2 Samuel

Part One: Introduction to 2 Samuel

The Book

2 Samuel continues directly from 1 Samuel; in the Hebrew Bible they were one book. The King James Version calls it "The Second Book of Samuel, otherwise called, The Second Book of the Kings." Samuel himself had died (1 Samuel 25:1), so this part was written by the prophets who served David, Nathan and Gad (1 Chronicles 29:29), with the final form completed after the kingdom divided around 930 BC.

Period Covered

2 Samuel covers the forty-year reign of David, from Saul's death (around 1010 BC) to David's last years (around 970 BC). "David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah" (5:4-5).

Purpose and Theme

2 Samuel shows God establishing David's kingdom and making an everlasting covenant with him, and then shows the painful consequences when the king sins. It has a clear two-part shape: David's triumphs (chapters 1-10) and David's troubles (chapters 11-24), with chapter 11, his sin with Bathsheba, as the turning point. Its central passage is the Davidic Covenant:

And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.

2 Samuel 7:16

This promise is the foundation of all later Messianic hope. The prophets, the Psalms and the New Testament all look to "the Son of David" whose throne will be eternal, fulfilled in Jesus Christ (Luke 1:32-33).

The Character of David

David is the most fully described person in the Old Testament. He was a shepherd, warrior, poet, musician, prophet and king; a man of deep faith, worship and generosity; and also a man capable of adultery, murder, deceit and weak fatherhood. Scripture does not hide his sins. Yet he is called "a man after mine own heart" (Acts 13:22) because when confronted he repented genuinely (12:13; Psalm 51), loved God's presence, trusted God's covenant, and never turned to idols (1 Kings 15:5).

Outline of 2 Samuel

Part Two: Chapter-by-Chapter Analysis

Section I: David's Triumphs (Chapters 1-10)

Chapter 1 — David Mourns Saul and Jonathan

Three days after David returned to Ziklag, an Amalekite arrived with torn clothes, bringing Saul's crown and bracelet, claiming he had killed Saul at Saul's own request (1:1-10). His story contradicted 1 Samuel 31:4-5; he was lying in hope of a reward. David and his men mourned, wept and fasted (1:11-12). David asked, "How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the LORD'S anointed?" and had him executed: "thy mouth hath testified against thee" (1:14-16). David did not rejoice at his enemy's fall (Proverbs 24:17).

David then composed "the song of the bow," written in the book of Jasher (1:17-18):

The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen! Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon

2 Samuel 1:19-20

"Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided" (1:23). Of Jonathan: "I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women" (1:26), describing the loyal covenant love of a friend who gave up a throne for him. David honoured even the man who tried to kill him.

Chapter 2 — King Over Judah; Civil War

David asked the LORD, "Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?" and was told to go to Hebron (2:1). There "the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah" (2:4). He blessed the men of Jabesh-gilead for burying Saul (2:5-7). But Abner, Saul's general, made Saul's son Ish-bosheth king over the rest of Israel at Mahanaim (2:8-10). At the pool of Gibeon, twelve men from each side fought and all died together; in the battle that followed, Abner reluctantly killed Asahel, Joab's swift brother, who would not stop pursuing him (2:12-23). Abner called out, "Shall the sword devour for ever?" (2:26), and Joab stopped the pursuit.

Chapter 3 — Abner Defects and Is Murdered

"Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David: but David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker" (3:1). Six sons were born to David in Hebron, by six wives, including Amnon and Absalom (3:2-5), sowing seeds of future trouble (Deuteronomy 17:17). When Ish-bosheth accused Abner over Saul's concubine Rizpah, Abner turned to David (3:6-12). David required that Michal, his first wife, be returned; her second husband Phaltiel followed her weeping (3:13-16). Abner persuaded Israel's elders to accept David (3:17-21). But Joab, seeking revenge for Asahel and perhaps fearing for his own position, murdered Abner at Hebron's gate (3:27). David declared his innocence, mourned openly, and fasted: "Know ye not that there is a prince and a great man fallen this day in Israel?" (3:38). He confessed, "I am this day weak, though anointed king; and these men the sons of Zeruiah be too hard for me" (3:39). David's failure to discipline Joab would cost him for years (1 Kings 2:5-6).

