Bible Strands
2 Samuel 5:2
Even in times past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them back. And to you the LORD said, ‘You will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be ruler over them.’”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The assembled tribes of Israel speak to David at Hebron, in the moment immediately before his anointing as king over all Israel (2 Samuel 5:3).
The words — The Hebrew idiom gam 'etmol gam shilshom ("yesterday and three days ago") is a fixed expression for "in former times," grounding David's claim in a continuous divine record rather than a single event.
The thread — The shepherd language echoes Micah 5:4 ("He will stand and shepherd His flock in the strength of the LORD") and Ezekiel 34:23 ("I will appoint over them one shepherd, My servant David"), both extending David's role beyond his own lifetime.
Why it lands — The tribes cite God's prior word as the warrant for their allegiance, not their own judgment; the reader is asked to notice that David's kingship rests on a divine declaration that precedes and outlasts human consensus.
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
Also in time past, when Saul was king over us, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and the Lord said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be a captain over Israel.
Cross-references
- Matthew 2:6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah, for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of My people Israel.’”
- Micah 5:4 He will stand and shepherd His flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majestic name of the LORD His God. And they will dwell securely, for then His greatness will extend to the ends of the earth.
- Ezekiel 34:23 I will appoint over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he will feed them. He will feed them and be their shepherd.
- Ezekiel 37:24 My servant David will be king over them, and there will be one shepherd for all of them. They will follow My ordinances and keep and observe My statutes.
- John 10:11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.
- 2 Samuel 7:7 In all My journeys with all the Israelites, have I ever asked any of the leaders I appointed to shepherd My people Israel, ‘Why haven’t you built Me a house of cedar?’
- Isaiah 40:11 He tends His flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart. He gently leads the nursing ewes.
- 1 Samuel 25:30 When the LORD has done for my lord all the good He promised, and when He has appointed you ruler over Israel,
- 1 Samuel 16:1 Now the LORD said to Samuel, “How long are you going to mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have selected from his sons a king for Myself.”
- Psalms 78:70 He chose David His servant and took him from the sheepfolds;