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Selected Verse: 2 Samuel 5:6 - Strong Concordance
Verse |
Translation |
Text |
2Sa 5:6 |
Strong Concordance |
And the king [04428] and his men [0582] went [03212] to Jerusalem [03389] unto the Jebusites [02983], the inhabitants [03427] of the land [0776]: which spake [0559] unto David [01732], saying [0559], Except thou take away [05493] the blind [05787] and the lame [06455], thou shalt not come in [0935] hither: thinking [0559], David [01732] cannot come in [0935] hither. |
|
King James |
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. |
Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse
A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882] |
HE TAKES ZION FROM THE JEBUSITES. (Sa2 5:6-12)
the king and his men went to Jerusalem unto the Jebusites--The first expedition of David, as king of the whole country, was directed against this place, which had hitherto remained in the hands of the natives. It was strongly fortified and deemed so impregnable that the blind and lame were sent to man the battlements, in derisive mockery of the Hebrew king's attack, and to shout, "David cannot come in hither." To understand the full meaning and force of this insulting taunt, it is necessary to bear in mind the depth and steepness of the valley of Gihon, and the lofty walls of the ancient Canaanitish fortress. |
Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834] |
David immediately after being anointed king of Israel, probably wished to signalize his accession by an exploit which would be popular with all Israel, and especially with Saul's tribe, Benjamin. He discerned the importance of having Jerusalem for his capital both because it belonged as much to Benjamin as to Judah, and on account of its strong position.
Except thou take away the blind ... - Rather, "and (the Jebusite) spake to David, saying, Thou shalt not come hither, but the blind and the lame shall keep thee off," i. e. so far shalt thou be from taking the stronghold from us, that the lame and blind shall suffice to defend the place. |
Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78] |
Conquest of the Stronghold of Zion, and Choice of Jerusalem as the Capital of the Kingdom (cf. Ch1 11:4, Ch1 11:9). - These parallel accounts agree in all the main points; but they are both of them merely brief extracts from a more elaborate history, so that certain things, which appeared of comparatively less importance, are passed over either in the one or the other, and the full account is obtained by combining the two. The conquest of the citadel Zion took place immediately after the anointing of David as king over all the tribes of Israel. This is apparent, not only from the fact that the account follows directly afterwards, but also from the circumstance that, according to Sa2 5:5, David reigned in Jerusalem just as many years as he was king over all Israel.
Sa2 5:6
The king went with his men (i.e., his fighting men: the Chronicles have "all Israel," i.e., the fighting men of Israel) to Jerusalem to the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, i.e., the natives or Canaanites; "and they said (the singular ויּאמר is used because היבוּסי is a singular form) to David, Thou wilt not come hither (i.e., come in), but the blind and lame will drive thee away: to say (i.e., by which they meant to say), David will not come in." הסירך is not used for the infinitive, but has been rightly understood by the lxx, Aben Ezra, and others, as a perfect. The perfect expresses a thing accomplished, and open to no dispute; and the use of the singular in the place of the plural, as in Isa 14:32, is to be explained from the fact that the verb precedes, and is only defined precisely by the subject which follows (vid., Ewald, 319, a.). The Jebusites relied upon the unusual natural advantages of their citadel, which stood upon Mount Zion, a mountain shut in by deep valleys on three different sides; so that in their haughty self-security they imagined that they did not even need to employ healthy and powerful warriors to resist the attack made by David, but that the blind and lame would suffice.
