Bible Strands
2 Samuel 2:3
David also took the men who were with him, each with his household, and they settled in the towns near Hebron.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records David’s relocation to Hebron with his followers and wives following Saul’s death, occurring just before the men of Judah anoint him king. This moment marks the practical preparation for his regional coronation rather than a public declaration.
The words — וַ/יֵּשְׁב֖וּ (va/i.ye.she.Vu) translates literally as "and they dwelt," indicating permanent settlement. הֶעֱלָ֥ה (he.'e.Lah) means "he brought up," denoting David’s deliberate movement of his men from temporary refuge to established towns.
The thread — David’s pattern of relocating with his retinue appears in 1 Samuel 27:2 when he moves to Gath and in 1 Samuel 30:1 when he returns to Ziklag. The ongoing gathering of his supporters is documented in 1 Chronicles 12:1 during his period of banishment.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to note that political consolidation precedes formal coronation, showing leadership building through concrete demographic shifts. It asks the reader to track how territorial settlement functions as a prerequisite for royal authority.
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 his men that were with him did David bring up, every man with his household: and they dwelt in the cities of Hebron.
Cross-references
- 1 Samuel 27:2 So David set out with his six hundred men and went to Achish son of Maoch, the king of Gath.
- 1 Samuel 30:1 On the third day David and his men arrived in Ziklag, and the Amalekites had raided the Negev, attacked Ziklag, and burned it down.
- 1 Chronicles 12:1 Now these were the men who came to David at Ziklag, while he was still banished from the presence of Saul son of Kish (they were among the mighty men who helped him in battle;
- Joshua 21:11 They gave them Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), with its surrounding pasturelands, in the hill country of Judah. (Arba was the father of Anak.)
- 1 Samuel 22:2 And all who were distressed or indebted or discontented rallied around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him.
- 1 Samuel 30:9 So David and his six hundred men went to the Brook of Besor, where some stayed behind