All the tribes of Israel come to David at Hebron and anoint him king; the stronghold of Zion is taken and becomes the city of David; Hiram of Tyre builds him a house of cedar; the Philistines are broken at Baal-perazim.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Then came all the tribes of Israel to David to Hebron, and spoke, saying: ‘Behold, we are your bone and your flesh.
verse value 2761
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 55 letters. The shortest word is "saying" (לֵאמֹ֔ר, 4 letters) and the longest is "all·tribes·of" (כׇּל־שִׁבְטֵ֧י, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 271: Hebron, saying. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "all·tribes·of" (כׇּל־שִׁבְטֵ֧י), "they" (הִנְנ֛וּ), "your·bone" (עַצְמְךָ֥). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·said" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "to·David" (root איל, 202x in II Samuel); "and·they·came" (root בוא, 131x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root שבט ("all·tribes·of") in II Samuel. First appearance of the root חברונה ("Hebron") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hebron', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיָּבֹ֜אוּ [and·they·came] (25) + כׇּל־שִׁבְטֵ֧י [all·tribes·of] (371) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל [Israel] (541) + אֶל־דָּוִ֖ד [to·David] (45) + חֶבְר֑וֹנָה [Hebron] (271) + וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ [and·they·said] (263) + לֵאמֹ֔ר [saying] (271) + הִנְנ֛וּ [they] (111) + עַצְמְךָ֥ [your·bone] (220) + וּֽבְשָׂרְךָ֖ [and·your·flesh] (528) + אֲנָֽחְנוּ [we] (115) = 2761.
Radak
"And all the tribes of Israel came" — From all the tribes of Israel they came to him, even from the tribe of Benjamin, for they had no further hope in the house of Saul. And this was five years after the death of Ish-bosheth. For five years the monarchy was in abeyance, in that David did not reign over all Israel until the end of five years and six months, since Ish-bosheth reigned for only two years.
"We are your very own self and your own flesh. Even though you are from the tribe of Judah and we are your relatives, we are nonetheless your very own self, for we are all Israelites, brothers."
Metzudat David
Your own flesh and bone. We are close to you like all the house of Judah, for we are all children of one man:
Metzudat Zion
Yourself. From the word 'bone'.
Malbim
And they said, saying: The explanation of the Mahar"ya: He said to him: Do not think that the sons of Judah are your relatives, for we ourselves are also your very own flesh and blood, just like them.
In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you that did lead out and bring in Israel; and Hashem said to you: You shall feed My people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel.’
verse value 9267
Insights
Verse structure: 24 words, 116 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֜ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·you" (לְךָ֗, 2 letters) and the longest is "also·yesterday" (גַּם־אֶתְמ֣וֹל, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 942: Israel, Israel. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "also·yesterday" (גַּם־אֶתְמ֣וֹל), "also·day·before·yesterday" (גַּם־שִׁלְשׁ֗וֹם), "the·one·bringing·out" (הַמּוֹצִ֥יא). The root היה appears 4 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "king" (root מלך, 242x in II Samuel); "when·being" (root היה, 153x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root רעה ("you·shall·feed") in II Samuel. First appearance of the root נגיד ("to·leader") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 11 words.
Radak
"You were bringing forth." The letter heh is written at the end of the word "hayetah," and it is read together with the word "motzi" [i.e., as if "hamotzi"]; and so too "yada'tah shachar mekomo" [Job 38:12], where the heh likewise attaches to "shachar" [to be read "ha-shachar," the dawn].
"And the one who brings" [ve-hamevi]. It is written with a missing aleph in the text, and so too "the heir I-will-bring to-you" [היורש אבי לך, Micah 1:15], where "avi" stands for "avia" [I will bring], likewise missing its aleph.
Metzudat David
You were the one. Meaning: do not give greater weight in your eyes to the love of the sons of Judah because you ruled over them first, for behold over us also you ruled from of old even while Saul was still reigning, for you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in. If so, you should shepherd all Israel, these and those equally, like a shepherd his flock:
Metzudat Zion
To you. Concerning you.
Malbim
(B-C) B. “Do not suppose that they preceded you in anointing you as king, for even yesterday and so on, you were the one who brought out and brought in, and we were the ones who preceded.” C. And the Lord said, “You shall shepherd My people Israel,” and He did not say “Judah.” And in accordance with this, after all the people accepted him, he made a covenant with the elders, who are the Sanhedrin, for the establishment of a king requires that it be done with the knowledge of the Sanhedrin. And they anointed him a second time, so that he would reign a comprehensive kingship.
So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David made a covenant with them in Hebron before Hashem; and they anointed David king over Israel.
verse value 4622
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 83 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·them" (לָהֶם֩, 3 letters) and the longest is "upon·Israel" (עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "and·they·anointed" (וַיִּמְשְׁח֧וּ). The root מלך appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "king" (root מלך, 242x in II Samuel); "to·the·king" (root איל, 202x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 4 words.
Radak
“And all the elders of Israel came.” Yet it had already been stated above, “And all the tribes of Israel came.” Rather, the meaning is: “And they came,” having already come previously—the elders of Israel came to David, and he made a covenant with them that he would not harm them, because they had supported the hands of Ish-bosheth for two years, and because they delayed anointing him as king for five years after the death of Ish-bosheth. Once he had made a covenant with them, they sent for the tribes of Israel, and they came to David and anointed him king. Even though he had already been anointed initially by Samuel, and subsequently the House of Judah had anointed him, now Israel also anointed him, because now he was king over all Israel. In Chronicles it states, “And they anointed David king over Israel by the word of the Lord through Samuel,” because the word of Samuel had not been fulfilled until this day. For Samuel had anointed him to be king over all Israel, just as Saul had been king over all Israel. And for this reason, David did not fight against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Zion, until he was king over all Israel. And as soon as Israel anointed him, he went there.
"Before the Lord." We have already explained that wherever all of Israel, or the majority of them, gather, the Divine Presence rests there. Alternatively, "Before the Lord" refers to their statement: "Let the Lord be a witness between us" in the covenant that we are making.
Ralbag
And behold after this, all the tribes of Israel gathered to David at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron, for there was a high place [bamah] there to offer sacrifices, as was explained in the matter of Absalom. And they anointed David king over all Israel, and then David moved from Hebron to go to Jerusalem.
Metzudat David
All the elders of Israel, who had the power to anoint him as king.
"And he made a covenant with them, etc." – [Meaning] that he would be to them as a friend, just as he was to Judah.
"Before the Lord." Before the Ark of the Lord, for they had brought it there temporarily.
David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.
verse value 1967
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "year" (שָׁנָ֛ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "son·of·thirty" (בֶּן־שְׁלֹשִׁ֥ים, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 355: year, year. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "son·of·thirty" (בֶּן־שְׁלֹשִׁ֥ים). The root שנה appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "in·his·reigning" (root מלך, 242x in II Samuel); "son·of·thirty" (root בין, 98x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root ארבע ("forty") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·his·reigning', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: בֶּן־שְׁלֹשִׁ֥ים [son·of·thirty] (732) + שָׁנָ֛ה [year] (355) + דָּוִ֖ד [David] (14) + בְּמׇלְכ֑וֹ [in·his·reigning] (98) + אַרְבָּעִ֥ים [forty] (323) + שָׁנָ֖ה [year] (355) + מָלָֽךְ [reigns] (90) = 1967.
