Second Samuel
2Sa 1:11 Now
See note 11 in 1 Sam. 1.
2Sa 1:1a slaughter 1 Sam. 30:17-20
2Sa 1:4a dead 2 Sam. 4:10
2Sa 1:6a Mount cf. 1 Sam. 31:1-6; 1 Chron. 10:1-6
2Sa 1:141 How
David’s reaction to the report of the young Amalekite (vv. 14-16) indicates that he did not consider Saul his enemy but always regarded him as God’s anointed (see note 61 in 1 Sam. 24).
2Sa 1:14a anointed 1 Sam. 24:6, 10; 26:9
2Sa 1:15a fall 2 Sam. 4:10
2Sa 1:16a blood Josh. 2:19; 2 Sam. 3:29; 1 Kings 2:32, 37; Matt. 27:25; Acts 18:6
2Sa 1:18a Jashar Josh. 10:13
2Sa 1:19a mighty 2 Sam. 1:25, 27
2Sa 1:20a Gath 1 Sam. 17:4; Micah 1:10
2Sa 1:22a bow 1 Sam. 18:4
2Sa 1:26a love 1 Sam. 18:1-3
2Sa 2:1a inquired 1 Sam. 22:10; 23:2, 4; 2 Sam. 5:19
2Sa 2:1b Hebron 2 Sam. 2:11; Josh. 14:13; 1 Sam. 30:31
2Sa 2:2a wives 1 Sam. 25:42-43
2Sa 2:41 anointed
See note 31 in ch. 5.
2Sa 2:4a king 2 Sam. 5:3; Acts 13:22
2Sa 2:4b Jabesh-gilead Judg. 21:8; 1 Sam. 11:1; 31:11
2Sa 2:61 repay
Lit., do you this good.
2Sa 2:8a Abner 1 Sam. 14:50
2Sa 2:81 Ish-bosheth
Meaning man of shame. It is a deliberate alteration of his given name, Eshbaal, in 1 Chron. 8:33.
2Sa 2:11a seven 2 Sam. 5:5; 1 Chron. 3:4
2Sa 2:13a Joab 2 Sam. 8:16
2Sa 2:18a Joab 1 Chron. 2:16
2Sa 2:23a struck cf. 2 Sam. 3:27
2Sa 2:291 Bithron
The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain; others translate, the morning.
2Sa 3:11 stronger
In all the details concerning the house of David and the house of Saul, God was behind the scenes in His sovereignty to direct the situation so that it would turn out in David’s favor for the sake of Himself, His people, His kingdom, and His economy (cf. Rom. 8:28).
2Sa 3:2a And vv. 2-5: 1 Chron. 3:1-4
2Sa 3:21 sons
David’s begetting six sons of six wives in Hebron (vv. 2-5) and his later taking more concubines and wives and begetting more sons in Jerusalem (5:13) further manifested his weakness in the indulgence of the lust of the flesh. See note 391 in 1 Sam. 25.
2Sa 3:3a Geshur 2 Sam. 14:32; 15:8
2Sa 3:7a Rizpah 2 Sam. 21:8-10
2Sa 3:71 Ish-bosheth
Following many ancient versions; the Hebrew text reads, he.
2Sa 3:9a sworn 1 Sam. 15:28; 16:12-13
2Sa 3:10a kingdom 1 Chron. 12:23
2Sa 3:10b Dan Judg. 20:1; 1 Sam. 3:20; 2 Sam. 17:11; 24:2, 15; 1 Kings 4:25
2Sa 3:131 David
Lit., he.
2Sa 3:13a Michal 1 Sam. 14:49
2Sa 3:14a espoused 1 Sam. 18:25, 27
2Sa 3:15a Paltiel 1 Sam. 25:44
2Sa 3:27a Asahel 2 Sam. 2:23
2Sa 3:28a Abner 1 Kings 2:5, 32
2Sa 3:31a sackcloth 2 Kings 19:1; Joel 1:13; Rev. 11:3
2Sa 3:39a Zeruiah cf. 2 Sam. 16:10; 19:22
2Sa 4:41a Mephibosheth 2 Sam. 9:6
Called Merib-baal in 1 Chron. 8:34 and 9:40.
2Sa 4:10a When 2 Sam. 1:2-16
2Sa 5:1a Then vv. 1-3: 1 Chron. 11:1-3
2Sa 5:2a shepherd 2 Sam. 7:7; 1 Chron. 17:6; Psa. 78:71-72; Matt. 2:6
2Sa 5:3a anointed 2 Sam. 2:4; 1 Sam. 16:13; Acts 13:22
2Sa 5:31 king
In 2:4 David was anointed king over the tribe of Judah. Here David was anointed by the other tribes (vv. 1-5) and established by God as king with his kingdom exalted for the sake of God’s people Israel (vv. 6-25). Saul had tried to exalt himself with his monarchy, but he did not succeed. In contrast, in relation to David God did everything to establish and exalt him and his kingdom for the sake of God’s people (cf. Matt. 23:12). David’s history, particularly the record in 1 Sam. 18:1 through 2 Sam. 5:25, shows that the sovereign God was moving and acting behind the scenes, directing everyone and every situation in order to build up His kingdom in His elect through the proper person for the carrying out of His economy.
