Unless otherwise stated, all citations are taken from the New International Version (NIV).
2 Samuel 5 (Conquering Jerusalem)
Summary: Everyone came to Israel (v.1), affirming David’s kingship (v.2). He reigned as king from age 30 to 70 years old (v.4). The Jebusites believed that David couldn’t defeat their fortress (v.6). Yet, David conquered Jerusalem, and he made it his personal fortress (v.9). David had eleven more children after this (vv.14-16). The Philistines try to depose David (v.17). David gets confirmation from God to defeat the Philistines (v.19), and he defeats them. This happened twice (v.22).
The picking of Jerusalem was on the border between Judah and Benjamin—two really big tribes that represented David and Saul. This is similar to picking Washington D.C. as the capital of the United States—namely, it wasn’t anyone’s state, it wasn’t developed as property, and it was neither in the north or the south.
(5:1) All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “We are your own flesh and blood.”
Abner set up David to be the king by gathering support in the northern tribes. He told the elders of Israel, “For some time you have wanted to make David your king. 18 Now do it! For the LORD promised David, ‘By my servant David I will rescue my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of all their enemies’” (2 Sam. 3:17-18). Consequently, during this time, the monarchy was finally united under David’s leadership.
Why should David be king?
“We are your own flesh and blood.” The first reason that they give for David’s right to rule is that he was an Israelite, which was a requirement in the law (cf. Deut. 17:15).
(5:2) “In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the Lord said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.’”
“You were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns.” The second reason they give is David’s history of service. He was the one who actually did the fighting against the Philistines. David wasn’t simply a named leader; he was already acting like a leader.
“You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.” The third reason that David should lead is that God had anointed him. God called David their “shepherd” and “ruler.” God himself was the shepherd of his people (Gen. 48:15) and he was the king as well (Gen. 49:24). Likewise, David was also a literal shepherd before he received his calling as king (1 Sam. 16:11). David becomes the archetype for a “shepherd-king” (Ps. 78:70-72; Ezek. 34:23; 37:24), which is ultimately fulfilled in David’s distant descendant: Jesus (Jn. 10:11; Heb. 13:20; 1 Pet. 5:4). Nathan would later use this metaphor to charge David with sin against his flock (2 Sam. 12:1-4).
David is made the king
(5:3) When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, the king made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel.
Hebron had been the current capital for David for about seven years (v.5). But he had his eyes set on Jerusalem.
David didn’t just make this covenant with the people but “before the Lord.” David wasn’t seizing tyrannical control. This was all under the authority of God.
(5:4-5) David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years. 5 In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.
David is an archetype for Jesus who also began his ministry around the age of 30 (Lk. 3:23). Also, David was anointed as the king 15 years before he was publicly anointed. Similarly, Jesus came to the world as a Suffering Servant, but he will return as a Conquering King.
David takes Jerusalem
Previous generations weren’t able to take Jerusalem (Josh. 15:63; Judg. 1:8, 21). But David did. This shows that God had his hand uniquely on David.
(5:6) The king and his men marched to Jerusalem to attack the Jebusites, who lived there. The Jebusites said to David, “You will not get in here; even the blind and the lame can ward you off.” They thought, “David cannot get in here.”
The Jebusites were taunting David’s ability—even the blind and lame can beat David. These words come back to bite them (v.8).
(5:7) Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion—which is the City of David.
This is such a brief treatment of this battle that it implies that David powerfully (and perhaps easily) conquered the city of Jerusalem.
(5:8) On that day David had said, “Anyone who conquers the Jebusites will have to use the water shaft to reach those ‘lame and blind’ who are David’s enemies.” That is why they say, “The ‘blind and lame’ will not enter the palace.”
“Lame and blind who are David’s enemies.” David didn’t hate physically disabled people. In a few chapters, he spares Mephibosheth, who was physically disabled (2 Sam. 9:3-13). David is firing back with the sarcasm that the Jebusites used against him.