Metzudat David
Forty years. And he did not bother to count the extra six months, or perhaps because the duration of the six months that he fled before Absalom, it is not fitting to count them as days of kingship:
Malbim
He reigned for forty years, and the six months are not counted, since the greater number absorbs the lesser, as Rabbi Yudan states in Midrash Shmuel (chapter 26). There are also several other opinions there, and in [tractate] Sanhedrin, page 107.
In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months; and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah.
verse value 5315
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 70 letters. Notable word values: "and·Judah" (וִיהוּדָֽה) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "upon" (עַ֥ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·in·Jerusalem" (וּבִירוּשָׁלִַ֣ם, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 90: he·reigned, he·reigned. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "upon·Judah" (עַל־יְהוּדָ֔ה), "and·in·Jerusalem" (וּבִירוּשָׁלִַ֣ם), "three" (וְשָׁלֹשׁ֙). The root מלך appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "he·reigned" (root מלך, 242x in II Samuel); "upon·Judah" (root על, 121x in II Samuel); "all·Israel" (root כל, 95x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root ירושלם ("and·in·Jerusalem") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'months', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 8 words.
Radak
In Hebron, he reigned over Judah for seven years and six months. And they are not included in the total count, because it was not a complete year; likewise, in the Book of Kings, they did not count those six months even in the detailed reckoning, because it was not a complete year. In the midrashic exposition: "These six additional months—what are they?" Rabbi Yitzchak, in the name of Rabbi Yehuda, said: They were deficient from thirty-three [years], but the biblical authors accord honor to Jerusalem and count them as complete. Rabbi Yudan said: The greater calculation absorbs the lesser. Rabbi Yudan said: It is written, "Six months Joab dwelt there"; those months were not counted toward his reign. Another interpretation: those months during which he fled from Absalom — and he would atone with a she-goat [sin offering], like an ordinary person — were not counted toward his reign.
And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who spoke to David, saying: ‘Except you take away the blind and the lame, you shall not come in hither’; thinking: ‘David cannot come in hither.’
verse value 4225
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 95 letters. Verse gematria: 4225 = 65². The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·Jebusite" (אֶל־הַיְבֻסִ֖י, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 271: saying, saying. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "to·Jebusite" (אֶל־הַיְבֻסִ֖י), "not·you·shall·come" (לֹא־תָב֣וֹא), "if·he·removed·you" (אִם־הֱסִֽירְךָ֗). The root אמר appears 3 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "of·David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "king" (root מלך, 242x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root עור ("blind") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'earth', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 13 words.
Rashi
To the Jebusite. The fortress of Tzion was called Yevus, and they were from the seed of Avimelech, and they had two idols: one an 'aur' (blind one), and one a 'pesach' (lame one), which were made in the name of Yitzchak and Yaakov; and in their mouths was the oath that Avraham swore to Avimelech. Therefore they were not dispossessed when they captured Yerushalayim—they did not capture the fortress, as is said (Joshua 15:63): 'And the Jebusite inhabitants of Yerushalayim the people of Judah could not dispossess them.' And it is taught: Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: they were able to, but they were not permitted to (Sifrei Re'eh 12:17).
And he said to David. He who said.
The blind and the lame. They are their idols.
Radak
"And the king went, and his men." In Chronicles it is written: "And David went, and all Israel," for all Israel were now his men. And since he reigned over all Israel, he went to Jerusalem to capture the Fortress of Zion, because it was received among them that Zion is the head of the kingdom of Israel, and it will not be captured except by one who will be king over all Israel. And until this day, the kingdom has not been established in Israel, for Saul’s kingdom did not endure.
"Unless you remove the blind and the lame." The Targum Yonatan renders: "Except when you remove the sinners and the guilty ones who say, 'David shall not enter here.'" And we find in the Midrash that they said: The men of Jebus said to Abraham, "Cut a covenant with us that your seed shall not inherit the city of Jebus, and we will sell you the Cave of Machpelah." He did so. And the men of Jebus made bronze idols and set them up in the street of the city, and they wrote upon them the oath of the covenant. And when Israel came to the land, they could not enter there because of the oath, as it is stated, "And the Jebusite, the inhabitant of Jerusalem, the children of Israel could not dispossess them." And when David reigned, he desired to enter there, but they did not permit him, as it is stated, "And the men of Jebus said to David, 'You shall not come here.'" They said to him, "You cannot [enter] until you remove these idols upon which is written the oath of the covenant," as it is stated, "Unless you remove the blind and the lame." And these are the idols that have eyes but do not see, ears but do not hear, feet but do not walk. The soul of David hated them, because he hated to hear [of them], and because of the abomination of idolatry, as it is stated, "Therefore the blind and the lame shall not come into the House." David said to his men, "Whoever ascends first and removes the idols shall be chief." Joab ascended and became chief, as it is stated, "And Joab ascended, etc." And afterward, David purchased the city of the Jebusite for Israel for a talent of gold, in writing for an eternal possession, for six hundred [shekels] of gold, as it is stated, "And David gave to Ornan for the place, etc."
And furthermore, they said that these two idols were at the top of the tower called Tzinnor. One was blind, named after Isaac, and the other was lame, named after Jacob. In their mouths was the oath that Abraham swore to Abimelech, as it is stated, "If you deal falsely with me, my son, and my grandson." Therefore, Israel did not conquer it when they conquered Jerusalem, because Abimelech's grandson was still alive. And in the days of David, he had already died, and the oath was nullified.
And the Sage Rabbi Abraham Ibn Ezra explained: "Unless you remove the blind and the lame" is like "remove," meaning, "If you remove even the blind and the lame for your battle, then they will prevent you from coming here, for this tower is very strong, and we do not fear you for battle."
Ralbag
And behold the Jebusite was dwelling in Jerusalem, and David could not drive them out from there because of Abraham's oath to Abimelech that was written in the idols that were there, that they are blind and lame, for 'eyes they have and they see not, feet they have and they walk not.' And perhaps those idols were in the form of a blind man and a lame man: the blind man to indicate the covenant of Isaac, that at the end of his days his eyes were dimmed from seeing, and the lame man on account of Jacob, who was lame on his thigh. And they did this to indicate that this covenant had already been confirmed threefold for them through the patriarchs collectively. And for this reason the Jebusite said to David, 'You shall not come here unless you first remove the blind and the lame,' in which the memory of this covenant is contained, as though he said, David shall not come here, for he will not be able to remove these idols in which the memory of this covenant is.
Metzudat David
"To the Jebusite." For the children of Judah and the children of Benjamin had not dispossessed them ever since [the conquest].
"And he said to David." The nation of the Jebusites said to David: "You will not be able to come here," because it was very fortified and exceedingly strong.
"Unless he removes you," etc. He spoke in a manner of exaggeration and hyperbole: "You will not be able to come here unless you first remove from here all the people, even the blind and the lame. For if any of them remain, they have the power to prevent your coming here, on account of the great strength of the place."
"To say, etc." This means: That hyperbolic statement was intended to convey that David could not come there due to the city's overwhelming strength, and the purpose of their exaggeration was precisely this.
Metzudat Zion
The Jebusite. The name of a nation, they dwelt in a district of their own in Jerusalem.