2Sa 5:4b forty 1 Kings 2:11; 1 Chron. 29:27
2Sa 5:5a seven 2 Sam. 2:11; 1 Chron. 3:4
2Sa 5:6a And vv. 6-10: 1 Chron. 11:4-9
2Sa 5:6b Jebusites Josh. 15:63; Judg. 1:21; 19:11
2Sa 5:91 Millo
I.e., the citadel.
2Sa 5:101 with
This indicates that David had God’s presence. Moreover, Hiram’s helping David to build himself a house and David’s victory over the Philistines (vv. 11-25) were outward confirmations from God in David’s environment. If we are one with God for the accomplishing of His economy, we will always have the inward presence of God and the outward confirmation in our environment.
2Sa 5:11a And vv. 11-25: 1 Chron. 14:1-16
2Sa 5:11b Hiram 1 Kings 5:1, 10
2Sa 5:11c cedar cf. 1 Kings 5:8-10
2Sa 5:131 concubines
See note 21 in ch. 3.
2Sa 5:14a And vv. 14-16: 1 Chron. 3:5-8
2Sa 5:14b Nathan Zech. 12:12; Luke 3:31
2Sa 5:19a inquired 1 Sam. 22:10; 23:2, 4; 2 Sam. 2:1
2Sa 5:201 Baal-perazim
Meaning the Lord of breakings forth.
2Sa 5:211 the
Lit., they.
2Sa 5:251 Gibeon
According to 1 Chron. 14:16 and the Septuagint; the Hebrew text reads, Geba.
2Sa 6:2a And vv. 2-11: 1 Chron. 13:6-14
2Sa 6:21b Ark 2 Chron. 1:4
God had done everything for David to establish him as king and to exalt his kingdom for the fulfillment of His purpose. At this juncture David began to take thought concerning God’s dwelling place on earth. Whereas he was living in a house of cedar, the Ark, which represented God, still did not have a home (7:2). Unable to bear such a situation, David decided to remove the Ark of God to a permanent dwelling place. This indicates that David’s heart was set on God’s house, God’s habitation. Whatever God does for us and whatever He gives to us should be altogether for our concern for the building up of God’s dwelling place on earth. For God to have a house on earth is a great shame to His enemy, Satan. For generations Satan has been struggling to abuse, usurp, and occupy the earth. As a result, in a sense God has been driven away from the earth. That was the situation at David’s time. However, David was for God; he was one with God and according to God. As a man according to God’s heart (1 Sam. 13:14), David desired to prepare a place where God could settle on the earth.
2Sa 6:2c cherubim Exo. 25:22; 1 Sam. 4:4; Psa. 80:1
2Sa 6:3a cart cf. 1 Sam. 6:7
2Sa 6:3b Abinadab 1 Sam. 7:1
2Sa 6:71 error
The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
2Sa 6:72 died
The people of Israel, perhaps influenced by the Philistines, moved the Ark by means of a cart (vv. 3-6; cf. 1 Sam. 6:7-14). The Ark should have been borne by the Levites (Num. 4:15; 7:9; 1 Chron. 15:2). God did not condemn the worldly Philistines for using a cart to move the Ark, but He would not tolerate the same action by His people. Under God’s sovereignty the oxen stumbled, and when Uzzah, with a good intention, reached out for the Ark of God and took hold of it, he was killed instantly. The natural hand, the hand of man, touching something divine brought in God’s anger.
2Sa 6:81 Perez-uzzah
Meaning the breaking forth on Uzzah.
2Sa 6:101 city
This was Zion, David’s private city, which was the center of the public city of Jerusalem (5:7).
2Sa 6:11a blessed 1 Chron. 26:4-5
2Sa 6:12a So vv. 12b-19: 1 Chron. 15:25–16:3
2Sa 6:12b city 2 Sam. 5:7; 1 Kings 8:1
2Sa 6:141a ephod 1 Sam. 2:18; 22:18
David wore a garment, the ephod, which only the priests should wear. On that occasion he was a priest as well as a king. In a sense, he broke the divine ordination, but in another sense, this was an honor and a glory to God.
2Sa 6:17a tent 1 Chron. 15:1; 2 Chron. 1:4
2Sa 6:17b peace cf. 1 Kings 8:62-63
2Sa 6:191 portion
The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain; others understand, a portion of wine; others, a date cake.