“Water shaft” (ṣinnôr) can mean “water shaft” (NIV), “grappling-iron” (NEB), or “dagger” (LXX). This refers to the “Warren’s Tunnel” which was “a narrow vertical shaft forty-nine feet long dug through rock, providing residents of the Zion fortress access to waters from the Gihon spring during times of siege.”[1] Captain Charles Warren discovered this vertical water shaft in 1867. Kathleen Kenyon writes, “The position of the head of the shaft would be inside the town, while the spring would be outside the walls.”[2] Inside the city, people could take steps down to draw water during a siege.
This was very hard to climb, but not impossible. Baldwin writes, “This shaft, about forty-nine feet (15 m) deep, is the rock-climb that David’s men would have had to scale to enter the city by the tunnel and steps above. Though extremely difficult, it was the kind of exploit that would appeal to David’s mighty men, and, like commando troops today, they needed to have opportunity to achieve the ‘impossible’.”[3] Geisler and Holden write, “The particular piece of land that interested David, known today as the City of David, was occupied by the Jebusites. Fresh water was supplied by the Gihon Spring on the east side of the Jebusite-occupied territory, though by David’s time the Jebusites had carved a tunnel to channel water into the city itself. It appears from the biblical text (2 Samuel 5:8) that Joab conquered the city by going into the tunnel and up a shaft (known as Warren’s Shaft) and into the city (1 Chronicles 11:6).”[4]
(5:9) David then took up residence in the fortress and called it the City of David. He built up the area around it, from the terraces inward.
“Terraces” is a translation of the Hebrew word “Millo” (NASB).
The original territory was only 12 acres. So, David built it out farther. Price and House write, “Israeli archaeologists Ronny Reich and Eli Shukron have uncovered walls and fortifications associated with the ancient city of David that were built upon and that utilized the remains of earlier Canaanite and Jebusite fortifications and water systems. Previous excavations under Yigael Shiloh revealed a massive twelve-story high stepped-stone structure from the thirteenth century BC upon which David began to build his city (2 Sam 5:9).”[5]
(5:10) And he became more and more powerful, because the Lord God Almighty was with him.
David didn’t grow stronger through his own power, but because God was with him.
Hiram pays tribute
(5:11) Now Hiram king of Tyre sent envoys to David, along with cedar logs and carpenters and stonemasons, and they built a palace for David.
These events may be a summary of what happened years later, because Hiram doesn’t become king for another 20 years (980 BC).[6] The mention of Tyre shows that David “was beginning to win respect beyond Israel’s borders.”[7]
(5:12) Then David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.
David recognizes that God was the one to put him in power (v.10). He realized that God did this for his people—not just for David. True servant leadership is focused on the needs of the people—not the leader’s self-aggrandizement.
More polygamy
(5:13) After he left Hebron, David took more concubines and wives in Jerusalem, and more sons and daughters were born to him.
The law explicitly stated that kings should not take “many wives” (Deut. 17:17). Youngblood writes, “By placing the word ‘concubines’ in emphatic position, the narrator is perhaps deploring David’s proclivity for the trappings of a typical Oriental monarch, including a harem.”[8]
(5:14-16) These are the names of the children born to him there: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, 15 Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, 16 Elishama, Eliada and Eliphelet.
This is not an exhaustive list (1 Chron. 3:5-8; 14:4-7). The first four sons were born by Bathsheba (1 Chron. 3:5), whom we will meet in chapter 11.
The Philistines invade
These events are parallel with 1 Chronicles 14:8-16. The Philistines may have still thought David was an ally—especially since he had fought Ish-Bosheth.[9]
(5:17) When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they went up in full force to search for him, but David heard about it and went down to the stronghold.
There is some debate as to when this event occurs. If this event happened after David’s conquering of Jerusalem, there would be no need to search for David via military intelligence. We’re unsure.
With a change of power, the Philistines viewed this as a time of weakness. They attacked before David got his defenses together. Baldwin writes, “They were still thinking of David as a lone fighter, with a small bodyguard, whom they could locate and kill.”[10]
(5:18) Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim.
The valley of Rephaim was between Judah and Benjamin.[11] It was a “steep-walled canyon less than a mile southwest of David’s new home.”[12]
(5:19) So, David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you deliver them into my hands?”
