2 Samuel 5:23 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And when David inquired of the Lord, he said, "You shall not go up; go around to their rear, and come against them opposite the balsam trees.

NIV: so David inquired of the Lord, and he answered, "Do not go straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the poplar trees.

NASB: So David inquired of the Lord, but He said, 'You shall not go directly up; circle around behind them and come at them in front of the baka-shrubs.

CSB: So David inquired of the Lord, and he answered, "Do not attack directly, but circle around behind them and come at them opposite the balsam trees.

NLT: And again David asked the Lord what to do. 'Do not attack them straight on,' the Lord replied. 'Instead, circle around behind and attack them near the poplar trees.

KJV: And when David enquired of the Lord, he said, Thou shalt not go up; but fetch a compass behind them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees.

NKJV: Therefore David inquired of the Lord, and He said, “You shall not go up; circle around behind them, and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees.

For the second time recorded since David was made king of Israel, the Philistines have come to attack him. The last time, David's army decisively won (2 Samuel 5:17–21). But David doesn't make assumptions this time will be the same.

As before, David asks the Lord if he should engage with the enemy. Will the Lord again give Israel the victory over what may have been a much larger and better-equipped army? When David asked before the first battle, the Lord gave a simple answer that He would give David the victory (2 Samuel 5:19). This time, the Lord gives David a very specific set of instructions about how to approach his enemy. This suggests some form of revelation beyond simple yes or no answers to direct questions.

The Lord tells David not to directly attack the Philistines head-to-head. Instead, the Lord tells him to lead his men to attack from behind the Philistines at a place is opposite a strategic hiding place. The ESV says David's army is to "come against them opposite the balsam trees." The NASB says, "come at them in front of the baka-shrubs." It's not clear precisely what these plants were. What modern people call balsam trees have a milky sap used to make balm. biblical scholars suggest these might have been mulberry trees, terebinths, mastic trees, or some other type of shrub. Thickets with dense leaves and branches are good spots for hiding.

The army waits as God directs until they can hear marching above them. This may be an audible revelation of the angelic army of God. As in all cases, God wins this victory. This incident is only unique because the Lord's involvement is move obvious (2 Samuel 5:24–25).

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).

Second Samuel continues the story of David, who will become king over Judah. The other tribes of Israel are resistant, eventually sparking a civil war. David wins and makes Jerusalem his capital. Early success is followed by moral failure and controversy in David's house. The book of 1 Kings will begin by detailing David's decline and death.