Chapter 4 — The Murder of Ish-bosheth

Two of Ish-bosheth's captains, Rechab and Baanah, murdered him in his bed and brought his head to David, expecting a reward (4:5-8). David answered, "As the LORD liveth, who hath redeemed my soul out of all adversity," and had them executed for killing "a righteous person in his own house upon his bed" (4:9-12). David would not take the throne by murder. The chapter also introduces Mephibosheth, Jonathan's son, lame in both feet since a fall at age five when his nurse fled at news of Saul's death (4:4).

Chapter 5 — King Over All Israel; Jerusalem Captured

All the tribes came to Hebron: "Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh... the LORD said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be a captain over Israel" (5:1-2). They anointed David king over Israel (5:3), the third time he was anointed (1 Samuel 16:13; 2 Samuel 2:4). Matthew 2:6 echoes this shepherd language of the coming Ruler.

David then captured Jerusalem, a Jebusite stronghold so secure its people mocked that even the blind and lame could defend it (5:6). He took "the strong hold of Zion: the same is the city of David" (5:7), entering, it seems, by the water shaft ("the gutter," 5:8). Jerusalem was neutral, on the border of Judah and Benjamin, and became Israel's political and spiritual capital. Zion becomes one of the great words of Scripture, pointing finally to "the heavenly Jerusalem" (Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 21:2). "And David went on, and grew great, and the LORD God of hosts was with him" (5:10). Hiram king of Tyre built him a house, and "David perceived that the LORD had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for his people Israel's sake" (5:11-12): his position was for others' sake. But "David took him more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem" (5:13), against Deuteronomy 17:17.

Twice the Philistines attacked, and both times David inquired of the LORD. At Baal-perazim, "The LORD hath broken forth upon mine enemies before me, as the breach of waters" (5:20). The second time God gave a different strategy: wait behind the mulberry trees, "when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the LORD go out before thee" (5:23-24). Yesterday's method is not a substitute for today's guidance.

Chapter 6 — The Ark Brought to Jerusalem

David gathered 30,000 men to bring the ark from Kirjath-jearim, where it had stayed for about twenty years (1 Samuel 7:1-2). They placed it on a new cart, copying the Philistines (1 Samuel 6:7). When the oxen stumbled, Uzzah reached out and steadied it, "and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God" (6:6-7). God's law required the ark to be carried on the shoulders of the Levites, and no one was to touch it (Numbers 4:15). David was angry and afraid, "How shall the ark of the LORD come to me?" (6:8-9), and left it at the house of Obed-edom, whom the LORD blessed for three months (6:10-12).

The second time, David did it God's way: "None ought to carry the ark of God but the Levites" (1 Chronicles 15:2, 13-15). After six steps they sacrificed (6:13). "And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod" (6:14), bringing up the ark "with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet" (6:15). Psalm 24 ("Lift up your heads, O ye gates") may have been sung on this occasion. Michal, Saul's daughter, "despised him in her heart" (6:16) and mocked him for shamelessly uncovering himself before the servants (6:20). David answered, "It was before the LORD... therefore will I play before the LORD. And I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight" (6:21-22). Michal had no child to the day of her death (6:23). True worship is wholehearted and does not care about human dignity before God.

Chapter 7 — The Davidic Covenant

Settled in his cedar palace, David told Nathan the prophet he wanted to build a house for the ark of God (7:1-2). Nathan said yes, but that night God spoke: "Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in?" (7:5). God reminded David, "I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people" (7:8), and then turned the tables: David would not build God a house; God would build David a house, a dynasty (7:11).

And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee... and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men... But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul... And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.

2 Samuel 7:12-16

The covenant promised David a house (an enduring dynasty), a throne (the right to rule), and a kingdom (a realm), all for ever. Its first fulfillment was Solomon, who built the temple and was chastened for sin. Its ultimate fulfillment is Jesus Christ, the Son of David, of whom the angel said, "the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end" (Luke 1:32-33). Hebrews 1:5 applies "I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son" to Christ. The covenant is unconditional: sin in David's line would bring chastening, but God's mercy would not be withdrawn.

David's response is one of the great prayers of Scripture. He "sat before the LORD" and said:

Who am I, O Lord GOD? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?