Here. To this place.
Malbim
The questions: Why did he choose to go immediately after his coronation to fight the Jebusites in Jerusalem? And the matter of the blind, the lame, and the drainpipe—the commentators have labored to explain it.
"And the king went, he and his men,"—after the two kingdoms of Israel, which until then had been divided (the tribe of Judah under David, and the rest of the tribes together with Benjamin, the tribe of Saul, at their head, under Ish-bosheth), now returned to a single kingdom under David, it was deemed advisable, and thus the will of God was manifested, that the seat of kingship be located in the territory belonging to the two tribes that had been royal tribes. This was in Jerusalem, which was half belonging to Judah and half to Benjamin, as stated concerning the borders of the land, and as our Sages of blessed memory said (Yoma 12): "A strip extended from the portion of Judah to the portion of Benjamin, and there the altar was built." And we have already explained (Judges 1) that the children of Judah conquered their portion in Jerusalem, but the children of Benjamin did not conquer their portion, and the Jebusite dwelt there. Thus, the king and his men went to dispossess the Jebusite from the portion of the children of Benjamin.
"And they said to David, saying, 'You shall not come here.'" According to the plain sense, the words of the Ralbag appeal to me, who stated that at the gate of the city they had made statues in the form of blind men and lame men, and they were constructed with a certain mechanism such that they would raise and move, by their power, heavy iron rods and beams. They moved with great force in such a manner that no person could approach there, for the statues would strike him with the rods. (And it is possible that actual blind men and lame men also stood beneath them, assisting in their movement.) They were situated near the water pipe in such a way that the pipe discharged water from its mouth. And through the gushing and washing of the water, the statues and the rods were agitated, as occurs with a millwheel. And he [Ralbag] saw these mechanisms with his own eyes — thus far are his words.
According to this, they placed near the city gate a row of statues in the form of blind men, after them a row of statues in the form of lame men, and after them the water pipe gushing forth water. On the other side of the city was the fortress, and between the city and the fortress stood the soldiers, ready to fight on whichever side the enemy wished to enter. Initially, David wished to enter through the gate, and they said to him, "You shall not come here," meaning: it is impossible for you to enter unless you first remove the blind men, and then the lame men, who move the rods and will not allow you to pass through the gate. This is what is written, "saying, 'You shall not come here,'" meaning that they declare and decree that you shall not come here (meaning, that they will prevent you from entering). (And it is possible that with this mechanism, they attributed divine power to these statues, as was the custom of the ancient idolaters, who arranged their idols with rollers and pivots so that they would move and lift heavy burdens in their work, thereby deceiving the foolish masses into believing that this was the power of their god. And in this one may also incorporate the opinion of our Sages of blessed memory, who hinted that in these images was also alluded to the oath of Abraham or Isaac to Abimelech.)
Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion; the same is the city of David.
verse value 1485
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "David" (דָּוִ֔ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·he·captured" (וַיִּלְכֹּ֣ד, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 14: David, David. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "net" (מְצֻדַ֣ת), "Zion" (צִיּ֑וֹן). The root דוד appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "she" (root הוא, 53x in II Samuel); "city·of" (root עיר, 35x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root לכד ("and·he·captured") in II Samuel. First appearance of the root מצוד ("net") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Zion', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words.
Ralbag
And David took from the Jebusite the fortress of Zion, it is the City of David. And David said on that day, 'Whoever strikes the Jebusite and touches the water conduit' -- and it is the drain from which the waters flow -- 'and, along with destroying the conduit, destroys the lame and blind [images] that are detestable to David's soul because they prevent him from entering the house, shall have such and such a reward,' and he did not specify. Therefore they were saying, 'There is a blind man and a lame man there.' Behold, in truth this prevents David from entering the house. And perhaps its destruction in this manner is from other than removing the covenant that the fathers made, for he would destroy the building in which the image is, and with its destruction he would destroy these idols. And perhaps we can say explicitly this matter, that it is possible that it is there one place into which one cannot enter unless he passes before these idols. And these idols were made in a manner of mechanism that they would move iron rods of great weight in strong motion in a way that no person could pass there so that they not strike those idols with those rods. And we have already heard that such idols were made in some places. And the invention of such a mechanism has nothing difficult in it for one who understands the science of weights and the motion in water and wind and quicksilver. And this is not the place for investigation to explain how this is possible. And they made those idols in the form of blind men and lame men, for it is the way of blind men and lame men to have a staff on which they lean. And it seems that near the water conduit these idols were, and they were letting the waters out of their mouths, and there entered into them from the waters what was in it the impression of the motion of those rods. And for this every person needed to guard against entering there. And when the man strikes the water conduit in a way that the waters do not flow to those idols, it is easier to destroy those idols.
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion. The name of a strong fortress, adjacent to the place of Jebus:
"It is the City of David." After this, they changed its name and called it the City of David.
Metzudat Zion
The fortress. Its meaning is a strong stronghold, as (Jeremiah 48:41): and the fortresses were taken.
Malbim
And David captured it, as when he saw that it was impossible to conquer from the side of the city gate, he went to the other side where the fortress was, and captured the Fortress of Zion; therefore it was subsequently called the City of David, because he himself captured it.
And David said on that day: ‘Whosoever smites the Jebusites, and gets up to the gutter, and [takes away] the lame and the blind, that are hated of David’s soul—.’ Wherefore they say: ‘There are the blind and the lame; he cannot come into the house.’
verse value 4851
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 95 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·the·lame" (וְאֶת־הַפִּסְחִים֙, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 257: and·said, they·will·say. 11 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "all·who·smite" (כׇּל־מַכֵּ֤ה), "Jebusite" (יְבֻסִי֙), "and·will·touch" (וְיִגַּ֣ע). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "to·the·house" (root איל, 202x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root יבוסי ("Jebusite") in II Samuel. First appearance of the root נגע ("and·will·touch") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'David', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 7 words.
Rashi
"Whoever strikes the Jebusite, let him reach the water shaft." (Targum:) "Whoever kills the Jebusite and begins to conquer the city."
And the lame. And he struck also the lame and the blind, detestable to David's soul.
Therefore they say. Because they say: 'Blind and lame.' As long as the blind and the lame are here.
"Shall not come, etc." [i.e.,] "David shall not come here"—this is an elliptical verse: it stated "Whoever strikes the Jebusite and reaches the water duct," but did not explain what would be done for him; and in Chronicles (I 11:6) it is explained: "Whoever strikes the Jebusite first shall become head and commander." And similar to this (Genesis 4:15): "Therefore, whoever kills Cain—" and it did not explain what would be done to him; but of itself the tone of rebuke and reproof is understood.
And reaches the water duct. Language of the height of the tower—for there their idols were placed—and in David's days the generations mentioned in the oath had already passed.
Radak
And David said. Now, [Scripture] tells how he captured it, as it is stated: "Every one who strikes the Jebusite and reaches the water channel." Its meaning is: in the strong place. And Targum renders: "and he shall begin to conquer the city."
"And the lame and the blind." That is to say, he shall also come upon the lame and the blind, and "strikes," mentioned [earlier], stands in place of two [objects].