Sa2 5:7-8
However, David took the citadel Zion, i.e., "the city of David." This explanatory remark anticipates the course of events, as David did not give this name to the conquered citadel, until he had chosen it as his residence and capital (vid., Sa2 5:9). ציּון (Sion), from ציה, to be dry: the dry or arid mountain or hill. This was the name of the southern and loftiest mountain of Jerusalem. Upon this stood the fortress or citadel of the town, which had hitherto remained in the possession of the Jebusites; whereas the northern portion of the city of Jerusalem, which was upon lower ground, had been conquered by the Judaeans and Benjaminites very shortly after the death of Joshua (see at Jdg 1:8). - In Sa2 5:8 we have one circumstance mentioned which occurred in connection with this conquest. On that day, i.e., when he had advanced to the attack of the citadel Zion, David said, "Every one who smites the Jebusites, let him hurl into the waterfall (i.e., down the precipice) both the lame and blind, who are hateful to David's soul." This is most probably the proper interpretation of these obscure words of David, which have been very differently explained. Taking up the words of the Jebusites, David called all the defenders of the citadel of Zion "lame and blind," and ordered them to be cast down the precipice without quarter. צנּור signifies a waterfall (catarracta) in Psa 42:8, the only other passage in which it occurs, probably from צנר, to roar. This meaning may also be preserved here, if we assume that at the foot of the steep precipice of Zion there was a waterfall probably connected with the water of Siloah. It is true we cannot determine anything with certainty concerning it, as, notwithstanding the many recent researches in Jerusalem, the situation of the Jebusite fortress and the character of the mountain of Zion in ancient times are quite unknown to us. This explanation of the word zinnor is simpler than Ewald's assumption that the word signifies the steep side of a rock, which merely rests upon the fact that the Greek word καταρράκτης originally signifies a plunge.
(Note: The earliest translators have only resorted to guesses. The Seventy, with their ἁπτέσθω ἐν παραξιφιδι, have combined צנּור with צנּה, which they render now and then μάχαιρα or ῥομφαία. This is also done by the Syriac and Arabic. The Chaldee paraphrases in this manner: "who begins to subjugate the citadel." Jerome, who probably followed the Rabbins, has et tetigisset domatum fistulas (and touched the water-pipes); and Luther, "und erlanget die Dachrinnen" (like the English version, "whosoever getteth up to the gutter:" Tr.). Hitzig's notion, that zinnor signifies ear ("whosoever boxes the ears of the blind and lame") needs no refutation; nor does that of Fr. Bttcher, who proposes to follow the Alexandrian rendering, and refer zinnor to a "sword of honour or marshal's staff," which David promised to the victor.)
ויגע should be pointed as a Hiphil ויגּע. The Masoretic pointing ויגּע arises from their mistaken interpretation of the whole sentence. The Chethibh שׂנאו might be the third pers. perf., "who hate David's soul;" only in that case the omission of עשׁר would be surprising, and consequently the Keri שׂנאי is to be preferred. "From this," adds the writer, "the proverb arose, 'The blind and lame shall not enter the house;' " in which proverb the epithet "blind and lame," which David applied to the Jebusites who were hated by him, has the general signification of "repulsive persons," with whom one does not wish to have anything to do. In the Chronicles not only is the whole of Sa2 5:7 omitted, with the proverb to which the occurrence gave rise, but also the allusion to the blind and lame in the words spoken by the Jebusites (Sa2 5:6); and another word of David's is substituted instead, namely, that David would make the man who first smote the Jebusites, i.e., who stormed their citadel, head and chief;
(Note: This is also inserted in the passage before us by the translators of the English version: "he shall be chief and captain." - Tr.)
and also the statement that Joab obtained the prize. The historical credibility of the statement cannot be disputed, as Thenius assumes, on the ground that Joab had already been chief (sar) for a long time, according to Sa2 2:13 : for the passage referred to says nothing of the kind; and there is a very great difference between the commander of an army in the time of war, and a "head and chief," i.e., a commander-in-chief. The statement in Sa2 5:8 with regard to Joab's part, the fortification of Jerusalem, shows very clearly that the author of the Chronicles had other and more elaborate sources in his possession, which contained fuller accounts than the author of our books has communicated.