The Lord answered him, “Go, for I will surely deliver the Philistines into your hands.”
David seeks God’s counsel before entering into battle.
(5:20) So David went to Baal Perazim, and there he defeated them. He said, “As waters break out, the Lord has broken out against my enemies before me.” So that place was called Baal Perazim.
Baal Perazim means “the master of break through.”
(5:21) The Philistines abandoned their idols there, and David and his men carried them off.
The Philistines probably brought their idols as “protective talismans” onto the battlefield.[13] The battle was so intense that they left these behind. This shows just how powerfully they were rebuffed by David’s army.
Furthermore, the mention of idols shows that the gods of the Philistines were worthless and weak. Baldwin comments, “Far from having power, these deities could not save themselves. David and his men took them as trophies of war, which were later burnt (1 Chr. 14:12).”[14]
(5:22) Once more the Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim.
Undeterred, the Philistines attacked David once again. They must have thought that the first battle was a fluke. Little did they know, God was fighting for David, and he was unstoppable.
(5:23) So, David inquired of the Lord, and he answered, “Do not go straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the poplar trees.”
David continues to seek counsel from God. It is no wonder that this is the key to his success.
(5:24) “As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the poplar trees, move quickly, because that will mean the Lord has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army.”
The marching would be loud on the poplar trees. So, it would be unmistakable to know when God was telling them to move. Consequently, this concept of hearing the sound of the poplar trees has become a Christian idiom for moving when God is telling you to advance.
(5:25) So David did as the Lord commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.
Geba (or Gibeon, 1 Chron. 14:16) was six miles northwest of Jerusalem,[15] and Gezer was a Canaanite stronghold. The Philistines must have run to these allies for refuge. Baldwin writes, “The Philistines made no further attempt to thwart the rise of David. So decisive was this battle, that from this time on the Philistines ceased to be a serious menace to Israel, though they continued to cause trouble during the period of the monarchy.”[16]
Concluding insights
It took 15 years of suffering before David was ready to be the king. He was anointed years ago (1 Sam. 16:13), but God used that time to prepare David for the throne. Similarly, we can receive a distinct calling from God. We can know that he called us, but this doesn’t tell us when God is going to bring us into an active or successful ministry. That’s his prerogative—not ours. Our role is to trust in his calling and wait for his timing.
David sought counsel from God before he made any military moves. This was the key to his success, and it is the key to ours as well. When we seek God’s direction, we can’t lose.
David couldn’t be stopped if God was behind him. David learned this lesson well (v.10, 12), and this gave him confidence to trust God even further.
2 Samuel 6 (Retrieval of the Ark)
Summary: David gathered his men to get the Ark of God (v.2). Uzzah and Ahio guided the cart back home (v.3). Uzzah tried to balance the Ark when it stumbled, and God killed him for it (v.6). After a three-month hiatus (v.12), David musters up the courage to take the Ark back to Jerusalem. David showed excitement and zeal when the Ark was returned to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 6:12-14), which led all the people of God to show joy and shouts of excitement (v.15). In the midst of this, Michal (his wife) judges her husband for his zeal, excitement, and dancing (v.16, 20). David responded to her by telling her that she was in the wrong (vv.21-22), and she died childless (v.23)! This narrative tells us that we shouldn’t cast negativity and cynicism on those who are showing emotion and excitement in what God is doing.
Psalm 24 and Psalm 68 were written during this time. The parallel account for this event is found in 1 Chronicles 13:5ff and 15:23-16:3, 43.
David goes to retrieve the Ark of the Covenant
(6:1) David again brought together all the able young men of Israel—thirty thousand.
The parallel passage states that David conferred with his military officials before he made this decision (1 Chron. 13:5-8). By gathering 30,000 men, David was showing that he was sparing no expense.
(6:2) He and all his men went to Baalah in Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name, the name of the Lord Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim on the ark.
The Ark of the Covenant hasn’t been mentioned since 1 Samuel 14:18. When we add up the time from 1 Samuel 7:2 (20 years) and Saul’s reign in 1 Samuel 13:1 (40 years), we realize that the Ark had been gone for over 60 total years.[17] Saul didn’t have interest in seeking the Ark (1 Chron. 13:3), but David wanted it back.
