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2 Samuel 5:2

Old Testament Historical ASV (1901)

What does 2 Samuel 5:2 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was thou that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and Jehovah said to thee, Thou shalt be shepherd of my people Israel, and thou shalt be prince over Israel.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was thou that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and Jehovah said to thee, Thou shalt be shepherd of my people Israel, and thou shalt be prince over Israel.
2 Samuel 5:2 — American Standard Version

Context — 2 Samuel 5

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
1Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, and spake, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh.
2In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was thou that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and Jehovah said to thee, Thou shalt be shepherd of my people Israel, and thou shalt be prince over Israel.
3So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David made a covenant with them in Hebron before Jehovah: and they anointed David king over Israel.
4David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.
5In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months; and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah.
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Also in time past, when Saul was king over us, etc.] Even over all the tribes of Israel: thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel; that led out the armies of Israel against their enemies, fought their battles for them, obtained victories, and brought the troops under his command home in safety; and the remembrance of these valiant acts of his, which then endeared him to the people, was now another reason for their choosing him king: and another follows, the chiefest of them all: and the Lord said to thee; when anointed by Samuel; for though what follows is not recorded in so many words, yet the sense of it is expressed in the anointing him to be king, whose office, as such, lay…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Shalt feed - That is, rule them, and take care of them, as a shepherd doth of his sheep, Psa 78:70-71. This expression, he useth to admonish David, that he was not made a king to advance his own glory, but for the good of his people; whom he ought to rule with all tenderness, and to watch over with all diligence. 2 Kings (2 Samuel) 5:3”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“5:2 you were the one: In the ancient world, a covenant relationship (a suzerain-vassal treaty) was sometimes formed between subjects (the vassals) and a ruler (the suzerain) because of past aid, often rescue from enemies (see Judg 8:22, Gideon; Judg 11:8-11, Jephthah; 1 Sam 11:1-15, Saul). This type of relationship is the background for the covenant concept in Scripture: God was Israel’s covenant Lord because he had freed them from Egypt (cp. Exod 19:4; 20:1-2). • the Lord told you: Israel was already aware of God’s selection of David (cp. 2 Sam 3:9). • shepherd of my people Israel: This phrase is quoted in Matt 2:6 when King Herod asks the leading priests about the prophecies concerning the…”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“leddest out: Num 27:17; Sa1 18:13, Sa1 18:16, Sa1 25:28; Isa 55:4 feed: Sa2 7:7; Sa1 16:1, Sa1 16:12, Sa1 16:13, Sa1 25:30; Psa 78:70-72; Isa 40:11; Eze 34:23; Eze 37:24, Eze 37:25; Mic 5:4; Mat 2:6; Joh 10:3, Joh 10:4, Joh 10:11 a captain: Sa1 9:16, Sa1 13:14; Kg2 20:5; Isa 55:4; Heb 2:10 2 Kings (2 Samuel) 5:3”
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Related study paths

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Sources and verification