The object of David's soul's hatred. And because they scorned him with them, saying that they [the blind and lame] would prevent him from capturing the fortress, he said, "Whoever strikes," but did not say what he would do to him, and similarly, "Whoever kills Cain," and in Chronicles it is explained: "Whoever strikes the Jebusite first shall be chief and commander," and Joab went up first and became chief. And in the Midrash: "Whoever strikes the Jebusite and touches the water channel"—anyone who struck the Jebusite was touching the water channel, meaning they could not conquer them unless they reached the water channel, which is the highest place in the tower. What did they do? They brought a cypress tree, bent it, and Joab leaped and climbed up to the top of the wall. They sought to kill him, but he was a mighty warrior and fought against them, and the mighty men of Israel came and helped him. And in another Midrash it is written thus: What did Joab do? He went and brought a fresh cypress, fixed it beside the wall, and bent its top, which was pliant, and David held onto it, and Joab leaped onto David's head and hung onto the cypress and sprang over the wall. This is what David said: "Let the righteous strike me, it is a kindness; [let it be as] oil for the head — let my head not refuse it." What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He shortened the wall until David climbed up after him, as it is said: "and by my God I leap over a wall."
Therefore they shall say: “For from that day onward, no lame or blind shall enter this house,” namely, the fortress of Zion, to its disgrace—those blind and lame ones—and as a memorial for generations, how David captured it.
Metzudat David
"Whoever strikes the Jebusite." He who ascends first and strikes the Jebusite must initially touch the water pipe to topple it, which is the strong tower upon which they placed all their trust. Only thereafter does he strike the blind and the lame, so that no remnant or survivor remains. This is as if it were said to him, as they themselves stated, that they cannot be subdued unless one first removes the blind and the lame; rather, he must topple the tower while its inhabitants are still standing, and only afterwards does he strike them as well.
"Hated by the soul of David." Regarding "hated by the soul of David," it refers to the Jebusites, concerning whom it is said that they were hated by David because they scorned him, saying, "You shall not come in here unless he removes you," etc. And here, it does not specify what should be done to whoever strikes the Jebusite, etc. But in Chronicles (I 11:6), it is explained and stated: "He shall become chief and commander." Likewise, in the Torah it is said (Genesis 4:15): "Therefore whoever kills Cain," and it does not specify what should be done to him. And these cases are as if it were stated that ultimately he will receive the recompense of his deed, whether good or evil.
"Al ken" (Therefore): This means: In order that the matter should serve as a remembrance, they decreed that no blind or lame person should enter the house of the Jebusites, because the Jebusites said that even they [the blind and lame] would delay David's entry into the city. Therefore, they would stand outside and not enter the house, and by this means the matter would be remembered. And our Sages of blessed memory said (Yalkut Shim'oni on Joshua, Remez 28): The Jebusites were descendants of Abimelech, who had made a covenant with Abraham and Isaac, saying (Genesis 21:23): "If you will deal falsely with me, or with my son, or with my grandson." They made idols of copper and inscribed upon them the oath of the covenant, and they called them "blind" and "lame," for they had eyes but did not see, and they had feet but did not walk. Although the time of the oath had already expired, nevertheless they wished to prevent David from fighting against them, because the oath had existed at some time and still remained as a remembrance. They thought that David would not turn to the idols to remove them. Therefore, David said to touch the water pipe, and they would thereby depart of their own accord, without his turning to them to look at them, etc.
Metzudat Zion
Tzinnor. The name of the tower.
Malbim
"And David said" — and then he said that whoever fights from this side and onward is compelled to strike the Jebusite first, since they were the men of war who stood between the fortress and the idols. And afterward he would reach the channel that pours water upon the idols, for whoever comes from this side, the order of his encounter would be first with the channel, then with the lame, then with the blind. "Hated of David's soul" refers to all of them: the Jebusite, the blind, and the lame are his enemies. And here it does not specify what he will do to them, but in Chronicles (I 11:6) it is explained: "Whoever strikes the Jebusite first shall be head and commander," and there it clarifies that Joab captured it. Therefore they say, "blind and lame [shall not come into the house]" — meaning that since the blind and the lame would say that David should not enter the house, but should stand outside, therefore it is fitting to strike them and put them under the ban.
And David dwelt in the stronghold, and called it the city of David. And David built round about from Millo and inward.
verse value 1870
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 48 letters. The shortest word is "David" (דָּוִד֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·he·called·it" (וַיִּקְרָא־לָ֖הּ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 14: David, David, David. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "in·the·fortress" (בַּמְּצֻדָ֔ה), "and·he·called·it" (וַיִּקְרָא־לָ֖הּ), "around" (סָבִ֔יב). The root דוד appears 3 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "and·inward" (root בית, 97x in II Samuel); "and·he·called·it" (root קרא, 46x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root בנה ("and·he·built") in II Samuel. First appearance of the root סביב ("around") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'David', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיֵּ֤שֶׁב [and·dwelt] (318) + דָּוִד֙ [David] (14) + בַּמְּצֻדָ֔ה [in·the·fortress] (141) + וַיִּקְרָא־לָ֖הּ [and·he·called·it] (352) + עִ֣יר [city·of] (280) + דָּוִ֑ד [David] (14) + וַיִּ֤בֶן [and·he·built] (68) + דָּוִד֙ [David] (14) + סָבִ֔יב [around] (74) + מִן־הַמִּלּ֖וֹא [from·the·Millo] (172) + וָבָֽיְתָה [and·inward] (423) = 1870.
Rashi
From the Millo and inward. The circuit of a low wall, which they fill with earth, and the height of the mound is in the middle, and slopes downward in every direction—this is called 'Millo,' and upon it David built houses, and that Millo was around the fortress.
Radak
“From the Millo and his house.” “From the Millo and inward” — and the Millo is a place adjacent to the wall, and that place was broad so that the people could assemble there; therefore it is called Millo, like [the verse] “Call out: ‘Fill up!’” and they said, “Gather yourselves, and let us go.” And from it and inward he built. And in Chronicles it says, “And Joab built the rest of the city.”
Ralbag
And David dwelt in the fortress. Which he captured. And I think that they dug around it to strengthen that city and filled the moat with water, as people do today to strengthen towns so that people do not enter easily. And for this that place was called 'the Meloa' (the filling). And David built around from the Meloa and inward, that is to say, he built a wall within the Meloa surrounding all the buildings that were in that city, as is customary.
Metzudat David
"From the Millo and inward." For near the wall he left an open space to be prepared for the gathering of many people there, and they called it [by a term related to] "fill" (Jeremiah 4:5). And from the Millo inward he built houses all around.
Metzudat Zion
And its inner. From within.
Malbim
And David dwelt in the fortress: there he settled, and there he prepared his royal house. And he built around from the Millo and inward. The Millo was outside the fortress, where the people would gather. And he built the city from the Millo inward, for he did not build from it outward, so that it would remain open for the assembly of the people (for this reason Jeroboam reproached Solomon, that he had built the Millo, I Kings 11:27).
And David waxed greater and greater; for Hashem, the God of hosts, was with him. .
verse value 883
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "David" (דָּוִ֖ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·great" (וְגָד֑וֹל, 5 letters). The root הלך appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "and·Hashem" (root יהוה, 151x in II Samuel); "and·went" (root הלך, 96x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·great', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיֵּ֥לֶךְ [and·went] (66) + דָּוִ֖ד [David] (14) + הָל֣וֹךְ [going] (61) + וְגָד֑וֹל [and·great] (49) + וַיהֹוָ֛ה [and·Hashem] (32) + אֱלֹהֵ֥י [the·God·of] (46) + צְבָא֖וֹת [hosts] (499) + עִמּֽוֹ [with] (116) = 883.