2Sa 6:21a chose 1 Sam. 13:14
2Sa 7:1a And vv. 1-29: 1 Chron. 17:1-27
2Sa 7:2a Nathan 2 Sam. 7:17; 12:1
2Sa 7:5a build 1 Kings 5:3; 8:19; 1 Chron. 22:6-8; 28:2-3
2Sa 7:6a have 1 Kings 8:16
2Sa 7:6b tabernacle cf. Exo. 40:17, 34
2Sa 7:7a going Lev. 26:11-12; Deut. 23:14
2Sa 7:8a pasture 1 Sam. 16:11; Psa. 78:70
2Sa 7:10a plant Exo. 15:17; Psa. 44:2; Jer. 24:6; Amos 9:15
2Sa 7:11a judges Judg. 2:16; cf. 1 Sam. 12:11
2Sa 7:111 house
[ par. 1 2 ]
2Sa 7:111 [1] In His response to David’s desire to build Him a house, God in a sense came in to stop David by indicating that before David could do something for God, he needed God to do something for him. God prophesied to David that He would build him a house and that from this house He would give him a seed (vv. 11-12). David’s house is, literally, David’s household, David’s family, which eventually issued in Jesus Christ (Matt. 1:1, 6-16).
2Sa 7:111 [2] The prophecy in this chapter is related to the prophecy in Isa. 11:1 concerning Christ as the sprout from the stump of Jesse and the branch from his roots. At the time of Solomon the house of David was a flourishing tree, but a short time later it began to be cut down. Eventually, it became a stump consisting mainly of two persons, Joseph and Mary. At that juncture God came in to constitute His Son, Christ, into David’s family (Matt. 1:18-20). As a result, the child Jesus was born as a God-man, as both a divine Son and a human seed (Luke 1:31-32, 35). That was God’s building a house for David, through which He gave David a seed. Ultimately, David’s house and David’s seed in this chapter are types revealing that in His eternal economy the Triune God desires to build Himself in Christ into His chosen people to make them a house (Christ with the church) and to produce a seed (the all-inclusive Christ).
2Sa 7:12a sleep 1 Kings 2:10; 1:21; Acts 13:36; Deut. 31:16
2Sa 7:121b seed Rom. 1:3; Acts 13:23; Matt. 1:1; 2 Tim. 2:8
[ par. 1 2 ]
2Sa 7:121 [1] Your seed here refers, literally, to Solomon, David’s son, who built the temple as God’s dwelling place in the Old Testament (1 Kings 5:5; 8:15-20; 1 Chron. 22:9-10; 28:6). However, according to Heb. 1:5b, which quotes v. 14a of this chapter, David’s seed is actually Christ as God’s firstborn Son (Heb. 1:5a, 6), who has both divinity and humanity and is typified here by Solomon (see note 13 in Matt. 1). The Son of God became David’s seed by being constituted (built) into David’s family, i.e., into David’s being. Here God was actually telling David that instead of building something for God, David needed God to build His Son into him. God did not want David to build Him a house of cedar (vv. 5-7), nor was God satisfied that David would be merely a man according to His heart (1 Sam. 13:14). God’s desire was to work Himself in Christ into David’s humanity to be his life, nature, and constitution. In this way Christ, the Son of God, would become everything to David, including his house (dwelling place) and his seed.
2Sa 7:121 [2] Second Samuel 7 is the unveiling of a prophecy through typology showing us that there is no need for us to build something for God. We cannot build God’s house, the church (1 Tim. 3:15), by using ourselves or anything of ourselves as the material. The church as the house of God, the mutual abode of God and His redeemed (John 14:2-3, 20, 23; 15:4), is built with Christ as the unique element (see note 221 in Gen. 2). Thus, we need God to build Christ into our intrinsic constitution so that our entire being will be reconstituted with Christ. The building of the church is by Christ’s making His home in our hearts, i.e., by His building Himself into us, making our heart, our intrinsic constitution, His home (Eph. 3:17). The very Christ who is constituted (built) into us is God’s house and our house, and He also becomes our seed as our heritage and our treasure.
2Sa 7:122c kingdom Dan. 7:14; Luke 1:33; Heb. 1:8; John 18:36
His kingdom in this verse refers to Christ’s kingdom (Luke 1:32-33). In the beginning of the New Testament Christ is introduced first as the son of David and then as the son of Abraham (Matt. 1:1). Christ is the son of David to fulfill God’s covenant with David introduced in this chapter, that God’s elect may be brought into the kingdom of the heavens and participate in the divine authority. Christ is the son of Abraham to fulfill God’s covenant with Abraham (Gen. 12:3; 15:1-21; 22:18) so that the processed Triune God as the consummated Spirit could become the blessing of God’s elect as their divine inheritance (Gal. 3:14; Acts 26:18). In order to be the blessing to His people, God must have a kingdom on earth in which to exercise His administration under His full, divine authority. Hence, the preaching of the gospel in the New Testament charges us to first repent of our rebellion (Matt. 3:2; 4:17) and receive Christ as the son of David, as our King, that He may rule in us and over us in God’s kingdom. Under the Lord’s ruling in the kingdom, Christ as the son of Abraham brings us into the enjoyment of the Triune God as our blessing.