(6:3-4) They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart 4 with the ark of God on it, and Ahio was walking in front of it.
Abinadab was one of David’s brothers (1 Sam. 16:8). He had held the Ark for this extended period of time (1 Sam. 7:1).
“They set the ark of God on a new cart.” They were supposed to carry it with poles (Exod. 25:12-14). They weren’t supposed to touch the Ark, or they would die (Num. 4:15; 7:9). This mention of a “new cart” is parallel with how the Philistines transported the Ark (1 Sam. 6:7-8). This could be foreshadowing for what will happen with Uzzah (v.7).
Abinadab’s sons (or grandsons?) were responsible for carrying the Ark. They would have (or should have) known of the seriousness of this task.
(6:5) David and all Israel were celebrating with all their might before the Lord, with castanets, harps, lyres, timbrels, sistrums and cymbals.
David begins to throw a party that they are going to bring the Ark home. But this seems to be counting your chickens before they hatch. Was this really the right time to start throwing a party?
The party grinds to a halt
(6:6) When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled.
The oxen didn’t dump the Ark off the cart. Instead, they “nearly upset” the Ark (NASB).
(6:7) The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down, and he died there beside the ark of God.
(2 Sam. 6:7) Why does God kill Uzzah for trying to protect the Ark of God? Put simply, God’s severity was in reaction to the flippancy with which David chose to transport the Ark.
For one, David formerly looked for counsel in big decisions (2 Sam. 5:19, 23), but we do not find those words here in this section. Instead, the parallel account in 1 Chronicles states that “David consulted with the captains… even with every leader” (1 Chron. 13:1). David later reflected, “Because you did not carry it at the first, the LORD our God made an outburst on us, for we did not seek Him according to the ordinance” (1 Chron. 15:13).
Second, God was very clear on his stipulations for carrying the Ark. God warned the priests, “They will not touch the holy objects [or they will] die” (Num. 4:15; cf. vv.19-20). The Levites weren’t supposed to transport the Ark on a “cart” but on their shoulders with polls (Ex. 25:12-15; Num. 4:6; 7:9). This was strenuous, but it would ensure that no one would touch the Ark. Instead of doing it the right way, Uzzah wanted the oxen to carry the load. It’s outrageously lazy to treat God’s Ark in this way, and truly an “irreverent act” (NIV).
Third, the Ark didn’t fall. It was “nearly upset” (2 Sam. 6:6 NASB). Besides, even if it did, the ground isn’t sinful, but Uzzah’s hands were.
Fourth, David should’ve known better. When the Philistines moved the Ark, none of them were killed (1 Sam. 5:1). God didn’t judge the Philistines, because they didn’t know better. But the people of Israel were judged because they did know better.
Human beings typically try to coerce religious objects to perform their will. While we do not know Uzzah’s motive for reaching for the Ark, his actions could have led to further consequences of which he was unaware. This was a new era in Israel’s history, and as a result, God was acting in a particularly strict fashion to ensure that they followed his directions. Walter Kaiser writes, “Surely this passage warns that it is not enough to have a worthy purpose and a proper spirit when we enter into the service of God; God’s work must also be performed in God’s way. Pursuing the right end does not automatically imply using the right means.”[18]
(6:8-9) Then David was angry because the Lord’s wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah. 9 David was afraid of the Lord that day and said, “How can the ark of the Lord ever come to me?”
Someone must have checked Uzzah’s pulse and screamed, “He’s dead!” The music stopped, and the party came crashing to a halt. Just imagine how silent the musicians must have become after Uzzah was struck down by God. David was angry and afraid of God as a result.
Bergen holds that David was angry with Uzzah—not with God: “[David] was upset that Uzzah had acted in such a way as to cause God to bring fatal judgment to bear.”[19] However, we agree with Baldwin who thinks that David was angry with God. She writes, “David in his humiliation blamed God for the incident and opted out of the task of taking the ark on to Jerusalem, partly because he was also afraid of the Lord.”[20]
“Perez-Uzzah” means “Uzzah’s Breach” or “The Outburst against Uzzah.”[21]
(6:10-11) He was not willing to take the ark of the Lord to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. 11 The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and the Lord blessed him and his entire household.