2 Samuel 7:18

He marvelled that God spoke "of thy servant's house for a great while to come," and asked, "is this the manner of man, O Lord GOD?" (7:19). He praised God's greatness and His redemption of Israel (7:22-24) and asked God to do as He had said (7:25-29). True prayer takes God's promises and asks Him to fulfil them.

Chapter 8 — David's Victories

David subdued the Philistines (8:1), Moab (8:2), Hadadezer of Zobah as far as the Euphrates (8:3-4), the Syrians of Damascus (8:5-6), and Edom, where he put garrisons (8:14). This fulfilled Balaam's prophecy that a Sceptre from Israel would smite Moab and possess Edom (Numbers 24:17-18), and extended Israel toward the borders promised to Abraham (Genesis 15:18). Twice the text says, "the LORD preserved David whithersoever he went" (8:6, 14). David dedicated the captured silver, gold and brass to the LORD (8:11-12); Solomon would later use it for the temple (1 Chronicles 18:8). "And David reigned over all Israel; and David executed judgment and justice unto all his people" (8:15). The chapter lists his officials, including Joab over the army, Zadok and Ahimelech as priests, and Benaiah over the royal bodyguard (8:16-18). Psalm 60's title refers to these wars.

Chapter 9 — Kindness to Mephibosheth

At the height of his power, David remembered his covenant with Jonathan:

Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan's sake?

2 Samuel 9:1

Ziba, Saul's former servant, told him of Jonathan's son, "lame on his feet," living at Lo-debar ("no pasture") (9:3-4). David sent for him. Mephibosheth fell on his face in fear, since kings usually wiped out the families of former dynasties. David said:

Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.

2 Samuel 9:7

Mephibosheth answered, "What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?" (9:8). David restored his land, assigned Ziba's family to work it, and Mephibosheth "did eat continually at the king's table; and was lame on both his feet" (9:13), "as one of the king's sons" (9:11).

This is one of the clearest gospel pictures in the Old Testament. Mephibosheth was from a rebel house, crippled by a fall, living in a barren place, afraid of the king, and with nothing to offer. The king sought him out, for the sake of another (Jonathan, as believers are accepted for Christ's sake, Ephesians 4:32), restored his inheritance, and seated him at his table as a son. His lameness was covered under the table. David called it "the kindness of God" (9:3).

Chapter 10 — War with Ammon and Syria

When Nahash king of Ammon died, David sent ambassadors to comfort his son Hanun (10:1-2). Hanun's princes accused them of spying, and Hanun humiliated them by shaving half their beards and cutting their garments to the buttocks (10:3-4). David told them, "Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown" (10:5). Ammon hired Syrian armies. Facing enemies on two fronts, Joab divided his forces with his brother Abishai and said, "Be of good courage, and let us play the men for our people, and for the cities of our God: and the LORD do that which seemeth him good" (10:12). Israel won, and later David defeated the Syrians decisively (10:15-19). The unfinished war against Ammon set the scene for chapter 11.

Section II: David's Sin (Chapters 11-12)

Chapter 11 — David, Bathsheba and Uriah

And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab... But David tarried still at Jerusalem.

2 Samuel 11:1

David was in the wrong place at the wrong time, idle when he should have been at his post. Walking on his roof one evening, he saw a woman washing, "very beautiful to look upon" (11:2). He inquired, and was told she was Bathsheba, "the wife of Uriah the Hittite" (11:3). That should have stopped him. Uriah was one of David's own mighty men (23:39), and Bathsheba's father Eliam was the son of Ahithophel, David's counsellor (23:34). David sent for her and lay with her (11:4). Then came the message: "I am with child" (11:5).

David tried to cover his sin. He called Uriah home from the front, hoping he would sleep with his wife, but Uriah refused: "The ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in tents; and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open fields; shall I then go into mine house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife?" (11:11). Even when David made him drunk, Uriah, the foreigner, showed more integrity than the king (11:12-13). So David wrote a letter to Joab, carried by Uriah himself, ordering him put in the hottest battle and abandoned (11:14-15). Uriah died along with other soldiers (11:17). Joab sent a report, anticipating David's anger by recalling Abimelech's death at a wall (11:21). David replied coldly, "the sword devoureth one as well as another" (11:25). After her mourning, Bathsheba became his wife and bore a son. "But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD" (11:27).

