What is happening in this passage where David goes to Jerusalem?

In this passage, David has just been made king over all Israel and then goes with his men to Jerusalem, where the Jebusites are living. The Jebusites speak against him and say he cannot come into their city, but David still takes the strong hold of Zion. He lives there, calls it the city of David, and builds around it from Millo and inward. The section closes with Hiram king of Tyre sending materials and workers to build David a house.

What does the phrase "the blind and the lame" mean in this passage?

The phrase “the blind and the lame” appears in the Jebusites’ taunt to David and in David’s response. The Jebusites say that unless David takes away the blind and the lame he will not come into the city, thinking that David cannot enter. David then speaks of smiting “the Jebusites, and the lame and the blind, that are hated of David’s soul,” and a saying arises that “the blind and the lame shall not come into the house.” The wording is sharp and brief, and readers have understood it in more than one way. What is clear in the passage is that it is tied to the Jebusites’ mocking words and to the defense of the city, not to a general statement about people with disabilities.

Why were the Jebusites so confident David could not take Jerusalem?

The text says that the Jebusites spoke to David, saying that unless he took away the blind and the lame he would not come into the city, and it notes that they were thinking, “David cannot come in hither.” Their words show how sure they were that David could not break into Jerusalem. The passage does not go into all their reasons, but their taunts reflect strong confidence in their position and defenses. Despite this, David still takes the strong hold of Zion.

What is the strong hold of Zion and why is it called the city of David?

The strong hold of Zion is the fortified part of Jerusalem that David and his men capture from the Jebusites. After it is taken, David dwells in the fort and calls it the city of David. From there he builds round about from Millo and inward, so this stronghold becomes his royal center and gives its name, “city of David,” to the place.

What does it mean that David grew great because the Lord God of hosts was with him?

When the passage says that David “went on, and grew great,” it immediately adds that “the LORD God of hosts was with him.” This links David’s rise, his success in taking Jerusalem, and his strengthening rule to God’s presence and help. The title “God of hosts” points to God as the one who rules over all powers and armies, so David’s growth is shown as depending on God rather than on David alone.

Who is Hiram king of Tyre and why does he send cedar and workers to David?

Hiram is named here as the king of Tyre. After David has taken the strong hold of Zion and is dwelling there, Hiram sends messengers to David, along with cedar trees, carpenters, and masons. They build David a house. In this passage, this act shows that another king provides materials and skilled workers for David’s dwelling place in Jerusalem.

Why did David make Jerusalem his capital and call it the city of David?

This passage does not explain all of David’s reasons, but it tells what he did. David takes the strong hold of Zion from the Jebusites, dwells in the fort, and calls it the city of David. He then builds round about from Millo and inward. By living there and strengthening it, he makes this captured stronghold his own city and royal center.

Why is the wording about the blind and the lame hard to understand here?

The wording is hard because the passage gives only brief lines of the Jebusites’ taunt and David’s reply. It records their saying about the blind and the lame, David’s call to strike “the Jebusites, and the lame and the blind, that are hated of David’s soul,” and then adds the saying, “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.” The text does not stop to explain these phrases in detail, so readers have seen more than one way to take them. What can be said from the passage itself is that these words are tied to the Jebusites’ mockery and to the conflict over entering the city.

2Sam.5.6

2 Samuel 5:6

King James Version (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.

Chapter:

Context:

David Conquers Jerusalem

¶ 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.

Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion: the same is the city of David.

And David said on that day, Whosoever getteth up to the gutter, and smiteth the Jebusites, and the lame and the blind, that are hated of David’s soul, he shall be chief and captain. Wherefore they said, The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.

So David dwelt in the fort, and called it the city of David. And David built round about from Millo and inward.

And David went on, and grew great, and the Lord God of hosts was with him.

¶ And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, and carpenters, and masons: and they built David an house.

Cross References

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