2 Samuel 5:10
ESV
And David became greater and greater, for the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him.
NIV
And he became more and more powerful, because the Lord God Almighty was with him.
NASB
David became greater and greater, for the Lord God of armies was with him.
CSB
David became more and more powerful, and the Lord God of Armies was with him.
NLT
And David became more and more powerful, because the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies was with him.
KJV
And David went on, and grew great, and the Lord God of hosts was with him.
NKJV
So David went on and became great, and the Lord God of hosts was with him.
What does 2 Samuel 5:10 mean?
Second Samuel 5:10 and 12 are summary statements of God's blessings. David is king of the united tribes of the Israelites. He has established his capital in the naturally fortified city of Jerusalem. After about twenty years, God's promise has finally come true (1 Samuel 16:13).Since David's fight with Goliath, he has grown in integrity and power. His reputation is nearing its highest point. Because of his faithfulness to God, God will add to his military victories. God will even make a lasting covenant with his household that will culminate in the reign of Jesus (2 Samuel 7:4–17). David is God's choice to be king, and God is behind every good thing that happens to him.
At some point in his story, however, David will crash. He will take the wife of another man (2 Samuel 11). When she becomes pregnant, David will murder his friend. As judgment, God will allow David's family to implode (2 Samuel 12).
But David never completely loses God's favor because he is as quick to repent as he is to praise. One of the sons David has with his stolen wife will Solomon: the next king and the ancestor of Jesus' father Joseph (Matthew 1:6). Another will be the ancestor of Mary (Luke 3:31). Even when God disciplines David, He never leaves him.
Those who trust in David's descendant Jesus share that experience with David. Jesus' last recorded words to His disciples in the book of Matthew are, "Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20).