Sa2 5:9
"David dwelt in the fort," i.e., he selected the fort or citadel as his palace, "and called it David's city." David may have been induced to select the citadel of Zion as his palace, and by so doing to make Jerusalem the capital of the whole kingdom, partly by the natural strength of Zion, and partly by the situation of Jerusalem, viz., on the border of the tribes of Benjamin and Judah, and tolerably near to the centre of the land. "And David built, i.e., fortified (the city of Zion), round about from Millo and inwards." In the Chronicles we have ועד־הסּביב, "and to the environs or surroundings," i.e., to the encircling wall which was opposite to the Millo. The fortification "inwards" must have consisted in the enclosure of Mount Zion with a strong wall upon the north side, where Jerusalem joined it as a lower town, so as to defend the palace against the hostile attacks on the north or town side, which had hitherto been left without fortifications. The "Millo" was at any rate some kind of fortification, probably a large tower or castle at one particular part of the surrounding wall (comp. Jdg 9:6 with Jdg 9:46 and Jdg 9:49, where Millo is used interchangeably with Migdal). The name ("the filling") probably originated in the fact that through this tower or castle the fortification of the city, or the surrounding wall, was filled or completed. The definite article before Millo indicates that it was a well-known fortress, probably one that had been erected by the Jebusites. With regard to the situation of Millo, we may infer from this passage, and Ch1 11:8, that the tower in question stood at one corner of the wall, either on the north-east or north-west, "where the hill of Zion has the least elevation and therefore needed the greatest strengthening from without" (Thenius on Kg1 9:15). This is fully sustained both by Kg1 11:27, where Solomon is said to have closed the breach of the city of David by building (fortifying) Millo, and by Ch2 32:5, where Hezekiah is said to have built up all the wall of Jerusalem, and made Millo strong, i.e., to have fortified it still further (vid., Kg1 9:15 and Kg1 9:24).
Sa2 5:10
And David increased in greatness, i.e., in power and fame, for Jehovah the God of hosts was with him. |
Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65] |
Cannot come - They confided in the strength of their fortifications, which they thought so impregnable, that the blind and the lame were sufficient to defend them, against the most powerful assailant. And probably they set a parcel of blind and lame people, invalids or maimed soldiers, to make their appearance on the wall, in contempt of David and his men. |
Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826 |
The king and his men went to Jerusalem - This city was now in the hands of the Jebusites; but how they got possession of it is not known, probably they took it during the wars between Ish-bosheth and David. After Joshua's death, what is called the lower city was taken by the Israelites; and it is evident that the whole city was in their possession in the time of Saul, for David brought the head of Goliath thither, Sa1 17:54. It appears to have been a very strong fortress, and, from what follows, deemed impregnable by the Jebusites. It was right that the Israelites should repossess it; and David very properly began his reign over the whole country by the siege of this city.
Except thou take away the blind and the lame - Scarcely a passage in the sacred oracles has puzzled commentators more than this. For my own part, I do not think that it is worth the labor spent upon it, nor shall I encumber these pages with the discordant opinions of learned men. From the general face of the text it appears that the Jebusites, vainly confiding in the strength of their fortress, placed lame and blind men upon the walls, and thus endeavored to turn into ridicule David's attempt to take the place: Thou shalt not come in hither, except thou take away the blind and the lame; nothing could be more cutting to a warrior.
Dr. Kennicott has taken great pains to correct this passage, as may be seen in his First Dissertation on the Hebrew Text, pages 27 to 47. I shall insert our present version with his amended text line for line, his translation being distinguished by italics; and for farther information refer to Dr. K.'s work.
Sa2 5:6.
And the king and his men went to And the king and his men went to Jerusalem unto the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem unto the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land: who spake unto David, saying, the land; who spake unto David, saying; Except thou take away the blind and the Thou shalt not come in hither; for the blind lame, thou shalt not come in hither: thinking, and the lame shall drive thee away by saying, David cannot come in hither. "David shall not come in hither."
Sa2 5:8.
And David said - Whosoever getteth And David said - Whosoever smiteth the up to the gutter, and smiteth the Jebusites, Jebusites, and through the subterranean passage and the lame and the blind, that are hated reacheth the lame and the blind who of David's soul - Wherefore they said, The hate the life of David (because the blind and blind and the lame shall not come into the the lame said, "He shall not come into the house. house,") shall be chief and captain. So Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first, and was chief. |
6 And the king [04428] and his men [0582] went [03212] to Jerusalem [03389] unto the Jebusites [02983], the inhabitants [03427] of the land [0776]: which spake [0559] unto David [01732], saying [0559], Except thou take away [05493] the blind [05787] and the lame [06455], thou shalt not come in [0935] hither: thinking [0559], David [01732] cannot come in [0935] hither.
7 Nevertheless David [01732] took [03920] the strong hold [04686] of Zion [06726]: the same is the city [05892] of David [01732].