2Sa 7:131 he
Christ is the One who actually builds the church as God’s house, God’s temple (Matt. 16:18; 1 Tim. 3:15; Eph. 2:21), in reality. Christ is also the element in which and with which the church is built. Hence, Christ is the house, His Body (John 2:19-21; 1 Cor. 12:12), and Christ is also the seed, the Builder. Christ builds the church by building Himself into us, i.e., by entering into our spirit and spreading Himself from our spirit into our mind, emotion, and will to occupy our entire soul (Eph. 3:17). This building, a mingling of God’s divinity with our redeemed, resurrected, and uplifted humanity, becomes God’s habitation and our habitation—a mutual abode (John 14:23; 15:4). Eventually, this building will consummate in the New Jerusalem for eternity, in which God’s redeemed are the tabernacle for God to dwell in and God Himself is the temple for His redeemed to dwell in (Rev. 21:3, 22).
2Sa 7:13a forever 2 Sam. 7:16; 1 Kings 9:5; 1 Chron. 17:12, 14; Psa. 89:4, 29, 36-37; Luke 1:32-33; Heb. 1:8
2Sa 7:14a Father Psa. 89:26-27; Heb. 1:5
2Sa 7:141 son
[ par. 1 2 ]
2Sa 7:141 [1] The word concerning “your seed” in v. 12 and “My son” in v. 14 implies that the seed of David would become the Son of God, i.e., that a human seed would become a divine Son. This word corresponds with Paul’s word in Rom. 1:3-4 concerning Christ as the seed of David being designated the Son of God in His humanity in resurrection (see note 41 there). It also relates to the Lord’s question in Matt. 22:41-45 concerning how the Christ could be both the son of David and the Son of God as David’s Lord—a wonderful person, a God-man with two natures, divinity and humanity. These verses clearly unveil that a seed of man, i.e., a son of man, can become the Son of God. God Himself, the divine One, became a human seed, the seed of a man, David. This seed was Jesus, the God-man, Jehovah the Savior (Matt. 1:18-21; 2 Tim. 2:8), who was the Son of God by virtue of His divinity alone (Luke 1:35). Through His resurrection He as the human seed became the Son of God in His humanity as well. Thus, in Christ God was constituted into man, man was constituted into God, and God and man were mingled together to be one entity, the God-man. This implies that God’s intention in His economy is to make Himself man in order to make man God in life and in nature.
2Sa 7:141 [2] In and through resurrection Christ, the firstborn Son of God, became the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45). As such a Spirit He enters into God’s chosen people to dispense, to build, Himself as life into their being to be their inner constitution. In this way He makes them God-men, the many sons of God (Heb. 2:10), the mass reproduction of Himself as the firstborn Son of God (Rom. 8:29; 1 John 3:2). Thus, they, the human seeds, become the sons of God with divinity through the metabolic process of transformation (see notes 23 and 24 in Rom. 12). This metabolic process is the building up of the church as the Body of Christ and the house of God (Eph. 1:22-23; 2:20-22) by the building of God into man and man into God, i.e., by the constituting of the divine element into the human element and the human element into the divine element. This building will consummate in the New Jerusalem as a great, corporate God-man, the aggregate, the totality, of all the sons of God (Rev. 21:7).
2Sa 7:142 If
The word from this point to the end of v. 15 refers only to Solomon, David’s son, and not to Christ.
2Sa 7:14b strike Psa. 89:32-33; Heb. 12:6
2Sa 7:15a lovingkindness Acts 13:34
2Sa 7:161 house
David’s house refers to Christ, David’s kingdom refers to Christ’s kingdom, and David’s throne refers to Christ’s throne. The kingdom of David is Christ’s kingdom, and David and Christ have one throne (Isa. 9:7; 16:5; Luke 1:32; Acts 2:29-31). The prophets spoke of David and Christ as one (Jer. 30:9; Ezek. 34:23-24; 37:24-25; Hosea 3:5; Amos 9:11). Christ is the real David (Matt. 12:3-4 and note 32). Hence, God’s response to David made Christ one with David and with David’s seed (v. 12). This implies that God’s intention in His economy is to build Himself in Christ into His chosen people, making Him and His people one. God’s intention from eternity to eternity is to make Himself us that we may become Him in life, in nature, and in constitution but not in the Godhead. Eventually, through God’s building work the all-inclusive and all-extensive Christ, the embodiment of the Triune God, becomes every member in the Body of Christ and every person in the new man (1 Cor. 12:12; Col. 3:10-11). In the church, in the Body, and in the new man, Christ is all, and He is in all.
2Sa 7:161a kingdom Mark 11:10
See note 161.