The progression: idleness, lust, adultery, deception, murder and hardness of heart. David broke at least four of the Ten Commandments: coveting, adultery, false witness and murder. "Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death" (James 1:15).

Chapter 12 — "Thou Art the Man"

About a year later, God sent Nathan with a parable: a rich man with many flocks took a poor man's only ewe lamb, which was like a daughter to him, to feed a guest (12:1-4). David burned with anger: "the man that hath done this thing shall surely die: And he shall restore the lamb fourfold" (12:5-6; Exodus 22:1). Nathan replied:

Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul... and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things. Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight?

2 Samuel 12:7-9

God pronounced judgment: "the sword shall never depart from thine house" (12:10), and "I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour... for thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun" (12:11-12). David answered simply, "I have sinned against the LORD." Nathan said, "The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die" (12:13). Under the law, adultery and murder deserved death (Leviticus 20:10; 24:17); David was forgiven by grace. But because he had "given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme," the child would die (12:14; compare Romans 2:24).

David fasted and lay on the ground seven days praying for the child. When it died, he washed, worshipped, and ate (12:16-20). He explained: "now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me" (12:23). Many Christians draw comfort from this verse that children who die in infancy are with the Lord. Then Bathsheba bore Solomon, "and the LORD loved him," naming him Jedidiah, "beloved of the LORD" (12:24-25). From this marriage, born of sin but redeemed by grace, came the line of Christ (Matthew 1:6). Joab then summoned David to complete the capture of Rabbah (12:26-31).

David's prayer of repentance is preserved in Psalm 51 ("Have mercy upon me, O God... Wash me throughly from mine iniquity... Create in me a clean heart, O God"), and the joy of forgiveness in Psalm 32 ("Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered"). Paul quotes Psalm 32 as an example of justification by faith (Romans 4:6-8). Many Bible teachers note that David's own sentence, "fourfold," was carried out in the deaths of four of his sons: the infant, Amnon (13), Absalom (18) and Adonijah (1 Kings 2:25).

Section III: David's Troubles (Chapters 13-20)

Chapter 13 — Amnon, Tamar and Absalom's Revenge

The sword began in David's house. Amnon, his eldest son, became obsessed with his half-sister Tamar, Absalom's full sister (13:1-2). On the advice of his cousin Jonadab, "a very subtil man," he pretended to be sick and asked that Tamar bring him food (13:3-10). He forced her, ignoring her pleas, "for no such thing ought to be done in Israel" (13:12-14). Then "Amnon hated her exceedingly; so that the hatred wherewith he hated her was greater than the love wherewith he had loved her" (13:15). Lust, once satisfied, turns to contempt. Tamar tore her royal robe and lived "desolate in her brother Absalom's house" (13:19-20). "But when king David heard of all these things, he was very wroth" (13:21), yet he did nothing. His own sin had perhaps silenced his authority. Absalom waited two years, then had Amnon killed at a sheep-shearing feast (13:23-29). Absalom fled to his grandfather Talmai, king of Geshur, for three years, and David "longed to go forth unto Absalom" (13:37-39).

Chapter 14 — Absalom Returns

Joab, seeing David's heart, sent a wise woman from Tekoah with a made-up story of a widow whose one son had killed the other, asking that the survivor be spared (14:1-11). When David ruled in her favour, she applied it to Absalom (14:12-13), saying:

For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him.

2 Samuel 14:14

This beautifully describes the gospel: God has devised a way, through Christ, for banished sinners to be brought back to Him. But David brought Absalom back without repentance or justice: "let him not see my face" (14:24). For two years Absalom was in Jerusalem but not reconciled. Absalom was the most handsome man in Israel, with hair so heavy it weighed 200 shekels when cut yearly (14:25-26). He burned Joab's barley field to force a meeting (14:29-32). David finally kissed him (14:33), but the reconciliation was shallow.

Chapter 15 — Absalom's Conspiracy; David Flees

Absalom prepared chariots, horses and fifty men to run before him (15:1). He stood by the city gate, intercepting people coming for judgment: "See, thy matters are good and right; but there is no man deputed of the king to hear thee... Oh that I were made judge in the land" (15:3-4). He kissed those who bowed to him, "so Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel" (15:6). Using a vow as a pretext, he went to Hebron and proclaimed himself king, and Ahithophel, David's wisest counsellor, joined him (15:7-12).