8 And David [01732] said [0559] on that day [03117], Whosoever getteth up [05060] to the gutter [06794], and smiteth [05221] the Jebusites [02983], and the lame [06455] and the blind [05787], that are hated [08130] of David's [01732] soul [05315], he shall be chief and captain. Wherefore they said [0559], The blind [05787] and the lame [06455] shall not come [0935] into the house [01004].
9 So David [01732] dwelt [03427] in the fort [04686], and called [07121] it the city [05892] of David [01732]. And David [01732] built [01129] round about [05439] from Millo [04407] and inward [01004].
10 And David [01732] went [03212] on [01980], and grew great [01419], and the LORD [03068] God [0430] of hosts [06635] was with him.
11 And Hiram [02438] king [04428] of Tyre [06865] sent [07971] messengers [04397] to David [01732], and cedar [0730] trees [06086], and carpenters [02796], and masons [07023] [068]: and they built [01129] David [01732] an house [01004].
12 And David [01732] perceived [03045] that the LORD [03068] had established [03559] him king [04428] over Israel [03478], and that he had exalted [05375] his kingdom [04467] for his people [05971] Israel's [03478] sake.
10 And David [01732] went [03212] on [01980], and grew great [01419], and the LORD [03068] God [0430] of hosts [06635] was with him.
24 But Pharaoh's [06547] daughter [01323] came up [05927] out of the city [05892] of David [01732] unto her house [01004] which Solomon had built [01129] for her: then did he build [01129] Millo [04407].
15 And this is the reason [01697] of the levy [04522] which king [04428] Solomon [08010] raised [05927]; for to build [01129] the house [01004] of the LORD [03068], and his own house [01004], and Millo [04407], and the wall [02346] of Jerusalem [03389], and Hazor [02674], and Megiddo [04023], and Gezer [01507].
5 Also he strengthened [02388] himself, and built up [01129] all the wall [02346] that was broken [06555], and raised it up [05927] to the towers [04026], and another [0312] wall [02346] without [02351], and repaired [02388] Millo [04407] in the city [05892] of David [01732], and made [06213] darts [07973] and shields [04043] in abundance [07230].
27 And this was the cause [01697] that he lifted up [07311] his hand [03027] against the king [04428]: Solomon [08010] built [01129] Millo [04407], and repaired [05462] the breaches [06556] of the city [05892] of David [01732] his father [01].
15 And this is the reason [01697] of the levy [04522] which king [04428] Solomon [08010] raised [05927]; for to build [01129] the house [01004] of the LORD [03068], and his own house [01004], and Millo [04407], and the wall [02346] of Jerusalem [03389], and Hazor [02674], and Megiddo [04023], and Gezer [01507].
8 And he built [01129] the city [05892] round about [05439], even from Millo [04407] round about [05439]: and Joab [03097] repaired [02421] the rest [07605] of the city [05892].
49 And all the people [05971] likewise cut down [03772] every man [0376] his bough [07754], and followed [03212] [0310] Abimelech [040], and put [07760] them to the hold [06877], and set [03341] the hold [06877] on fire [0784] upon them; so that all the men [0582] of the tower [04026] of Shechem [07927] died [04191] also, about a thousand [0505] men [0376] and women [0802].
46 And when all the men [01167] of the tower [04026] of Shechem [07927] heard [08085] that, they entered [0935] into an hold [06877] of the house [01004] of the god [0410] Berith [01286].
6 And all the men [01167] of Shechem [07927] gathered together [0622], and all the house [01004] of Millo [04407] [01037], and went [03212], and made [04427] Abimelech [040] king [04428], by the plain [0436] of the pillar [05324] that was in Shechem [07927].
9 So David [01732] dwelt [03427] in the fort [04686], and called [07121] it the city [05892] of David [01732]. And David [01732] built [01129] round about [05439] from Millo [04407] and inward [01004].
8 And David [01732] said [0559] on that day [03117], Whosoever getteth up [05060] to the gutter [06794], and smiteth [05221] the Jebusites [02983], and the lame [06455] and the blind [05787], that are hated [08130] of David's [01732] soul [05315], he shall be chief and captain. Wherefore they said [0559], The blind [05787] and the lame [06455] shall not come [0935] into the house [01004].
13 And Joab [03097] the son [01121] of Zeruiah [06870], and the servants [05650] of David [01732], went out [03318], and met [06298] together [03162] by the pool [01295] of Gibeon [01391]: and they sat down [03427], the one on the one side of the pool [01295], and the other on the other side of the pool [01295].