2Sa 7:18a Who 1 Sam. 18:18; cf. Exo. 3:11; Judg. 6:15
2Sa 7:20a know Psa. 139:1-4
2Sa 7:22a none Deut. 33:26; 1 Kings 8:23; Psa. 86:8; 89:6
2Sa 7:23a redeem Deut. 9:26; Neh. 1:10
2Sa 7:24a people Deut. 26:18
2Sa 8:1a And vv. 1-18: 1 Chron. 18:1-17
2Sa 8:11 control
Lit., the bridle of the mother (city). The meaning of the phrase is disputed. First Chronicles 18:1 reads, Gath and her villages.
2Sa 8:2a Moab cf. Num. 24:17
2Sa 8:31 River
I.e., the Euphrates; many MSS insert, Euphrates.
2Sa 8:51 Syrians
Heb. Aram; i.e., the Arameans. So throughout the book.
2Sa 8:7a shields 2 Kings 11:10
2Sa 8:101 Joram’s
Lit., his.
2Sa 8:11a consecrated 1 Kings 7:51; 1 Chron. 26:26
2Sa 8:121 Syrians
Several MSS and some versions read, Edom. So also in the next verse.
2Sa 8:14a Edom Num. 24:18
2Sa 8:16a And vv. 16-18: 2 Sam. 20:23-26
2Sa 8:17a Abiathar 1 Chron. 24:6; Mark 2:26
2Sa 8:181 was
Following some ancient versions and 20:23 and 1 Chron. 18:17; the Hebrew text reads, and.
2Sa 8:182 Cherethites
I.e., the bodyguard and the runners.
2Sa 8:183 chief
Lit., priests; but not used in the technical sense of the word. So also in 20:26.
2Sa 9:1a kindness 1 Sam. 20:14-15; 2 Sam. 9:7
2Sa 9:2a Ziba 2 Sam. 16:1-4; 19:17-30
2Sa 9:3a crippled 2 Sam. 4:4; 19:26; 9:13
2Sa 9:6a Mephibosheth 2 Sam. 4:4; 16:4; 19:24-25, 30; 21:7
2Sa 9:71 kindness
The kindness shown by David to Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son, was a fulfillment of David’s covenant with Jonathan (1 Sam. 20:14-17).
2Sa 9:7a table 1 Kings 2:7
2Sa 9:8a dog 1 Sam. 24:14; 17:43; 2 Sam. 16:9; cf. Matt. 15:26-27
2Sa 10:1a And vv. 1-19: 1 Chron. 19:1-19
2Sa 10:2a Nahash 1 Sam. 11:1
2Sa 10:131 the
Lit., they.
2Sa 10:161 River
I.e., the Euphrates.
2Sa 11:3a Uriah 2 Sam. 23:39; Matt. 1:6
2Sa 11:41 lay
[ par. 1 2 ]
2Sa 11:41 [1] After all the enemies of Israel were subdued and David was exalted as the king of Israel, David committed a great sin while he was in a peaceful situation. This indicates that whenever we are at ease in a peaceful situation, it is easy for us to be seduced to indulge our flesh (cf. 1 Pet. 4:1 and note 4). David’s sin was the issue of his indulging of the lust of the eyes and the lust of the flesh (vv. 2b-3). David, abusing the power of his kingship (vv. 4-5), committed willful adultery by robbery. After committing such an act, David tried to cover his evil deed by means of a pretense (vv. 6-13). Then he murdered Uriah, his faithful servant, by conspiring with Joab, so that he could take Uriah’s wife (vv. 14-25; 12:9). David’s behavior here was utterly different from that of Joseph, who ran and escaped from adultery (Gen. 39:1-12), and Boaz, who kept himself clean from the indulgence of the flesh of sin (Ruth 3). By his one sin David broke the last five of the Ten Commandments (Exo. 20:13-17). David’s sin was a great insult and offense to God, and it nearly annulled all his attainments from the past.
2Sa 11:41 [2] David, a man according to God’s heart (1 Sam. 13:14), was perfect in every way, but he failed in the matter of the indulgence of the lust of the flesh (1 Kings 15:5). In this matter David was loose, and he sacrificed his high attainment in the pursuit of God. Even though he was a person of high attainment in his spiritual pursuit, he was still able to commit such a great sin. This should be a warning to all of us.
2Sa 11:11a huts cf. 2 Sam. 7:2, 6
2Sa 11:21a Abimelech Judg. 9:53
2Sa 11:27a wife 2 Sam. 12:9
2Sa 12:1a Nathan 2 Sam. 7:2, 4, 17; 12:7, 13, 25; 1 Kings 1:10, 22, 34; 4:5; 1 Chron. 29:29; 2 Chron. 9:29
2Sa 12:41 the
Lit., he.
