וַיָּבֹאוּ כָּל שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל דָּוִד חֶבְרוֹנָה וַיֹּאמְרוּ לֵאמֹר הִנְנוּ עַצְמְךָ וּבְשָׂרְךָ אֲנָחְנוּ

Then, in the wake of the preceding events, representatives of all the tribes of Israel came to David to Hebron, and they said, saying: Behold, we are your bone and your flesh. Do not view us as strangers; we are your family.

גַּם אֶתְמוֹל גַּם שִׁלְשׁוֹם בִּהְיוֹת שָׁאוּל מֶלֶךְ עָלֵינוּ אַתָּה הָיִיתָה הַמּוֹצִיא וְהַמֵּבִי אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֹּאמֶר ה' לְךָ אַתָּה תִרְעֶה אֶת עַמִּי אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאַתָּה תִּהְיֶה לְנָגִיד עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל

Even in the past, when Saul was king over us, you were actually the one who led Israel out to battle and led them in, as you were a military commander. Although David was not the chief officer of Saul’s army, he was one of its primary leaders. And already back then, the Lord said to you: You shall shepherd My people Israel, and you will be ruler, king, over Israel.

וַיָּבֹאוּ כָּל זִקְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל הַמֶּלֶךְ חֶבְרוֹנָה וַיִּכְרֹת לָהֶם הַמֶּלֶךְ דָּוִד בְּרִית בְּחֶבְרוֹן לִפְנֵי ה' וַיִּמְשְׁחוּ אֶת דָּוִד לְמֶלֶךְ עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל

Thereafter, all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron, and King David established a covenant with them in Hebron before the Lord. This was a bilateral agreement. The people accepted David’s reign upon themselves, while he granted a general amnesty, committing to take no actions to settle old scores, as some of the people had not supported him in the past. And thus, in Hebron, they anointed David as king over the entire nation of Israel.

בֶּן שְׁלֹשִׁים שָׁנָה דָּוִד בְּמָלְכוֹ אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה מָלָךְ

David was thirty years old when he became king; he reigned for forty years, until his death. A period of forty years is deemed a significant amount of time. Units of this size appear multiple times in various contexts and often indicate a complete era.

בְּחֶבְרוֹן מָלַךְ עַל יְהוּדָה שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים וְשִׁשָּׁה חֳדָשִׁים וּבִירוּשָׁלִַם מָלַךְ שְׁלֹשִׁים וְשָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנָה עַל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל וִיהוּדָה

In Hebron he reigned over Judah for seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah. This amounts to a total of forty years and six months. There are several explanations for the small discrepancy. For example, it is possible that the number mentioned in the previous verse is simply an approximation.

וַיֵּלֶךְ הַמֶּלֶךְ וַאֲנָשָׁיו יְרוּשָׁלִַם אֶל הַיְבֻסִי יוֹשֵׁב הָאָרֶץ וַיֹּאמֶר לְדָוִד לֵאמֹר לֹא תָבוֹא הֵנָּה כִּי אִם הסִירְךָ הַעִוְרִים וְהַפִּסְחִים לֵאמֹר לֹא יָבוֹא דָוִד הֵנָּה

Then, after he had been appointed king over all Israel, the king and his men went to Jerusalem to the Yevusites, inhabitants of the land, demanding that they accept his sovereignty and relinquish their independence. But King David was rebuffed by the representative of the Yevusites, as he said to David, saying: You will not come here unless you remove the blind and the lame,the Yevusite idols, saying: David will not come here.

וַיִּלְכֹּד דָּוִד אֵת מְצֻדַת צִיּוֹן הִיא עִיר דָּוִד

David captured the fortress of Zion, which is the same place that is called the City of David. It acquired this new name after the conquest, when David took up residence there.

וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא כָּל מַכֵּה יְבֻסִי וְיִגַּע בַּצִּנּוֹר ואֶת הַפִּסְחִים וְאֶת הַעִוְרִים שְׂנֻאֵי נֶפֶשׁ דָּוִד עַל כֵּן יֹאמְרוּ עִוֵּר וּפִסֵּחַ לֹא יָבוֹא אֶל הַבָּיִת

David said on that day: Anyone who smites a Yevusite, and does harm to the tzinor, an enigmatic term whose meaning is unclear. According to various commentaries, it may refer to the source of the city’s water, a tower, the locking mechanism of the city gate, or it may be a term for a stronghold. In any case, although the city was extremely well fortified, David and his men found a way to enter it. David promised his warriors that whoever succeeded in penetrating the city and reaching the tzinor, an object of great strategic significance, and whoever also removed the lame and the blind, whom David’s soul detests, would receive his just reward. Here, the reward is not specified, but in I Chronicles, it is related that David declared that the first one to successfully strike the Yevusites would be appointed captain of the Israelite army. Since Yoav succeeded in doing so, the king assigned him to the position. Therefore they, the people, would later say as a common proverb: The blind and the lame, any Yevusite or Canaanite, will not come into the house of the king. If the original declaration of the Yevusites referred to actual blind and lame people, who were perhaps displayed before David as a show of defiance, then this proverb means that such individuals were unwelcome in his house. However, it should be noted that later, David displayed kindness to the lame Mefivoshet by inviting him to dine regularly at his table. Regardless of the precise meaning of the difficult phrases, it seems that David did not conquer Jerusalem after an extended siege, but by a dramatic and rapid surprise attack.

וַיֵּשֶׁב דָּוִד בַּמְּצֻדָה וַיִּקְרָא לָהּ עִיר דָּוִד וַיִּבֶן דָּוִד סָבִיב מִן הַמִּלּוֹא וָבָיְתָה

David settled in the stronghold, and he called it the City of David. David built around from the Milo, a rampart or fortress, and inward, in the direction of the city. David filled in the lower area between the stronghold and the city itself, thereby unifying and enlarging the city. Although I Kings attributes the construction of the Milo to Solomon, it was apparently David who began the work of filling in the space between the Yevusite stronghold in the City of David and Mount Moriah.

וַיֵּלֶךְ דָּוִד הָלוֹךְ וְגָדוֹל וַה' אֱלֹהֵי צְבָאוֹת עִמּוֹ

David became steadily greater, and the Lord, God of hosts, was with him. The conquest of Jerusalem dispelled the sense of weakness that had been caused by the presence of a strong foreign enclave in the heart of the land. This important undertaking helped establish the legitimacy and authority of David’s government.

וַיִּשְׁלַח חִירָם מֶלֶךְ צֹר מַלְאָכִים אֶל דָּוִד וַעֲצֵי אֲרָזִים וְחָרָשֵׁי עֵץ וְחָרָשֵׁי אֶבֶן קִיר וַיִּבְנוּ בַיִת לְדָוִד

David was famous even before he became king of Israel, but now that he had become king of Israel, he could no longer be seen merely as a local, tribal phenomenon. Foreign leaders also acknowledged the transformation: Hiram king of Tyre, the distant kingdom to the north, sent messengers to David, and cedar wood, and expert carpenters, and masons of wall stones, and they built a house for David. As an expression of friendship with the new king, the king of Tyre constructed a magnificent house for David, built with wood from the great cedars of Lebanon. King David may well have composed Psalms 30 on this occasion.

וַיֵּדַע דָּוִד כִּי הֱכִינוֹ ה' לְמֶלֶךְ עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל וְכִי נִשֵּׂא מַמְלַכְתּוֹ בַּעֲבוּר עַמּוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל

When these representatives of the foreign king arrived, David knew that the Lord had set him as king over Israel, and that He had exalted his kingdom for the sake of His people Israel.

וַיִּקַּח דָּוִד עוֹד פִּלַגְשִׁים וְנָשִׁים מִירוּשָׁלִַם אַחֲרֵי בֹּאוֹ מֵחֶבְרוֹן וַיִּוָּלְדוּ עוֹד לְדָוִד בָּנִים וּבָנוֹת

David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after his arrival from Hebron, once his kingdom had been established. And yet more sons and daughters were born to David.

וְאֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹת הַיִּלֹּדִים לוֹ בִּירוּשָׁלִָם שַׁמּוּעַ וְשׁוֹבָב וְנָתָן וּשְׁלֹמֹה

These are the names of those who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shamua, Shovav, Natan, perhaps named after Natan the prophet, Solomon, who would eventually be David’s successor, even though he was not one of his elder sons;

וְיִבְחָר וֶאֱלִישׁוּעַ וְנֶפֶג וְיָפִיעַ

Yivhar, Elishua, Nefeg, Yafia,

וֶאֱלִישָׁמָע וְאֶלְיָדָע וֶאֱלִיפָלֶט

Elishama, Elyada, and Elifelet. Virtually none of these sons played an important role in history.

וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ פְלִשְׁתִּים כִּי מָשְׁחוּ אֶת דָּוִד לְמֶלֶךְ עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּעֲלוּ כָל פְּלִשְׁתִּים לְבַקֵּשׁ אֶת דָּוִד וַיִּשְׁמַע דָּוִד וַיֵּרֶד אֶל הַמְּצוּדָה

When the Philistines had last encountered David, he was serving as a kind of adjunct to their troops. After he returned to his homeland and was appointed king over Judah, they saw him as a minor tribal leader who posed no significant threat. Once he became king over all of Israel, they sought to take preemptive action: The Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, and all the Philistines took preemptive action and went up to Jerusalem to seek and capture David. David heard, and he went down to the fortress, which was apparently sufficiently fortified to prevent a Philistine infiltration. Since David was now king, his presence was necessary and had an effect on his surroundings; he could no longer flee to the wilderness as he had done in the past.

וּפְלִשְׁתִּים בָּאוּ וַיִּנָּטְשׁוּ בְּעֵמֶק רְפָאִים

The Philistines came and they deployed in the Valley of Refaim. They might have planned to maintain an extended military presence in the valley and perhaps even to lay siege to Jerusalem.

וַיִּשְׁאַל דָּוִד בַּה' לֵאמֹר הַאֶעֱלֶה אֶל פְּלִשְׁתִּים הֲתִתְּנֵם בְּיָדִי וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל דָּוִד עֲלֵה כִּי נָתֹן אֶתֵּן אֶת הַפְּלִשְׁתִּים בְּיָדֶךָ

David inquired of the Lord, saying: Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand? The Lord said to David: Go up, as I will deliver the Philistines into your hand.

וַיָּבֹא דָוִד בְּבַעַל פְּרָצִים וַיַּכֵּם שָׁם דָּוִד וַיֹּאמֶר פָּרַץ ה' אֶת אֹיְבַי לְפָנַי כְּפֶרֶץ מָיִם עַל כֵּן קָרָא שֵׁם הַמָּקוֹם הַהוּא בַּעַל פְּרָצִים

David came to fight against the Philistines in a place that would later be called Baal Peratzim, and David smote them there. He said: The Lord has breached [paratz] my enemies forcefully before me, like a breach [peretz] or wave of water, which breaks through the banks of a river and causes fences to collapse. Therefore, because of David’s statement, he named the place Baal Peratzim.

וַיַּעַזְבוּ שָׁם אֶת עֲצַבֵּיהֶם וַיִּשָּׂאֵם דָּוִד וַאֲנָשָׁיו

The Philistines fled and they left their idols there, and David and his men carried them away. Alternatively, this means that he burned the images.

וַיֹּסִפוּ עוֹד פְּלִשְׁתִּים לַעֲלוֹת וַיִּנָּטְשׁוּ בְּעֵמֶק רְפָאִים

Then the Philistines came up again to attempt to fight David, and once more they deployed in the Valley of Refaim.

וַיִּשְׁאַל דָּוִד בַּה' וַיֹּאמֶר לֹא תַעֲלֶה הָסֵב אֶל אַחֲרֵיהֶם וּבָאתָ לָהֶם מִמּוּל בְּכָאִים

David again inquired of the Lord what to do. He said to David: Do not go up to confront them directly. Rather, you shall circle behind them, and come at them from the place that is opposite the mastic trees growing there.

וִיהִי כְּשָׁמְעֲךָ אֶת קוֹל צְעָדָה בְּרָאשֵׁי הַבְּכָאִים אָז תֶּחֱרָץ כִּי אָז יָצָא ה' לְפָנֶיךָ לְהַכּוֹת בְּמַחֲנֵה פְלִשְׁתִּים

It shall be that when you hear noise approximating the sound of marching at the tops of the mastic trees, you shall act decisively and attack them speedily, as then the Lord will have emerged before you to smite the Philistines’ camp. The sound of marching will be the sign that God is marching before you.

וַיַּעַשׂ דָּוִד כֵּן כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּהוּ ה' וַיַּךְ אֶת פְּלִשְׁתִּים מִגֶּבַע עַד בֹּאֲךָ גָזֶר

Although he was unaccustomed to attacking enemies using flanking maneuvers, David did so, as the Lord had commanded him, and he smote the Philistines from Geva until you approach Gezer. The battlefield was not limited to one spot. The Philistines fled from one place to another, while David struck them repeatedly.