David took three months to reconsider how to move the Ark. He was apparently feeling gun shy in moving it. Obed-Edom was a Levite (1 Chron. 15:17-18), so he would’ve been a good candidate for holding or moving the Ark
David regains his confidence
(6:12-15) Now King David was told, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God.” So David went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. 13 When those who were carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. 14 Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the Lord with all his might, 15 while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets.
Much is different in this second opportunity:
- David had the priests carry the Ark with poles (1 Chron. 15:5; cf. Ex. 25:14). This shows that he had learned his lesson. Moreover, David brought the elders and commanders with him this time (1 Chron. 15:25).
- David offers sacrifices, rather than throwing a party. He sacrificed a total of seven bulls and seven rams (1 Chron. 15:26).
- David wears an ephod to this event (much like Samuel, 1 Sam. 2:18; 22:18). David was a priest-king.
“David was dancing before the Lord with all his might.” The expression “with all his might” (mĕkarkēr) only occurs here. It means “whirling.”[22] He must’ve been locked arm-in-arm with the other priests as they danced through the streets of Jerusalem.
(6:16) As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart.
Earlier, Michal had helped David escape through a “window” (1 Sam. 19:12). Now, she is “despising” him through another “window.” Baldwin writes, “She despised him for the very qualities that made him great, namely devotion to the Lord and spontaneity in worship.”[23]
(6:17-18) They brought the ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the Lord. 18 After he had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord Almighty.
David offered sacrifices and offerings to the Lord, and blessed the people, acting like a king-priest. This sort of offering was before God, but it was eaten by the people (Lev. 7:11-18).
(6:19) Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women. And all the people went to their homes.
This was a common custom in the ancient Near East during times of celebration.[24] Like a man ordering drinks for everyone in the bar, David was yelling, “Date cakes on the house!”
Michal’s bitterness and cynicism
(6:20) When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, going around half-naked in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!”
David’s heart was filled with happiness. But Michal had another attitude entirely. Youngblood comments, “Michal’s words drip with the ‘How’ of sarcasm.”[25] Bergen writes, “Implicitly she suggested that immoral sexual urges, not zeal for the Lord, had motivated his enthusiastic activities in the festivities of the day.”[26]
Michal had been in love with the warrior, but not the lover of God (1 Sam. 18:20-27). Baldwin writes, “What had her hopes been when she first fell in love with David, who killed two hundred Philistines for the privilege of marrying her (1 Sam. 18:20-27)? She preferred the ‘brave warrior’ image to that of the humble, worshipping king, stripped of all his royal regalia, and, as she saw it, uncovering himself, or maybe ‘showing off’.”[27]
(6:21) David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord’s people Israel—I will celebrate before the Lord.”
“It was before the Lord.” It was not before the women!
David wasn’t exposing himself. This was an exaggeration of Michal—a terrible twist on what he was doing. Bergen writes, “Assuming he was dressed as a properly outfitted Yahwistic priest, David’s energetic dancing could not have exposed his nakedness and so violated the Torah’s requirements (cf. Exod 20:26) since he was wearing a linen undergarment.”[28] Michal is twisting the story to make David look bad. Yet her words were actually “symptomatic of an underlying problem in her relationship with God.”[29]
(6:22) “I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor.”
David is willing to show even more zeal and excitement, and he is willing to look like a fool “in his [own] eyes.”
“I will be humiliated.” This doesn’t refer to bizarre behavior. Rather, the term “humiliated” (šāpal) appears elsewhere “as a virtue signifying proper humility before the Lord.”[30]
(6:23) And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.
In the ancient world and specifically in Israel, barrenness was a sign of God’s judgment, and fertility was a sign of God’s blessing (Ex. 23:26; Deut. 7:14; 28:11). Youngblood comments, “In ancient times childlessness, whether natural or enforced, was the ultimate tragedy for a woman (see comment on 1 Sam 1:2).”[31]
By taking away Michal’s offspring, Saul’s line would be “forever separate from Israel’s eternal royal dynasty.”[32]
Did God judge Michal or did David? Bergen[33] holds that God caused Michal to be barren. Baldwin,[34] however, holds that David merely stopped having sexual intercourse with Michael.