David fled Jerusalem: "Arise, and let us flee; for we shall not else escape from Absalom" (15:14). His loyal men went with him, including 600 Gittites (Philistines from Gath) under Ittai, who declared, "As the LORD liveth... surely in what place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there also will thy servant be" (15:21). "The king also himself passed over the brook Kidron" (15:23), as Jesus would cross it on the night of His betrayal (John 18:1). David sent the ark back to Jerusalem with Zadok, trusting God: "If I shall find favour in the eyes of the LORD, he will bring me again... let him do to me as seemeth good unto him" (15:25-26). "And David went up by the ascent of mount Olivet, and wept as he went up, and had his head covered, and he went barefoot" (15:30). When told Ahithophel had joined Absalom, he prayed, "O LORD, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness" (15:31). At once God answered: Hushai the Archite came, and David sent him back to Jerusalem to defeat Ahithophel's counsel from within (15:32-37). Psalm 3 was written "when he fled from Absalom his son": "But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me" (Psalm 3:3).

Chapter 16 — Ziba, Shimei and Ahithophel's Counsel

Ziba met David with provisions and accused Mephibosheth of hoping to regain Saul's kingdom; David hastily gave Ziba all Mephibosheth's property (16:1-4). Shimei, a relative of Saul, cursed David and threw stones: "Come out, come out, thou bloody man, and thou man of Belial" (16:5-8). Abishai wanted to cut off his head. David refused: "let him curse, because the LORD hath said unto him, Curse David... It may be that the LORD will look on mine affliction, and that the LORD will requite me good for his cursing this day" (16:10-12). David accepted rebuke as from God's hand. In Jerusalem, Ahithophel advised Absalom to sleep with his father's concubines publicly to make the break irreversible. They pitched a tent on the roof (the very roof where David had first seen Bathsheba) "in the sight of all Israel" (16:21-22), fulfilling Nathan's prophecy (12:11-12). "And the counsel of Ahithophel... was as if a man had enquired at the oracle of God" (16:23).

Chapter 17 — Hushai Defeats Ahithophel's Counsel

Ahithophel advised attacking at once with 12,000 men, striking David while he was weary and killing only him (17:1-4). It was excellent advice. Hushai countered with flattering, frightening alternatives: David was a seasoned warrior and would be hidden; better to gather all Israel and let Absalom lead them in person (17:7-13). Absalom chose Hushai's plan, "For the LORD had appointed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring evil upon Absalom" (17:14). Prayer (15:31) was answered. Messages reached David through the priests' sons, who hid in a well (17:15-22). When Ahithophel saw his counsel rejected, he went home, "put his household in order, and hanged himself" (17:23). Ahithophel, David's trusted friend who betrayed him and then hanged himself, is a striking picture of Judas (Matthew 27:5). David may have had him in mind in Psalm 41:9 ("mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me"), which Jesus applied to Judas (John 13:18), and Psalm 55:12-14. At Mahanaim, David was refreshed by gifts from Shobi of Ammon, Machir (who had cared for Mephibosheth), and the aged Barzillai (17:27-29).

Chapter 18 — The Death of Absalom

David organised his army in three divisions under Joab, Abishai and Ittai, and charged them all, "Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom" (18:1-5). In the forest of Ephraim, Absalom's army was defeated, "and the wood devoured more people that day than the sword devoured" (18:8). Absalom's head (perhaps his famous hair) caught in the branches of an oak as his mule ran on, leaving him hanging (18:9). Joab, ignoring the king's order, thrust three darts into his heart, and his armourbearers finished him (18:14-15). They threw his body into a pit under a great heap of stones (18:17). He had earlier set up a pillar to keep his name alive, because he had no son (18:18). Runners brought the news. David's only question was, "Is the young man Absalom safe?" (18:29, 32). When he heard, he went up to the chamber over the gate and wept:

O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!

2 Samuel 18:33

David's grief is one of the most moving moments in Scripture, a father's love for a rebellious son. He wished he could die in his son's place, but could not. The greater Son of David did die for His rebellious people: "while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).