6 And the king [04428] and his men [0582] went [03212] to Jerusalem [03389] unto the Jebusites [02983], the inhabitants [03427] of the land [0776]: which spake [0559] unto David [01732], saying [0559], Except thou take away [05493] the blind [05787] and the lame [06455], thou shalt not come in [0935] hither: thinking [0559], David [01732] cannot come in [0935] hither.
7 Nevertheless David [01732] took [03920] the strong hold [04686] of Zion [06726]: the same is the city [05892] of David [01732].
8 Yet the LORD [03068] will command [06680] his lovingkindness [02617] in the daytime [03119], and in the night [03915] his song [07892] shall be with me, and my prayer [08605] unto the God [0410] of my life [02416].
8 And David [01732] said [0559] on that day [03117], Whosoever getteth up [05060] to the gutter [06794], and smiteth [05221] the Jebusites [02983], and the lame [06455] and the blind [05787], that are hated [08130] of David's [01732] soul [05315], he shall be chief and captain. Wherefore they said [0559], The blind [05787] and the lame [06455] shall not come [0935] into the house [01004].
8 Now the children [01121] of Judah [03063] had fought [03898] against Jerusalem [03389], and had taken [03920] it, and smitten [05221] it with the edge [06310] of the sword [02719], and set [07971] the city [05892] on fire [0784].
9 So David [01732] dwelt [03427] in the fort [04686], and called [07121] it the city [05892] of David [01732]. And David [01732] built [01129] round about [05439] from Millo [04407] and inward [01004].
7 Nevertheless David [01732] took [03920] the strong hold [04686] of Zion [06726]: the same is the city [05892] of David [01732].
8 And David [01732] said [0559] on that day [03117], Whosoever getteth up [05060] to the gutter [06794], and smiteth [05221] the Jebusites [02983], and the lame [06455] and the blind [05787], that are hated [08130] of David's [01732] soul [05315], he shall be chief and captain. Wherefore they said [0559], The blind [05787] and the lame [06455] shall not come [0935] into the house [01004].
32 What shall one then answer [06030] the messengers [04397] of the nation [01471]? That the LORD [03068] hath founded [03245] Zion [06726], and the poor [06041] of his people [05971] shall trust [02620] in it.
6 And the king [04428] and his men [0582] went [03212] to Jerusalem [03389] unto the Jebusites [02983], the inhabitants [03427] of the land [0776]: which spake [0559] unto David [01732], saying [0559], Except thou take away [05493] the blind [05787] and the lame [06455], thou shalt not come in [0935] hither: thinking [0559], David [01732] cannot come in [0935] hither.
5 In Hebron [02275] he reigned [04427] over Judah [03063] seven [07651] years [08141] and six [08337] months [02320]: and in Jerusalem [03389] he reigned [04427] thirty [07970] and three [07969] years [08141] over all Israel [03478] and Judah [03063].
9 So David [01732] waxed [03212] greater [01980] and greater [01419]: for the LORD [03068] of hosts [06635] was with him.
4 And David [01732] and all Israel [03478] went [03212] to Jerusalem [03389], which is Jebus [02982]; where the Jebusites [02983] were, the inhabitants [03427] of the land [0776].
8 And David [01732] said [0559] on that day [03117], Whosoever getteth up [05060] to the gutter [06794], and smiteth [05221] the Jebusites [02983], and the lame [06455] and the blind [05787], that are hated [08130] of David's [01732] soul [05315], he shall be chief and captain. Wherefore they said [0559], The blind [05787] and the lame [06455] shall not come [0935] into the house [01004].
6 And the king [04428] and his men [0582] went [03212] to Jerusalem [03389] unto the Jebusites [02983], the inhabitants [03427] of the land [0776]: which spake [0559] unto David [01732], saying [0559], Except thou take away [05493] the blind [05787] and the lame [06455], thou shalt not come in [0935] hither: thinking [0559], David [01732] cannot come in [0935] hither.
54 And David [01732] took [03947] the head [07218] of the Philistine [06430], and brought [0935] it to Jerusalem [03389]; but he put [07760] his armour [03627] in his tent [0168].