Was it strange for David to show emotion and passion for God?
David certainly had a rich emotional life. He showed anger (2 Sam. 6:8), fear (2 Sam. 6:8), joy (2 Sam. 6:5), dancing (2 Sam. 6:14), leaping (2 Sam. 6:16), shouting (2 Sam. 6:15), throwing parties (2 Sam. 6:18-19).
There’s nothing strange about showing emotion. People showing emotion all the time (e.g. hyper-masculine athletes weeping over victory or defeat). Why is it appropriate to show emotion for a game, but not for eternity?
God commands us to show emotion (Romans 12:15; Ephesians 4:32).
We can get weird with emotional displays, but David’s emotions weren’t bizarre or out of bounds. His emotions matched what they were seeing. They didn’t possess the Ark for 60 years. It was a good time to celebrate! Moreover, the vast majority of us are light years away from going overboard in this area! If you think you’re going overboard, you’re probably only halfway to where you should be.
What was the source of David’s passion for God?
David watched God’s promises being fulfilled: “They anointed David king over Israel” (2 Sam. 5:3).
David experienced God from following him: “The LORD God Almighty was with him” (2 Sam. 5:10).
David wanted God to lead his life: “David inquired of the LORD” (2 Sam. 5:19, 23).
David enjoyed being with God’s people: “Thirty thousand in all” (2 Sam. 6:1) and “David and all Israel were energetically celebrating before the Lord” (2 Sam. 6:5) and “he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets” (2 Sam. 6:15) and “he blessed the people in the name of the LORD” (2 Sam. 6:18).
David celebrated what God was doing with the Ark: sacrifices (2 Sam. 6:15, 17), dancing (2 Sam. 6:16), prayer (2 Sam. 6:18), and food (2 Sam. 6:19).
David didn’t let the cynics and judgers hold his joy hostage (2 Sam. 6:21-22).
What went wrong with Michal?
Michal was aloof and standing at a distance: “Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window” (2 Sam. 6:16).
Michal’s problem started in her heart: “She despised him in her heart” (2 Sam. 6:16).
Michal developed a twisted narrative about David’s joy—that it was perverted and sexual (2 Sam. 6:20). But David was wearing an ephod (2 Sam. 6:14). You’d have an easier time flashing someone while wearing a Carhartt or a snowsuit!
[1] Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 321.
[2] Kathleen Kenyon, Royal Cities of the Old Testament (London: Barrie & Jenkins, 1971), p. 26.
[3] Joyce G. Baldwin, 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 215.
[4] Joseph Holden and Norman Geisler, The Popular Handbook of Archaeology and the Bible (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2013), 259.
[5] Randall Price and H. Wayne House, Zondervan Handbook of Biblical Archaeology (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2017), 120.
[6] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 856-857.
[7] Joyce G. Baldwin, 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 212.
[8] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 859.
[9] Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 325.
[10] Joyce G. Baldwin, 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 217.
[11] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 863.
[12] Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 325.
[13] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 864.
[14] Joyce G. Baldwin, 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 218.
[15] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 865.
[16] Joyce G. Baldwin, 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 219.
[17] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 867.
[18] Kaiser, Walter C. Hard Sayings of the Old Testament. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1988. See “2 Samuel 6:6-7 Why Did God Destroy Uzzah?”
[19] Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 330.
[20] Joyce G. Baldwin, 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 222-223.
[21] Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 330.
[22] Joyce G. Baldwin, 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 223.
[23] Joyce G. Baldwin, 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 224.
[24] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 876.
[25] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 876.
[26] Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 333.
[27] Joyce G. Baldwin, 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 225.
[28] Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 333.
[29] Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 333.
[30] See Proverbs 29:23. Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 333-334.
[31] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 878.
[32] Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 334.
[33] Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 334.
[34] Joyce G. Baldwin, 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 226.