Chapter 19 — David Restored

Joab rebuked David sharply: his grief was shaming the men who had saved his life, "thou lovest thine enemies, and hatest thy friends" (19:5-7). David went and sat in the gate (19:8). The tribes debated bringing him back; David appealed to Judah and made Amasa, Absalom's general, commander in place of Joab (19:11-15). On the return:

• Shimei came with a thousand Benjamites and confessed his sin; David spared him (19:16-23).
• Mephibosheth came unwashed, his feet and beard untended since the day David left, and explained Ziba's deception. When David divided the land, Mephibosheth said, "Yea, let him take all, forasmuch as my lord the king is come again in peace unto his own house" (19:24-30). He loved the king more than the gifts.
• Barzillai, 80 years old, declined to come to court but sent his son Chimham (19:31-39).

The northern tribes and Judah quarrelled over who had more right to the king (19:41-43), a sign of the division to come (1 Kings 12).

Chapter 20 — Sheba's Revolt

Sheba son of Bichri, a Benjamite, blew a trumpet: "We have no part in David... every man to his tents, O Israel" (20:1), and Israel followed him. David put his ten concubines, defiled by Absalom, in a house in widowhood (20:3). Joab murdered Amasa, taking him by the beard as if to kiss him and stabbing him (20:9-10), and took back command. Sheba took refuge in Abel-beth-maachah; a wise woman negotiated with Joab from the wall, and the city threw Sheba's head over (20:15-22). The chapter ends with a list of David's officials (20:23-26).

Section IV: Appendix — David's Reign in Review (Chapters 21-24)

These chapters are arranged by topic, not time: two disasters (21:1-14; 24), two lists of heroes (21:15-22; 23:8-39), and two poems at the centre (22; 23:1-7).

Chapter 21 — Famine for the Gibeonites; the Giants Slain

A three-year famine came, and the LORD revealed, "It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites" (21:1). Saul had broken Israel's oath made in Joshua's day (Joshua 9:15-20). At the Gibeonites' request, seven of Saul's descendants were hanged; David spared Mephibosheth because of his oath to Jonathan (21:7). Rizpah, mother of two of them, kept watch over the bodies from the beginning of harvest until the rains, driving off birds and beasts (21:10). Moved, David buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan in their family tomb, and "God was intreated for the land" (21:12-14). God takes oaths seriously, even across generations.

David nearly died fighting the giant Ishbi-benob; Abishai saved him, and his men made him promise not to go to battle again, "that thou quench not the light of Israel" (21:15-17). Four Philistine giants of Gath were slain by David's men, including Goliath's brother (21:19; 1 Chronicles 20:5) and a giant with six fingers and six toes (21:20-22).

Chapter 22 — David's Song of Deliverance

This song, almost identical to Psalm 18, was sung "in the day that the LORD had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul" (22:1).

The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.

2 Samuel 22:2-3

"In my distress I called upon the LORD... and he did hear my voice" (22:7). God came down in storm and earthquake (22:8-16): "He sent from above, he took me; he drew me out of many waters" (22:17). "As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him" (22:31). "Thy gentleness hath made me great" (22:36). The song ends: "Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen" (22:50; quoted in Romans 15:9 of the Gentiles praising God through Christ), and "He is the tower of salvation for his king: and sheweth mercy to his anointed, unto David, and to his seed for evermore" (22:51). Hebrews 2:13 applies "I will put my trust in him" to Christ.

Chapter 23 — David's Last Words and His Mighty Men

"Now these be the last words of David" (23:1):

The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue. The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds

2 Samuel 23:2-4

David claims inspiration for his words (compare Acts 1:16; 2:30; Matthew 22:43). He describes the ideal righteous ruler, like a cloudless sunrise after rain, a picture fulfilled in Christ, "the Sun of righteousness" (Malachi 4:2). Then he confesses: "Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire" (23:5). His hope rested not in his family's goodness but in God's covenant.

