Bible Strands
2 Samuel 5:4
David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — David is introduced as king in 2 Samuel 5:4, immediately following the covenant and anointing by Israel's elders at Hebron recorded in the preceding verse.
The words — The Hebrew בֶּן־שָׁלֹשִׁים שָׁנָה (ben-sheloshim shanah) literally renders "son of thirty years," indicating David's age at accession, while בְּמָלְכּוֹ (bemalko) and מָלַךְ (malakh) denote his transition to and duration of kingship.
The thread — This forty-year reign total is echoed in 1 Chronicles 29:27 and 1 Kings 2:11, though those texts specify a seven-year Hebron period and a thirty-three year Jerusalem period.
Why it lands — The verse establishes a concrete chronological marker for David's rule, requiring the reader to track the administrative timeline of Israel's monarchy without harmonizing the numerical discrepancies with later summaries.
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
David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.
Cross-references
- 1 Chronicles 29:27 The length of David’s reign over Israel was forty years—seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.
- 1 Kings 2:11 The length of David’s reign over Israel was forty years—seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.
- 1 Chronicles 26:31 As for the Hebronites, Jerijah was the chief of the Hebronites, according to the genealogies of his ancestors. In the fortieth year of David’s reign the records were searched, and strong, capable men were found among the Hebronites at Jazer in Gilead.
- Luke 3:23 Jesus Himself was about thirty years old when He began His ministry. He was regarded as the son of Joseph, the son of Heli,
- 1 Chronicles 3:4 These six sons were born to David in Hebron, where he reigned seven years and six months. And David reigned in Jerusalem thirty-three years,