Radak
"Walking, and growing." Both are infinitives.
"And the Lord, the God of Hosts, is with him." The meaning of this narrative is that with His help he would conquer all armies in every place where he went forth, for the Lord is with him; He is the Master of the heavenly hosts and the earthly hosts.
Metzudat David
And went on increasing. At every time he grew greater and greater:
Malbim
"And he went": From that time onward, David grew in stature. Whether in terms of success—his progress and advancement—or in terms of spiritual well-being, the Lord was with him.
And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar-trees, and carpenters, and masons; and they built David a house.
verse value 3713
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 64 letters. The shortest word is "tree" (עֵ֔ץ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·they·built·a·house" (וַיִּבְנוּ־בַ֖יִת, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 524: and·craftsmen·of, and·craftsmen·of. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "Hiram" (חִירָ֨ם), "king·of·Tyre" (מֶלֶךְ־צֹ֥ר), "and·wood·of" (וַעֲצֵ֣י). The root עץ appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "of·David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "king·of·Tyre" (root מלך, 242x in II Samuel); "to·David" (root איל, 202x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root עץ ("and·wood·of") in II Samuel. First appearance of the root ארז ("cedars") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'wall', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַ֠יִּשְׁלַ֠ח [and·he·sent] (354) + חִירָ֨ם [Hiram] (258) + מֶלֶךְ־צֹ֥ר [king·of·Tyre] (380) + מַלְאָכִים֮ [messengers] (141) + אֶל־דָּוִד֒ [to·David] (45) + וַעֲצֵ֣י [and·wood·of] (176) + אֲרָזִ֔ים [cedars] (258) + וְחָרָשֵׁ֣י [and·craftsmen·of] (524) + עֵ֔ץ [tree] (160) + וְחָרָשֵׁ֖י [and·craftsmen·of] (524) + אֶ֣בֶן [stone] (53) + קִ֑יר [wall] (310) + וַיִּבְנוּ־בַ֖יִת [and·they·built·a·house] (486) + לְדָוִֽד [of·David] (44) = 3713.
Radak
"And stone-cutters for walls." To build a wall, and the Targum [reads]: "and carpenters who are craftsmen to cut wood and stones, and masons who are craftsmen in building walls."
Metzudat David
"And cedar trees." And in their hands were cedar trees:
And the craftsmen. Even those who are craftsmen of wood and stone, who know how to build a wall:
Metzudat Zion
And the craftsmen. Artisans, as (Exodus 35:35): a craftsman and a designer.
Wall. I.e., a wall.
Malbim
And Hiram sent [messengers], after his kingdom was established over all Israel — as the sign of this was [the verse] "Zion, a city that is joined together" [Ps. 122:3] — Judah and Benjamin [united]. He saw that even a nation that did not know him would [now] serve him, for Hiram sent him messengers to make a covenant with him and to build him a house.
And David perceived that Hashem had established him king over Israel, and that He had exalted his kingdom for His people Israel’s sake.
verse value 2872
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 54 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֛ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "David" (דָּוִ֔ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "that·he·had·established·him" (כִּֽי־הֱכִינ֧וֹ, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "that·he·had·established·him" (כִּֽי־הֱכִינ֧וֹ). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "to·king" (root מלך, 242x in II Samuel); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 151x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root כון ("that·he·had·established·him") in II Samuel. First appearance of the root עבור ("for·the·sake·of") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיֵּ֣דַע [and·knew] (90) + דָּוִ֔ד [David] (14) + כִּֽי־הֱכִינ֧וֹ [that·he·had·established·him] (121) + יְהֹוָ֛ה [Hashem] (26) + לְמֶ֖לֶךְ [to·king] (120) + עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [upon·Israel] (641) + וְכִי֙ [and·for] (36) + נִשֵּׂ֣א [He·exalted] (351) + מַמְלַכְתּ֔וֹ [his·kingdom] (536) + בַּעֲב֖וּר [for·the·sake·of] (280) + עַמּ֥וֹ [his·people] (116) + יִשְׂרָאֵֽל [Israel] (541) = 2872.
Rashi
And David knew. Upon seeing that all his deeds prospered, and the kings of the nations sent him tribute.
Radak
"And He exalted." From the Piel binyan with a dagesh: the Holy One, blessed be He, exalted his kingdom. Since the king of Tyre sent him all this, he knew that this came from the Lord, for the sake of His people Israel, to be a good shepherd for them.
Ralbag
And it relates that because David knew that God prepared him for king over all Israel, and that God exalted his kingship because of His people Israel, that is to say, out of His love for them, David took yet more concubines and women in Jerusalem and fathered sons and daughters. And I think that he did this so that one of them would be fit to reign over this holy people and would be beloved to God.
Metzudat David
And David knew. By the fact that a nation he did not know would serve him, he recognized that the Lord had established him as king, and that he had exalted his kingdom for Israel's sake, and did not attribute the matter to himself:
Metzudat Zion
Lifted. A matter of raising.
Malbim
And David knew, from the first aspect, that He had established his kingdom in Jerusalem, that he knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel; and from the second aspect, he knew that He had exalted his kingdom until kings would bring tribute to him, and he understood that this was for the sake of His people, Israel.
And David took him more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem, after he was come from Hebron; and there were yet sons and daughters born to David.
verse value 2999
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 63 letters. The shortest word is "David" (דָּוִ֨ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "from·Jerusalem" (מִיר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 80: more, yet. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "and·wives" (וְנָשִׁים֙), "from·Hebron" (מֵחֶבְר֑וֹן), "and·daughters" (וּבָנֽוֹת). The root דוד appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "his·coming" (root בוא, 131x in II Samuel); "son" (root בן, 76x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·Hebron', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיִּקַּח֩ [and·took] (124) + דָּוִ֨ד [David] (14) + ע֜וֹד [more] (80) + פִּֽלַגְשִׁ֤ים [concubines] (463) + וְנָשִׁים֙ [and·wives] (406) + מִיר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם [from·Jerusalem] (626) + אַחֲרֵ֖י [after] (219) + בֹּא֣וֹ [his·coming] (9) + מֵחֶבְר֑וֹן [from·Hebron] (306) + וַיִּוָּ֥לְדוּ [and·were·born] (62) + ע֛וֹד [yet] (80) + לְדָוִ֖ד [of·David] (44) + בָּנִ֥ים [son] (102) + וּבָנֽוֹת [and·daughters] (464) = 2999.