The rest of the chapter honours David's mighty men (23:8-39): Adino, who killed 800 at once; Eleazar, who fought until his hand "clave unto the sword" (23:10); Shammah, who stood alone in a field of lentils (23:11-12). Three of them broke through the Philistine lines to bring David water from the well of Bethlehem because he longed for it; David refused to drink it and poured it out to the LORD: "is not this the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives?" (23:15-17). Benaiah "slew a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow" (23:20). The list ends with "Uriah the Hittite: thirty and seven in all" (23:39), a quiet reminder of David's great sin. Like these men, Christ's servants will be named and rewarded (Romans 16; 2 Timothy 4:8).

Chapter 24 — The Census and the Threshing Floor of Araunah

"And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah" (24:1). The parallel account says, "Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel" (1 Chronicles 21:1). Both are true: as with Job, God permitted Satan to act as the instrument of His judgment on Israel's sin, while David was fully responsible for his pride in trusting numbers. Even Joab objected (24:3). The count took almost ten months (24:8-9). (The numbers differ from 1 Chronicles 21:5, likely because they count different groups.) Then "David's heart smote him... I have sinned greatly" (24:10).

Through the prophet Gad, God offered three punishments: famine, three months of flight from enemies, or three days of pestilence (24:12-13). David chose: "let us fall now into the hand of the LORD; for his mercies are great: and let me not fall into the hand of man" (24:14). A plague killed 70,000 (24:15). As the angel stretched out his hand over Jerusalem, "the LORD repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough: stay now thine hand" (24:16). The angel stood by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. David pleaded, "Lo, I have sinned... but these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father's house" (24:17). Gad told him to build an altar there. Araunah offered the land and animals free, but David insisted on paying:

Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing.

2 Samuel 24:24

"So the LORD was intreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel" (24:25). This threshing floor was on Mount Moriah, where Abraham had offered Isaac (Genesis 22:2), and where Solomon would build the temple (2 Chronicles 3:1). The book ends where judgment is stopped by sacrifice at the place God chose, pointing to the cross, where God's wrath was satisfied and mercy flows.

Part Three: Christ in 2 Samuel

The Davidic Covenant Fulfilled in Christ

David in His Sufferings: A Picture of Christ

Mephibosheth: Grace at the King's Table

Other Pictures of Christ

• The king who brought the ark to Zion (6). God's presence brought to His people; Christ is Immanuel (Matthew 1:23).
• The righteous ruler like the morning sun (23:3-4). The Sun of righteousness (Malachi 4:2; Luke 1:78).
• The threshing floor where judgment was stopped (24). The place of sacrifice on Moriah, the site of the temple, near where Christ died. "It is enough" (24:16).
• "Would God I had died for thee" (18:33). David's wish is Christ's accomplished work.
• The wise woman's words (14:14). God "doth devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him": the gospel of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).

Part Four: Fulfilled Prophecies

Part Five: Key Passages in Depth

2 Samuel 7 — The Davidic Covenant

This is one of the most important chapters in the Old Testament. It narrows the promise of the Seed: from the woman (Genesis 3:15), to Abraham (Genesis 12:3), to Judah (Genesis 49:10), and now to David's line. From here on, the Messiah is known as "the Son of David" (Matthew 1:1; 9:27; 21:9). God's covenants build on each other:

Psalm 89 meditates on this covenant ("I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant, Thy seed will I establish for ever," 89:3-4), as does Psalm 132:11-12. The prophets looked to a future David (Isaiah 9:7; 11:1; Jeremiah 23:5; 33:17, 20-21; Ezekiel 34:23-24; 37:24-25; Hosea 3:5; Amos 9:11).

2 Samuel 11-12 — The Anatomy of Sin and Repentance

David's sin shows how far a godly person can fall: from idleness to lust to adultery to deception to murder. It also shows true repentance: immediate confession without excuse ("I have sinned against the LORD," 12:13), acceptance of God's discipline, and restored worship (12:20). Forgiveness was immediate and complete, yet consequences followed for years. "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap" (Galatians 6:7). Saul and David both said "I have sinned" (1 Samuel 15:24; 2 Samuel 12:13), but Saul's repentance was about his image, David's about his God.

2 Samuel 9 — The Kindness of God

David's question, "Is there yet any... that I may shew the kindness of God unto him?" (9:3), shows the heart of covenant love: it seeks the undeserving, for another's sake, and lifts them to the king's table. It is a living parable of grace (Ephesians 2:4-7).

