2 Samuel 5:17 - Printer Friendly

ESV: When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. But David heard of it and went down to the stronghold.

NIV: When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they went up in full force to search for him, but David heard about it and went down to the stronghold.

NASB: Now when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to seek out David; and when David heard about it, he went down to the stronghold.

CSB: When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they all went in search of David, but he heard about it and went down to the stronghold.

NLT: When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king of Israel, they mobilized all their forces to capture him. But David was told they were coming, so he went into the stronghold.

KJV: But when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines came up to seek David; and David heard of it, and went down to the hold.

NKJV: Now when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. And David heard of it and went down to the stronghold.

The Philistines have gone unmentioned for a while as Scripture focused on Israel and David. Following their defeat of Saul at Mount Gilboa and their occupation of northern Israel (1 Samuel 31:1–7), the Philistines were apparently unconcerned with David's rule over Judah in the south and Ish-bosheth's rule over central Israel from his capital east of the Jordan. The Philistines may have even seen a divided Israel as no threat to them.

Now, however, things have changed. The Philistines learn that David has become king over a united Israel and established a capital city as far north as Jerusalem. The Philistines gather their armies to kill David and keep Israel unstable. David learns they're coming and goes down to the stronghold.

Second Samuel 23:8–39 lists David's "mighty men" and their deeds in battle. Most of the valiant feats aren't given a timeframe, but this event may be the one recorded in 2 Samuel 23:13–17 (1 Chronicles 11:15–19). In that battle, David mused that he wanted water from the gate of Bethlehem, and three of his mighty men fetched it for him. If this is the same battle, the "stronghold" isn't Jerusalem, which would be "up," not "down." It's the cave of Adullam where David gathered his first 400 men shortly after he fled Sal's murderous rage (1 Samuel 22:1–2).

The Philistines have good reason to fear David. He began his war against them as a teenager when he killed their giant champion, Goliath (1 Samuel 17). By the time David returned to Saul's hometown, the women exalted his military prowess more than the king's (1 Samuel 18:7). It was David's military might that earned the jealous anger of Saul and kept his men and their families safe during their years in the wilderness. There will come a day when David will be too feeble to fight (2 Samuel 21:15–17). Now, however, he needs to put the Philistines in their place.

Second 2 Samuel 5:17–25 explains how David confronts the Philistines as king of Israel. He has been fighting the Philistines since he was a boy (1 Samuel 17), and one of the reasons Israel has accepted him as king is because of his reputation as a military commander (2 Samuel 3:17–19; 5:2). This section is repeated in 1 Chronicles 14:8–17. The battles continue a series of examples of how God is blessing David's new kingship (2 Samuel 5). Second Samuel 5—10 describes David's successes as a man and a king. Second Samuel 11—24 describes his failures and their consequences.

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).