Radak
"And David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem." Our Sages of blessed memory said: "Concubines" were without a ketubah (marriage contract) and without kiddushin (formal betrothal); "wives" were with a ketubah and kiddushin. And even though there is a dispute about this in the Jerusalem Talmud, where they said there: "What is a wife and what is a concubine? Rabbi Meir says: A wife has a ketubah; a concubine does not have a ketubah. And the Sages say: Both this one and that one have a ketubah; rather, a wife has a ketubah and the stipulations of the ketubah, whereas a concubine has a ketubah but does not have the stipulations of the ketubah." Nevertheless, the discussion of the Gemara follows Rabbi Meir, and our Sages of blessed memory received by tradition that David had eighteen women, both wives and concubines. And they expounded: "He shall not multiply for himself wives" [Deuteronomy 17:17]—more than eighteen. And they anchored this after the tradition from the verse: "And I will add to you like this and like this" [II Samuel 12:8]. And he had six women, and it says "like this and like this," and they are twelve, and "and again like this," and they are eighteen. And this necessitated them to say that this Eglah was Michal, and she is included in the six who were with him in Hebron. And behold, we found that he had six women in Hebron before his coming to Jerusalem, and it says: "And David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem." And we found that when he fled from Absalom, he left ten concubines to guard the house. If so, he took only two wives in Jerusalem, and ten concubines. And one of the two women he took in Jerusalem was Bathsheba.
Malbim
Concubines and wives. In Chronicles (I 14:3) it states "wives" alone. This is according to the opinion that holds concubines were [wives] by betrothal without a ketubah; thus, she is a "wife" by virtue of the betrothal, and a "concubine" by virtue of the lack of a ketubah. In Chronicles (ibid., 5-6) two additional sons, Elpelet and Nogah, are mentioned. And Maharia writes that they were omitted here because they died in their youth.
And these are the names of those that were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon;
verse value 3130
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 41 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֖וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֖וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·Jerusalem" (בִּירוּשָׁלִָ֑ם, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "child" (הַיִּלֹּדִ֥ים), "Shammua" (שַׁמּ֣וּעַ), "and·Shobab" (וְשׁוֹבָ֔ב). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "name" (root שם, 63x in II Samuel); "and·Nathan" (root נתן, 39x in II Samuel); "in·Jerusalem" (root ירושלם, 29x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·Jerusalem', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְאֵ֗לֶּה [and·these] (42) + שְׁמ֛וֹת [name] (746) + הַיִּלֹּדִ֥ים [child] (99) + ל֖וֹ [to·him] (36) + בִּירוּשָׁלִָ֑ם [in·Jerusalem] (588) + שַׁמּ֣וּעַ [Shammua] (416) + וְשׁוֹבָ֔ב [and·Shobab] (316) + וְנָתָ֖ן [and·Nathan] (506) + וּשְׁלֹמֹֽה [and·Solomon] (381) = 3130.
Radak
"The children born" is a descriptive term in the pattern (mishkal) of *gibborim* (mighty men), and all of these were sons of wives, as it says in Chronicles: "besides the sons of the concubines."
Shammua. This is the same Shimea mentioned in Chronicles among the sons of the concubines:
Metzudat David
Shammua. He is Shimea mentioned in Chronicles (I 3:5), and he did not list them in order of their genealogy, for Solomon was the first of these four who were sons of Bathsheba, as written in Chronicles:
Cross-references: I Chronicles 3:5; I Chronicles 14:4
Verse structure: 4 words, 21 letters. The shortest word is "and·Nepheg" (וְנֶ֥פֶג, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·Elishua" (וֶאֱלִישׁ֖וּעַ, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "and·Elishua" (וֶאֱלִישׁ֖וּעַ), "and·Nepheg" (וְנֶ֥פֶג), "and·Japhia" (וְיָפִֽיעַ). 4 unique roots are used. Full calculation: וְיִבְחָ֥ר [and·Ibhar] (226) + וֶאֱלִישׁ֖וּעַ [and·Elishua] (423) + וְנֶ֥פֶג [and·Nepheg] (139) + וְיָפִֽיעַ [and·Japhia] (176) = 964.
Radak
And Elishua. He is Elishama mentioned there, and there another Eliphelet is mentioned, and Nogah is also mentioned, who is not mentioned here. And it is possible that these two died without issue; therefore, they are not mentioned here, because it says there "all the sons of David"; therefore, it mentions them all.
Metzudat David
"And Elishua." He is Elishama mentioned there, for there he counted two sons named Elishama, and in another place in Chronicles (I 14:5), he also calls the first one Elishua.
Verse structure: 3 words, 20 letters. The shortest word is "and·Eliada" (וְאֶלְיָדָ֖ע, 6 letters) and the longest is "and·Elishama" (וֶאֱלִישָׁמָ֥ע, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "and·Elishama" (וֶאֱלִישָׁמָ֥ע), "and·Eliada" (וְאֶלְיָדָ֖ע), "and·Eliphelet" (וֶאֱלִיפָֽלֶט). 3 unique roots are used. Full calculation: וֶאֱלִישָׁמָ֥ע [and·Elishama] (457) + וְאֶלְיָדָ֖ע [and·Eliada] (121) + וֶאֱלִיפָֽלֶט [and·Eliphelet] (166) = 744.
Metzudat David
And Eliada. And in Chronicles (ibid., verse 7), he is called by another name: Beeliada.
And Eliphlet. In Chronicles another Eliphlet is mentioned, and likewise the name Nogah is mentioned there, but they are not mentioned here, because perhaps they died in their youth and no memory of them remained.
And when the Philistines heard that David was anointed king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to seek David; and David heard of it, and went down to the hold.
verse value 5572
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 76 letters. The shortest word is "David" (דָּוִ֔ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·Philistine" (כׇל־פְּלִשְׁתִּ֖ים, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 432: and·they·heard, to·seek. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "and·they·heard" (וַיִּשְׁמְע֣וּ), "that·they·anointed" (כִּֽי־מָשְׁח֨וּ), "all·Philistine" (כׇל־פְּלִשְׁתִּ֖ים). The root דוד appears 3 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "to·king" (root מלך, 242x in II Samuel); "upon·Israel" (root על, 121x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root ירד ("and·went·down") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'David', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיִּשְׁמְע֣וּ [and·they·heard] (432) + פְלִשְׁתִּ֗ים [Philistine] (860) + כִּֽי־מָשְׁח֨וּ [that·they·anointed] (384) + אֶת־דָּוִ֤ד [David] (415) + לְמֶ֙לֶךְ֙ [to·king] (120) + עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל [upon·Israel] (641) + וַיַּעֲל֥וּ [and·they·went·up] (122) + כׇל־פְּלִשְׁתִּ֖ים [all·Philistine] (910) + לְבַקֵּ֣שׁ [to·seek] (432) + אֶת־דָּוִ֑ד [David] (415) + וַיִּשְׁמַ֣ע [and·he·heard] (426) + דָּוִ֔ד [David] (14) + וַיֵּ֖רֶד [and·went·down] (220) + אֶל־הַמְּצוּדָֽה [to·the·stronghold] (181) = 5572.
Radak
To seek out David, to fight against him. And then David composed the psalm: "Why do the nations rage?" This was because all the Philistines had gathered together, as it is stated: "And all the Philistines came up."
"And he went down to the stronghold." [This refers to a] strong tower. And it says "he went down" because the location of the tower was lower than Jerusalem, and when David came from Jerusalem to the stronghold, he was descending. And regarding what is stated, "Shall I go up against the Philistines?"—and they were in the Valley of Rephaim—it appears that the Philistines were in that place called Baal-perazim, only that they were a very large army, as it is stated, "all the Philistines," and they spread out as far as the Valley of Rephaim. And that place, Baal-perazim, was higher than the location of the stronghold where David initially went down. And similarly, it is stated in Chronicles, "And they went up to Baal-perazim." And similarly, it is stated in the Book of Isaiah, "For like Mount Perazim the Lord will arise." And concerning this battle it says: and there, in the stronghold, he inquired of the Lord, and went up to Baal-perazim to fight the Philistines, and there he struck them down.
