So David took up residence in the fortress and called it the City of David. He built it up all the way around, from the supporting terraces inward.
10And David became greater and greater, for the LORD God of Hosts was with him.
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
All the tribes of Israel come to David at Hebron and say that they are his bone and flesh. They remember that even when Saul was king, David led Israel out and in, and the LORD said that David would shepherd His people and be prince over Israel.
The elders make a covenant with David before the LORD and anoint him king over Israel. David was thirty when he began to reign. The narrator summarizes his forty years as king: seven years and six months over Judah in Hebron and thirty-three over Israel and Judah in Jerusalem.
David and his men go to Jerusalem against the Jebusites. The Jebusites mock him, saying that the blind and lame will keep him out. David captures the stronghold of Zion, which becomes the city of David. David grows greater because the LORD God of hosts is with him.
All Israel comes to David with shared history, and the elders make their covenant before the LORD. Jerusalem is then captured, despite the Jebusites' contempt, and becomes the city of David. The chapter presents a genuine consolidation of rule, but it also includes the language of enemies being dismissed as blind and lame.
David's growth is attributed to the LORD's presence, not merely to his tactics or age. That attribution should make power humble rather than invulnerable. Receive responsibility as a form of shepherding, and do not let a successful conquest teach your household to mock people who are weak, disabled, or unable to defend themselves.
How We Know
First Chronicles 11:1–9 also records the covenant at Hebron and the capture of Jerusalem. It adds that Joab went up first and became chief commander, a detail not supplied in this Samuel passage. Chronicles identifies who led the assault; Samuel records the Jebusites’ taunt and David’s instruction about the water shaft. Both accounts attribute David’s increasing greatness to the LORD’s presence.
Questions
1 What reasons do the tribes give for recognizing David as king?
AnswerThe tribes recognize David because they are his flesh and blood, because he led Israel's military campaigns under Saul, and because the LORD said David would shepherd Israel and be its ruler. They make a covenant with him before the LORD and anoint him king over Israel.
2 How does David capture Jerusalem despite the Jebusites' confidence in its defenses?
AnswerThe Jebusites boast that even blind and lame people could keep him out. David nevertheless captures the fortress of Zion; the passage also records his order to use the water shaft. Their taunt should not be treated as proof that disabled people actually formed the garrison.
3 To whom does the narrator attribute David’s increasing greatness?
AnswerDavid becomes greater because the LORD, the God of Hosts, is with him. The text attributes his increasing power to God's presence rather than to David's ability alone.
4 How can our household receive affirmation while remembering the source of every legitimate success?
AnswerWhen responsibility expands, remember the promises and relationships that preceded it. Let success deepen service rather than entitlement.
What This Means for Us
David's rule over all Israel comes through a covenant, not merely through military force. The tribes recognize shared history, and the elders place the new reign before the LORD.
Jerusalem's capture also shows the beginning of a city that will carry immense significance in Israel's story. David's success is attributed to God's presence, not to the king's image or strategy alone.
Ask what new responsibility has enlarged your influence. How can you use that influence to shepherd rather than dominate?
Prayer
LORD God of hosts, make us humble when responsibility grows. Teach our household to remember shared history, keep our promises, and use influence to protect and serve. Amen.