2Sa 12:6a fourfold Exo. 22:1; Luke 19:8
2Sa 12:7a anointed 1 Sam. 16:13
2Sa 12:7b delivered 1 Sam. 23:14; Psa. 18:1
2Sa 12:9a struck 2 Sam. 11:15, 17
2Sa 12:9b wife 2 Sam. 11:27
2Sa 12:101a sword 2 Sam. 13:28-29; 18:33
[ par. 1 2 ]
2Sa 12:101 [1] The account of God’s punishing judgment on David is written as a warning to us today (1 Cor. 10:11). God is not only loving and merciful, but He is also just and fearsome. On the one hand, God forgave David (v. 13), but on the other hand, He disciplined and chastised David according to His governmental righteousness (vv. 10-14). God exercised a severe punishment upon David because his sin was very evil. After David’s failure many evils, including incest, murder, and rebellion, took place in his family (ch. 13; 15:1—19:8a). The source of the unprecedented evil in David’s family was David’s indulgence in the lust of the flesh. This shows that God’s chastisement and His governmental dealing with those who love Him may even affect their children.
2Sa 12:101 [2] David, being a man according to God’s heart, afforded God the way to begin the age of the kingship for the establishing of God’s kingdom on the earth for His coming Christ. How regrettable it was that David, at a crucial time of the evil one’s temptation, did not exercise strong control over his lust but indulged in it and committed a gross sin that offended God to the uttermost. God loved David, but because of his sin David lost his standing and position as well as eleven of the twelve tribes (20:1-2). David’s sin sowed the seed of Solomon’s corruption (see note 241), which issued in the dividing of the God-given kingdom (1 Kings 11:9-13; 12:1-17), and the seed of the corruption of Solomon’s descendants in the kingship, which issued ultimately in the loss of the nation and of the holy land of their fathers, in the captivity of the holy people, and in their being scattered around the globe and having no peace up to the present time.
2Sa 12:11a wives 2 Sam. 16:22
2Sa 12:13a sinned 2 Sam. 24:10; Psa. 32:5; 51:4
2Sa 12:13b sin Psa. 32:1; Micah 7:18-19; Zech. 3:4
2Sa 12:14a blaspheme cf. Isa. 52:5; Ezek. 36:20, 23; Rom. 2:24
2Sa 12:23a go Gen. 37:35; Job 10:21; 16:22
2Sa 12:23b not Job 7:10
2Sa 12:241a Solomon 1 Chron. 22:9; Matt. 1:6
Meaning peaceful. This indicates that David might have expected to have a peaceful time. But from that time there was no peace in David’s family or in the entire kingdom of Israel.
2Sa 12:251 Jedidiah
Meaning beloved of Jehovah. After David repented to God (Psa. 51), God forgave him of his sin and gave him a son who was God’s beloved. Nevertheless, God still disciplined him for the sake of His righteousness (see note 101). On the one hand, God is righteous in His governmental dealing; on the other hand, He is loving and merciful, full of kindness, grace, and forgiveness. See note 63, par. 1, in Matt. 1.
2Sa 12:26a Now vv. 26-31: 1 Chron. 20:1-3
2Sa 13:1a Absalom 2 Sam. 3:3; 1 Chron. 3:2
2Sa 13:1b Tamar 1 Chron. 3:9
2Sa 13:1c Amnon 2 Sam. 3:2; 1 Chron. 3:1
2Sa 13:121 force
Lit., humble. So throughout this chapter.
2Sa 13:12a not Lev. 18:11
2Sa 13:16a sending Deut. 22:29
2Sa 13:321 Amnon
Lit., he.
2Sa 14:7a heir cf. Matt. 21:38; Mark 12:7; Luke 20:14
2Sa 14:7b name Deut. 25:6
2Sa 14:11a avenger Num. 35:19, 21; Deut. 19:12
2Sa 14:17a angel 1 Sam. 29:9; 2 Sam. 19:27; Zech. 12:8; Gal. 4:14
2Sa 15:1a prepared 1 Kings 1:5
2Sa 15:8a Geshur 2 Sam. 13:38
2Sa 15:81 worship
Or, serve.
2Sa 15:23a Kidron 1 Kings 2:37; John 18:1
2Sa 15:24a Zadok 2 Sam. 8:17; 20:25
2Sa 15:24b bearing cf. Josh. 3:3, 15-17
2Sa 15:26a sight 1 Sam. 3:18
2Sa 15:30a Mount Luke 19:37, 41; Acts 1:12; Zech. 14:4
2Sa 15:37a Hushai 1 Chron. 27:33
2Sa 16:1a Ziba 2 Sam. 9:2, 9-13; 19:17-29
2Sa 16:31 Today
Here Ziba slandered Mephibosheth to deceive David and gain all the belongings of Mephibosheth (cf. 19:24-30).