Ralbag
And behold it relates that the Philistines already gathered to seek David, and David inquired the face of the Lord and fought with them and subdued them, and called the name of the place where he struck them 'Baal-perazim' (master of breaches) in order to remember the miracle. And it relates that they left there their gods and David and his men burned them, so that people not benefit from them, as the Torah commanded.
Metzudat David
"All the Philistines." Because they knew of David's might, therefore they all gathered together to seek him out and fight against him.
"To the fortress." To a tower of strength, to fortify oneself within it, before he inquires of the Lord:
Malbim
And the Philistines heard: until now they considered him a covenant ally of Achish and as fighting against the kingdom of Saul, and now that they accepted him as king, they went to seek him out to see if he would submit to them and pay tribute. And he went down to the fortress, which is the fortress in the wilderness of Maon, where David had wandered when he fled from Saul, for it was close to the land of the Philistines. Therefore it says, "and he went down."
Now the Philistines had come and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.
verse value 1799
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "they·went·in" (בָּ֑אוּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Philistines" (וּפְלִשְׁתִּ֖ים, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "and·Philistines" (וּפְלִשְׁתִּ֖ים). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "they·went·in" (root בוא, 131x in II Samuel); "and·Philistines" (root פלשתי, 21x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root עמק ("in·valley·of") in II Samuel. First appearance of the root רפאים ("Rephaim") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·went·in', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: וּפְלִשְׁתִּ֖ים [and·Philistines] (866) + בָּ֑אוּ [they·went·in] (9) + וַיִּנָּטְשׁ֖וּ [and·they·were·left] (381) + בְּעֵ֥מֶק [in·valley·of] (212) + רְפָאִֽים [Rephaim] (331) = 1799.
Rashi
And they spread. And they expanded.
Metzudat Zion
They scattered. And they spread out, as (Judges 15:9): and they spread out at Lehi.
Malbim
And the Philistines saw that David was near their land, and they encamped in the Valley of Rephaim, near Jerusalem.
And David inquired of Hashem, saying: ‘Shall I go up against the Philistines? will you deliver them into my hand?’ And Hashem said to David: ‘Go up; for I will certainly deliver the Philistines into your hand.’
verse value 5299
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 77 letters. Notable word values: "into·my·hand·and·he·said" (בְּיָדִ֑י) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "David" (דָּוִ֤ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "Philistine" (אֶת־הַפְּלִשְׁתִּ֖ים, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: into·my·hand·and·he·said, Hashem. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "to·Philistine" (אֶל־פְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים), "you·will·give·them" (הֲתִתְּנֵ֖ם), "into·my·hand·and·he·said" (בְּיָדִ֑י). The root נתן appears 3 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "to·Philistine" (root איל, 202x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'into·my·hand·and·he·said', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 8 words.
Malbim
And David inquired, etc. “Shall I go up?”—for one who travels from the wilderness to the Valley of Rephaim, which is adjacent to Jerusalem, is ascending.
And David came to Baal-perazim, and David smote them there; and he said: ‘Hashem has broken mine enemies before me, like the breach of waters.’ Therefore the name of that place was called Baal-perazim.
verse value 4255
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 80 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֧ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "there" (שָׁ֣ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·Baal-perazim" (בְּבַֽעַל־פְּרָצִים֮, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 170: to·my·face, therefore. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "in·Baal-perazim" (בְּבַֽעַל־פְּרָצִים֮), "and·struck·them" (וַיַּכֵּ֣ם), "as·breach·of" (כְּפֶ֣רֶץ). The root דוד appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 151x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root פרץ ("breached") in II Samuel. First appearance of the root מים ("water") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'water', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 6 words.
Rashi
In Ba'al-Peratzim. Plain of Breakthroughs.
Like a breach of waters. Like water that breaks through the banks of the shore.
Radak
"Hashem broke through my enemies before me, like a breach of waters." This means that it was from Hashem that this occurred, for I, with a small force, struck such a large nation; rather, it was the Lord who broke them through before me. And the Targum renders: "The Lord broke my adversaries before me, like one who breaks a clay vessel full of water." And according to the simple meaning, it is like the breach that waters make when a flood comes and breaks through the dam.
“Ba'al paratzim.” The Targum translates it as “Mishar paratzim,” and similarly it translated “Ba'al gad” as “Mishar gad.”
Metzudat David
“Ba'al Peratzim.” It is the Valley of Rephaim, and it is called Ba'al Peratzim after its end [i.e., the outcome of the battle there].
As a breach of waters. He means to say: suddenly, like rushing waters that break through the fence:
Metzudat Zion
At Baal. In the plain, as (Joshua 13:5): from Baal-gad.
Broke through. From the word breach and break.
Malbim
Peretz: for from there they spread hither and thither, like waters that burst the banks of the shore, spreading in every direction.
And they left their images there, and David and his men took them away.
verse value 1803
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "there" (שָׁ֖ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "their·idols" (אֶת־עֲצַבֵּיהֶ֑ם, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "and·they·forsook" (וַיַּ֥עַזְבוּ), "their·idols" (אֶת־עֲצַבֵּיהֶ֑ם), "and·lifted·them" (וַיִּשָּׂאֵ֥ם). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "and·his·men" (root איש, 140x in II Samuel); "there" (root שם, 63x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·idols', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיַּ֥עַזְבוּ [and·they·forsook] (101) + שָׁ֖ם [there] (340) + אֶת־עֲצַבֵּיהֶ֑ם [their·idols] (618) + וַיִּשָּׂאֵ֥ם [and·lifted·them] (357) + דָּוִ֖ד [David] (14) + וַאֲנָשָֽׁיו [and·his·men] (373) = 1803.
Rashi
And David took them. (Targum:) And David and his men burned them.
Radak
"And David took them." [I.e.,] he burned them. And according to the Targum [Yonatan]: "David and his men burned them." And so it says in Chronicles: "And David said, and they burned them with fire." And similar to this is the language of burning: "And the earth was upheaved before Him" [Nahum 1:5], "lest He lift me up and consume me" [Job 32:22]. And in the words of our Sages of blessed memory, "And he took them" is a term of taking. And they raised a difficulty from the verses, and they said: It is written, "And David took them," teaching that he took them for himself. And it is written, "And they burned them." And they resolved: here [the burning] is before Ittai the Gittite came; here [the taking] is after Ittai the Gittite came. That is to say, in that battle, Ittai the Gittite was with the Philistines, and he was a Philistine. And when he saw the defeat of the Philistines, he came to David. And before Ittai the Gittite came, they began to burn the images, because idolatry is forbidden for benefit. And since Ittai the Gittite came and the idolatry was nullified, they ceased from burning. And regarding what was not burned, it says, "And David took them," because since it was nullified, it is permitted for benefit.
Metzudat Zion
And they carried them off. And they burned them, as (Nahum 1:5): and the earth was burned before Him, and in the Mishnah (Rosh Hashanah chapter 2, mishnah 2): they kindle signal fires.
