Bible Strands
2 Samuel 5:3
So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, where King David made with them a covenant before the LORD. And they anointed him king over Israel.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The elders of Israel arrive at Hebron to meet King David following his military leadership and God’s prior promise to install him as ruler. They gather to formally ratify his national authority after his previous regional anointing over Judah.
The words — זִקְנֵ֨י (zik.Nei) denotes the tribal leadership class, and וַ/יִּכְרֹ֣ת (va/i.yikh.Rot) literally means “and he made,” describing the formal establishment of the agreement.
The thread — The text records a national covenant event that parallels the earlier personal covenant between David and Jonathan (1 Samuel 23:18) and follows the Judahite anointing at Hebron (2 Samuel 2:4).
Why it lands — The passage documents a concrete transfer of power through tribal consensus and ritual anointing, requiring readers to acknowledge the dual mechanism of human agreement and divine mandate in establishing David’s reign.
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
So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David made a league with them in Hebron before the Lord: and they anointed David king over Israel.
Cross-references
- 2 Samuel 2:4 Then the men of Judah came to Hebron, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, “It was the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul.”
- 1 Samuel 16:13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. Then Samuel set out and went to Ramah.
- 1 Samuel 23:18 So the two of them made a covenant before the LORD. And David remained in Horesh, while Jonathan went home.
- Judges 11:11 So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him their leader and commander. And Jephthah repeated all his terms in the presence of the LORD at Mizpah.
- 2 Samuel 3:21 Then Abner said to David, “Let me go at once, and I will gather all Israel to my lord the king, that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may rule over all that your heart desires.” So David dismissed Abner, and he went in peace.
- 2 Kings 11:17 Then Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD and the king and the people that they would be the LORD’s people. He also made a covenant between the king and the people.
- Exodus 3:16 Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—has appeared to me and said: I have surely attended to you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt.
- 1 Samuel 11:15 So all the people went to Gilgal and confirmed Saul as king in the presence of the LORD. There they sacrificed peace offerings before the LORD, and Saul and all the Israelites rejoiced greatly.
- 1 Chronicles 11:3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, where David made a covenant with them before the LORD. And they anointed him king over Israel, according to the word of the LORD through Samuel.
- 2 Chronicles 23:16 Then Jehoiada made a covenant between himself and the king and the people that they would be the LORD’s people.