2 Samuel 5:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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."

NIV: The king and his men marched to Jerusalem to attack the Jebusites, who lived there. The Jebusites said to David, "You will not get in here; even the blind and the lame can ward you off." They thought, "David cannot get in here."

NASB: Now 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 even those who are blind and those who limp will turn you away,' thinking, 'David cannot enter here.'

CSB: The king and his men marched to Jerusalem against the Jebusites who inhabited the land. The Jebusites had said to David: "You will never get in here. Even the blind and lame can repel you" thinking, "David can’t get in here."

NLT: David then led his men to Jerusalem to fight against the Jebusites, the original inhabitants of the land who were living there. The Jebusites taunted David, saying, 'You’ll never get in here! Even the blind and lame could keep you out!' For the Jebusites thought they were safe.

KJV: And the king and his men went to Jerusalem unto the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land: which spake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither: thinking, David cannot come in hither.

NKJV: And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who spoke to David, saying, “You shall not come in here; but the blind and the lame will repel you,” thinking, “David cannot come in here.”

The Lord's command to Israel during the time of Joshua was clear: to utterly destroy and drive out the people of Canaan from the land God had promised to Israel (Deuteronomy 7:1–6). The city of Jerusalem, formerly called Jebus, was one longstanding example of Israel's failure to do so. The tribes of Judah and Benjamin had both attacked and even partially destroyed the city during Joshua's time, but the Jebusites either took it back or managed to remain (Judges 1:8, 21).

About 1000 years before, after Abram rescued his nephew Lot, the king of Salem, Melchizedek, greeted Abram and accepted his offering (Genesis 14:18–20). About 400 years before the time of David, Joshua warred against the king of Jerusalem and killed him (Joshua 10:22–27). After Joshua's death, the Israelites took Jerusalem, but lost it again (Judges 1:8, 21).

Now, David wants it for his capital. He currently lives in Hebron, deep in Judah. Jebus is near the border of Judah, David's tribe, and Benjamin, Saul's tribe. It's convenient for the tribes on the east side of the Jordan River to reach. And it's very defensible. The city sits on a ridge and is surrounded on three sides by steep valleys. In addition to this advantage, archaeologists have uncovered significant walls and defenses added over time to make the city even more difficult to attack from below.

The Jebusites are understandably smug. Many had tried and failed to take the city from them. Learning of David's plan, they respond by declaring that the blind and lame among them will keep David from ever entering their city. This may have been a taunt about the weakness of Israel's army or, more likely, it may have been a bold statement that the city's defenses meant that even the weakest among the Jebusites could keep out any invaders.

Second Samuel 5:6–10 describes David's establishment of a new capital city. He has been in Hebron, in the heart of Judah, for seven years. He decides to move to Jebus, an easily defendable city closer to central Israel. He and his men take it from the native Jebusites, and he renames it Jerusalem. David knows he owes his success to God and God alone. David's people move in, and the king of Tyre helps him build a house where he has many more children (2 Samuel 5:11–16). This information is also found in 1 Chronicles 11:2–9.

Second Samuel 5 is a series of vignettes describing how God blesses David after his inauguration as king over the nation. David took Jerusalem from the Jebusites and made the city the nation's capital (2 Samuel 5:6–9). His first international ally, Hiram, king of Tyre, built his palace (2 Samuel 5:11). His family grew: exponentially (2 Samuel 5:13–16)! And he soundly beat his enemies (2 Samuel 5:17–25). David did all this because of God's favor, to bless the nation, not through his own skill or because of any good in him (2 Samuel 5:10, 12). First Chronicles 11:1–9 and 14:1–17 also record these events.

Second Samuel 5 is a pivot point for all of Israel's history. After Saul's son Ish-bosheth is killed, no opposition remains to David's kingship (2 Samuel 4:5–6). Convinced by Abner before his death to follow David (2 Samuel 3:17–19), the elders of Israel gather at Hebron to anoint David king over the entire nation. David moves his capital to Jerusalem and defends the nation against the Philistines. Now, he has enough security to bring the ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:1–15). The following chapters seem to collectively describe David's accomplishments (2 Samuel 5:9—10:19) and his mistakes (2 Samuel 11—20).