2Sa 16:5a Shimei 2 Sam. 19:16; 1 Kings 2:8, 36-46
2Sa 16:9a Abishai 1 Sam. 26:6; 2 Sam. 3:30
2Sa 16:10a What 2 Sam. 3:39; 19:22; cf. Luke 9:54-55
2Sa 16:21a concubines 2 Sam. 12:11
2Sa 17:8a bear Prov. 17:12; Hosea 13:8
2Sa 17:161 fords
Some MSS read, plains.
2Sa 17:19a strew cf. Josh. 2:4-6
2Sa 17:23a hanged cf. Matt. 27:5
2Sa 17:25a Amasa 2 Sam. 19:13; 20:9, 12; 1 Kings 2:32
2Sa 17:27a Barzillai 2 Sam. 19:31-32; 1 Kings 2:7
2Sa 18:31 But
Following some MSS and the Septuagint; many MSS read, Now there are ten thousand like us.
2Sa 18:9a head cf. 2 Sam. 14:26
2Sa 18:16a blew 2 Sam. 2:28; 20:22
2Sa 18:19a Ahimaaz 2 Sam. 15:36
2Sa 18:20a not cf. 2 Sam. 18:29
2Sa 19:9a Philistines 2 Sam. 5:20-25; 8:1, 12
2Sa 19:11a Zadok 2 Sam. 15:29, 35; 17:15; 20:25
2Sa 19:111
Following many ancient versions; the Hebrew text adds, to his house.
2Sa 19:13a Amasa 2 Sam. 17:25
2Sa 19:13b Joab 2 Sam. 8:16
2Sa 19:16a Shimei 2 Sam. 16:5; 1 Kings 2:8
2Sa 19:17a Ziba 2 Sam. 9:2-13; 16:1-4
2Sa 19:22a What 2 Sam. 16:10
2Sa 19:24a Mephibosheth 2 Sam. 9:6
2Sa 19:26a lame 2 Sam. 4:4; 9:3, 13
2Sa 19:271 Ziba
Lit., he.
2Sa 19:27a angel 1 Sam. 29:9; 2 Sam. 14:17, 20; Zech. 12:8
2Sa 19:28a eat 2 Sam. 9:7, 10, 13; 1 Kings 2:7
2Sa 19:31a Barzillai 2 Sam. 17:27; 1 Kings 2:7
2Sa 19:35a eighty Psa. 90:10
2Sa 19:37a Chimham Jer. 41:17
2Sa 19:43a ten cf. 1 Kings 11:30-31
2Sa 20:1a trumpet 2 Sam. 15:10
2Sa 20:1b portion 1 Kings 12:16; 2 Chron. 10:16
2Sa 20:3a concubines 2 Sam. 15:16; 16:21-22
2Sa 20:4a Amasa 2 Sam. 17:25
2Sa 20:51 David
Lit., he.
2Sa 20:8a Gibeon 2 Sam. 2:13
2Sa 20:9a Joab 2 Sam. 19:13
2Sa 20:9b kiss cf. Matt. 26:49; Mark 14:45; Luke 22:47
2Sa 20:10a Amasa 1 Kings 2:5
2Sa 20:101 Joab
Lit., he.
2Sa 20:10b struck 2 Sam. 3:27; Judg. 3:21; cf. 2 Sam. 2:23
2Sa 20:141 Sheba
Lit., he.
2Sa 20:19a inheritance Deut. 32:9; 1 Sam. 26:19; 2 Sam. 21:3
2Sa 20:22a wisdom Eccl. 9:15
2Sa 20:23a Now vv. 23-26: 2 Sam. 8:16-18; 1 Chron. 18:15-17
2Sa 20:261 chief
Lit., priest. See note 183 in ch. 8.
2Sa 21:1a inquired 2 Sam. 5:19; 1 Sam. 23:2; cf. Num. 27:21
2Sa 21:1b Gibeonites cf. Josh. 9:3-17
2Sa 21:3a inheritance 1 Sam. 26:19
2Sa 21:7a Mephibosheth 2 Sam. 9:6
2Sa 21:7b oath 1 Sam. 20:8, 16
2Sa 21:8a Rizpah 2 Sam. 3:7
2Sa 21:81b Merab 1 Sam. 18:19
Following two Hebrew MSS, which agree with 1 Sam. 18:19; other Hebrew MSS read, Michal.
2Sa 21:101 their
Lit., them.
2Sa 21:12a Jabesh-gilead 1 Sam. 31:11-13; 2 Sam. 2:4-5
2Sa 21:14a responded 2 Sam. 24:25
2Sa 21:17a lamp cf. Psa. 132:17; 1 Kings 11:36; 15:4; 2 Kings 8:19; 2 Chron. 21:7; 2 Sam. 22:29
2Sa 21:18a Then vv. 18-22: 1 Chron. 20:4-8
2Sa 21:21a defied 1 Sam. 17:10, 25-26, 36
2Sa 22:1a And vv. 1-51: Psa. 18
2Sa 22:11 song
This song of David’s, being His intimate talk to God, became Psalm 18 in the Psalms (see notes there).