2 Samuel 24:24 — Worship That Costs

David refused to offer God what cost him nothing. True worship and giving involve sacrifice (Mark 12:41-44; Romans 12:1). God gave His Son at infinite cost (John 3:16).

Part Six: The Major Teachings of 2 Samuel

1. God's Covenant Faithfulness

God kept His promise to make David king and made an everlasting covenant that rests on His faithfulness, not David's (7; 23:5).

2. The Messianic Hope

The Davidic covenant is the root of the hope of a coming King, fulfilled in Jesus Christ (Luke 1:32-33; Acts 2:30-36).

3. True Worship

David brought the ark to Jerusalem, worshipped with all his might (6:14), wanted to build God a house (7:2), and refused to offer what cost him nothing (24:24). Worship must also be done God's way (6:6-7, 13).

4. The Devastating Power of Sin

One sinful season brought death, family breakdown, rebellion and national suffering. "The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23).

5. Forgiveness and Consequences

God forgave David completely (12:13), yet the consequences unfolded in his family. Forgiveness removes guilt but does not always remove the results of sin.

6. Grace

Mephibosheth (9), the wise woman's words (14:14), David's restoration after sin (12:13), and the stayed plague (24:16) all show grace triumphing over judgment (James 2:13).

7. Godly Leadership

David "executed judgment and justice unto all his people" (8:15), and his last words describe the ideal ruler "just, ruling in the fear of God" (23:3). Yet his failures to discipline Joab and his sons show how private weakness affects public leadership.

8. Family and Parenting

David's polygamy, his failure to act against Amnon (13:21), and his half-reconciliation with Absalom (14) led to family disaster. Leaders must "rule well" their own house (1 Timothy 3:4-5).

9. God's Sovereignty Over Human Plans

God turned Ahithophel's counsel to foolishness in answer to prayer (15:31; 17:14). "There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand" (Proverbs 19:21).

10. Loyalty and Friendship

Jonathan's covenant honoured (9), Ittai's devotion (15:21), Hushai's courage (15:32-37), Barzillai's generosity (17:27-29; 19:31-39), and the mighty men's sacrifice (23:13-17) show the beauty of loyalty, pointing to devotion to the true King.

Part Seven: Connections — How 2 Samuel Links to the Rest of the Bible

2 Samuel in the New Testament

2 Samuel in the Old Testament

Themes That Run from 2 Samuel Through Scripture

Part Eight: Practical Lessons

• Don't rejoice when your enemy falls (1:11-12).
• Seek God before every decision, even when last time's method worked (2:1; 5:19, 23).
• Wait for God's timing rather than seizing what He has promised (4:9-12).
• Do God's work God's way (6:6-7, 13).
• Worship wholeheartedly, regardless of what people think (6:14, 22).
• Let God build your house (7:11).
• Show the kindness of God to the helpless (9).
• Idleness opens the door to temptation (11:1).
• Sin always goes further than you planned (11).
• Confess your sin without excuse (12:13).
• God forgives, but sin has consequences (12:10-14).
• Parents must act against evil in their homes (13:21).
• Beware of flatterers who steal hearts (15:6).
• Pray when betrayed; God can turn the counsel of the wise to foolishness (15:31).
• Accept rebuke humbly, even when unfairly given (16:10-12).
• Love the King more than His gifts (19:30).
• Honour those who serve sacrificially (23:13-17).
• Don't trust in numbers (24:1-10).
• Never offer God what costs you nothing (24:24).

Part Nine: Key Verses to Memorize

Conclusion

2 Samuel tells the story of Israel's greatest king. In the first half, God establishes David over all Israel, gives him Jerusalem, brings the ark to Zion, and makes with him an everlasting covenant: his house, throne and kingdom will endure for ever. In the second half, David's sin with Bathsheba brings the sword into his house, and the king who conquered giants is driven from his city by his own son. Yet David repents, God forgives, and the book ends with judgment stayed by sacrifice on Mount Moriah. Through all of it, the covenant stands. David's line leads to Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the righteous King who never sinned, who wept on the Mount of Olives, was betrayed by a friend, died for His rebellious people, and now reigns on David's throne for ever.

He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds

2 Samuel 23:3-4