Bible Strands
2 Samuel 2:1
Some time later, David inquired of the LORD, “Should I go up to one of the towns of Judah?” “Go up,” the LORD answered. Then David asked, “Where should I go?” “To Hebron,” replied the LORD.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — David asks the LORD whether he should relocate to Judah, and the LORD directs him to Hebron. This exchange precedes David’s physical move with his two wives, Ahinoam and Abigail.
The words — וַ/יִּשְׁאֵל (va/i.yish.'Al) translates to "and he inquired," marking David’s deliberate seeking of divine guidance. הַ/אֶעֱלֶה (ha./'e.'e.Leh) means "will I go up," capturing the specific territorial question David poses.
The thread — The pattern of seeking God’s direction before movement appears in 1 Samuel 30:31, where Hebron is noted as a place David and his men roamed. The reliance on divine teaching rather than personal insight echoes the instruction in Proverbs 3:5 and the request for guidance in Psalms 143:8.
Why it lands — It requires a reader to acknowledge that physical relocation demands prior divine direction. It places the burden of obedience on following explicit instruction rather than personal calculation.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And it came to pass after this, that David enquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? And the Lord said unto him, Go up. And David said, Whither shall I go up? And he said, Unto Hebron.
Cross-references
- 1 Samuel 30:31 and to those in Hebron and in all the places where David and his men had roamed.
- Psalms 143:8 Let me hear Your loving devotion in the morning, for I have put my trust in You. Teach me the way I should walk, for to You I lift up my soul.
- Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;
- Genesis 32:2 When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is the camp of God.” So he named that place Mahanaim.
- 1 Samuel 23:2 So David inquired of the LORD, “Should I go and attack these Philistines?” And the LORD said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.”
- 1 Samuel 23:4 Once again, David inquired of the LORD, and the LORD answered him: “Go at once to Keilah, for I will deliver the Philistines into your hand.”
- 1 Samuel 23:9 When David learned that Saul was plotting evil against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod.”
- Ezekiel 36:37 This is what the Lord GOD says: Once again I will hear the plea of the house of Israel and do for them this: I will multiply their people like a flock.
- Numbers 13:22 They went up through the Negev and came to Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, dwelled. It had been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.
- Numbers 27:21 He shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who will seek counsel for him before the LORD by the judgment of the Urim. At his command, he and all the Israelites with him—the entire congregation—will go out and come in.”