2Sa 22:1b delivered 1 Sam. 23:14; 24:15; 27:1
2Sa 22:2a fortress Psa. 31:3; 71:3; 91:2; 144:2
2Sa 22:31 My
Lit., God of my rock.
2Sa 22:3a shield Gen. 15:1; 2 Sam. 22:31; Psa. 3:3; 84:9, 11
2Sa 22:6a cords cf. Psa. 116:3
2Sa 22:7a called Psa. 116:4; 120:1; Jonah 2:2, 7
2Sa 22:10a descended Psa. 144:5; Isa. 64:1
2Sa 22:151 my
Lit., them.
2Sa 22:16a channels Psa. 114:3-5
2Sa 22:17a drew Psa. 144:7; Isa. 43:2
2Sa 22:29a lamp cf. Psa. 119:105; 2 Sam. 21:17; Job 29:3
2Sa 22:31a tried Psa. 12:6; 119:140; Prov. 30:5
2Sa 22:31b shield 2 Sam. 22:3
2Sa 22:331 makes
Following Psa. 18:32; the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
2Sa 22:341 my
Some MSS read, his feet.
2Sa 22:34b high Deut. 32:13; 33:29; Isa. 58:14
2Sa 22:36a shield cf. Eph. 6:16-17
2Sa 22:44a not Isa. 55:5
2Sa 22:461 come
Following Psa. 18:45; the Hebrew text reads, gird themselves.
2Sa 22:47a lives Deut. 32:40; Rev. 4:9
2Sa 22:50a Therefore Rom. 15:9
2Sa 22:51a king Psa. 144:10
2Sa 22:51b anointed 1 Sam. 16:12-13; Psa. 89:20
2Sa 22:51c seed 2 Sam. 7:12-13, 16; Psa. 89:29
2Sa 23:1a anointed 1 Sam. 16:3, 12-13
2Sa 23:2a Spirit Mark 12:36; 2 Pet. 1:21; cf. Matt. 10:20
2Sa 23:3a Rock 2 Sam. 22:2, 32, 47; Deut. 32:4
2Sa 23:31 Who
Who in vv. 3-4 refers to David, who typifies Christ.
2Sa 23:4a sun Judg. 5:31; Prov. 4:18
2Sa 23:5a covenant Psa. 89:28; Isa. 55:3
2Sa 23:8a These vv. 8-39: 1 Chron. 11:1-41
2Sa 23:81 chief
Lit., head of the three.
2Sa 23:91 there
I.e., Pas-dammim (cf. 1 Chron. 11:13).
2Sa 23:13a Adullam 1 Sam. 22:1
2Sa 23:13b Rephaim 2 Sam. 5:18
2Sa 23:18a Abishai 2 Sam. 2:18; 1 Sam. 26:6
2Sa 23:191 thirty
Many MSS read, three.
2Sa 23:20a Benaiah 2 Sam. 8:18; 20:23; 1 Kings 2:25, 35; 4:4
2Sa 23:24a Asahel 2 Sam. 2:18; 1 Chron. 27:7
2Sa 23:371 bearer
Some MSS read, bearers.
2Sa 23:39a Uriah 2 Sam. 11:3, 6
2Sa 24:1a And vv. 1-25: 1 Chron. 21:1-28
2Sa 24:11 he
This was Satan who moved David against Israel to number Israel and Judah (1 Chron. 21:1), but this was permitted by God.
2Sa 24:1b number cf. 1 Chron. 27:23-24
2Sa 24:2a Dan Judg. 20:1; 2 Sam. 3:10; 24:15
2Sa 24:10a heart 1 Sam. 24:5
2Sa 24:10b sinned 2 Sam. 12:13
2Sa 24:13a famine cf. 2 Sam. 21:1
2Sa 24:14a compassions Exo. 34:6; Neh. 9:17; Psa. 86:15
2Sa 24:15a pestilence Deut. 28:21; Psa. 78:50
2Sa 24:16a repented Gen. 6:6; 1 Sam. 15:11; Joel 2:13-14; Jonah 3:9-10
2Sa 24:16b threshing 2 Chron. 3:1
2Sa 24:17a angel 2 Kings 19:35; 2 Chron. 32:21; Isa. 37:36; Acts 12:23; Rev. 14:19
2Sa 24:181a threshing 2 Chron. 3:1
The threshing floor of Araunah (who is called Ornan in 1 Chron. 21:15-28) became the site where the temple of God was built (2 Chron. 3:1).
2Sa 24:21a stayed Num. 16:48, 50
2Sa 24:22a instruments cf. 1 Kings 19:21
2Sa 24:23a accept Deut. 33:11; Psa. 20:3
2Sa 24:25a built Gen. 8:20; 22:9; 1 Sam. 7:17