Malbim
And David carried them off. In Chronicles (I 14:12) it is written, "and he burned them." And our Sages of blessed memory explained (Avodah Zarah 44) that at first they began to burn them, and in the midst of this, Ittai the Gittite came to them — who was an idol-worshipper — and he nullified them (for one who worships idols can nullify his own idol). Only then did they carry them off with them. Therefore, in Chronicles they are called "their gods" before they were nullified, whereas here they are called "their idols" after they were nullified from their status as deities.
And the Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.
verse value 2562
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 34 letters. The shortest word is "again" (ע֛וֹד, 3 letters) and the longest is "Philistine" (פְּלִשְׁתִּ֖ים, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "to·go·up" (לַעֲל֑וֹת). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·go·up" (root עלה, 44x in II Samuel); "again" (root עוד, 29x in II Samuel); "Philistine" (root פלשתי, 21x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·go·up', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּסִ֥פוּ [and·they·did·again] (162) + ע֛וֹד [again] (80) + פְּלִשְׁתִּ֖ים [Philistine] (860) + לַעֲל֑וֹת [to·go·up] (536) + וַיִּנָּטְשׁ֖וּ [and·they·were·left] (381) + בְּעֵ֥מֶק [in·valley·of] (212) + רְפָאִֽים [Rephaim] (331) = 2562.
Rashi
In the Valley of Rephaim. It is near Yerushalayim, mentioned in the Book of Joshua (15:8).
Radak
To ascend. At Baal-perazim, as at first; and they too were abandoned in the Valley of Rephaim.
Ralbag
And it further relates that after this the Philistines added yet again to come up to fight with David, and David inquired the mouth of the Lord whether he should go up upon them to fight with them, and the answer came to him that he should not go up upon them unless by schemes, in a way that they not notice his coming. And for this he was told that he should go around behind them in a way that he come upon them from opposite the mulberry trees -- they are 'moriers' in the vernacular -- and they are trees full of branches and leaves. And this would be the cause that the Philistines not notice them in their coming, and also there he would wait for the wind to come that would move the tops of the mulberry trees in a way that the sound be heard in them like the sound of footsteps of those moving, for this would be the cause that the Philistines, when they hear the sound of David's footsteps, think it is the sound of the motion of the tops of the mulberry trees, and they would not guard against him at all. And for this God commanded him to then move with speed and fall upon them, for in this manner of scheme he would defeat them. And behold, as I understand it, God commanded this because it was revealed to Him that it was fitting that the Philistines then defeat David according to the natural order, were it not for this scheme. And even though God could defeat the Philistine by way of miracle, God does not perform miracles except in places of necessity, as we have mentioned many times. And it further relates that David was aroused to bring up the ark of God from the house of Abinadab which was in the hill, and they mounted it on a new cart, and in this they erred, for it was already mentioned in the Torah that it is not fitting to carry the ark of God except on the shoulder -- it said concerning the sons of Kohath, 'For the holy service they shall carry on the shoulder.' And also Uzzah erred, for he was not a Levite and he did not have permission to hold the ark of God. And to the Levites this was not permitted either, but to carry it by the poles. And for this God broke out in anger against Uzzah, as was explained in the book of Chronicles with some further explanation -- it said, 'Because you did not [carry it properly] the first time, the LORD broke out against us, etc.' And David feared because of this to bring to him the ark of God because of its excess holiness, for perhaps he would not be able to guard against error in its guardianship in holiness. And when it was made clear to him that God blessed the house of Obed-edom the Gittite because of the ark of God that dwelt in his house three months, then David brought the ark of God to the City of David by the Levites, according to the law.
And when David inquired of Hashem, He said: ‘You shall not go up; make a circuit behind them, and come upon them over against the mulberry-trees.
verse value 2217
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 51 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·the back side" (אֶל־אַ֣חֲרֵיהֶ֔ם, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "you·shall·go·up" (תַעֲלֶ֑ה), "turn·away" (הָסֵב֙), "to·the back side" (אֶל־אַ֣חֲרֵיהֶ֔ם). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "in·Hashem" (root יהוה, 151x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'you·shall·go·up', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיִּשְׁאַ֤ל [and·asked] (347) + דָּוִד֙ [David] (14) + בַּיהֹוָ֔ה [in·Hashem] (28) + וַיֹּ֖אמֶר [and·said] (257) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + תַעֲלֶ֑ה [you·shall·go·up] (505) + הָסֵב֙ [turn·away] (67) + אֶל־אַ֣חֲרֵיהֶ֔ם [to·the back side] (295) + וּבָ֥אתָ [and·you·shall·come] (409) + לָהֶ֖ם [to·them] (75) + מִמּ֥וּל [from·opposite] (116) + בְּכָאִֽים [mulberry-trees] (73) = 2217.
Rashi
Opposite the balsam trees. (Targum:) Parallel to the trees.
Radak
"You shall not go up." Explanation: You shall not go up against them for now, for the time of deliverance has not yet arrived. Rather, meanwhile, turn behind them and come to them from opposite the baca trees, and when you hear the sound, then you shall come upon them.
"Mimol be-khayim." The Targum translates: "opposite the trees," and [the phrase] "the trees" refers to those called in the words of our Sages of blessed memory "tutim" [mulberries], and similarly [we find] "those who pass through the Valley of Baca."
Metzudat David
Do not go up etc. Do not go up against them facing them directly, but turn yourself to go around behind them, and come upon them from the front of the balsam trees that grow there:
Metzudat Zion
Turned. From the word turning.
In the mulberry trees. Trees in which mulberries grow, and so (Psalms 84:7): in the valley of Baca.
Malbim
The questions: Why did He command him this time to turn around behind them, and why did He give him a sign through the sound of marching in the tops of the baca trees?
"And it says, 'Do not go up.'" In Chronicles (ibid., 14) it is written, "Do not go up after them; turn away from them." He commanded him that now he should not go up upon them as he did at first, in such a way that he would fall upon them from behind them; rather, he should turn aside to the side, in such a way that he would fall upon the side of the camp that borders opposite the baca trees, so that the trees would be on one side and David's camp on the other side, bordering them.
And it shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry-trees, that then you shall bestir thyself; for then is Hashem gone out before you to smite the host of the Philistines.’
verse value 4697
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 72 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "then" (אָ֣ז, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·mulberry-trees" (הַבְּכָאִ֖ים, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 8: then, then. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "when·you·hear" (כְּֽשׇׁמְעֲךָ֞), "marching" (צְעָדָ֛ה), "in·heads·of" (בְּרָאשֵׁ֥י). The root שמע appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·let·it·be" (root היה, 153x in II Samuel); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 151x in II Samuel); "for" (root כי, 110x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root צעד ("marching") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'you·will·cut', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 8 words.
Rashi
The sound of marching on the tops of the balsam trees. They are angels marching on the tops of the trees, whom I send to help you.
Then break forth. Raise a voice of war and the thrust of a sword; 'galpid' in Old French. And so (Exodus 11:7): 'a dog shall not sharpen its tongue.'
Radak
In hearing. It is written with a bet and read with a kaf, and the meaning is the same.
"The sound of marching in the tops of the baca trees." I will make you hear a sound to strengthen the hearts of the people who are with you, so that it will seem to them like the sound of people walking on the tops of the trees, as if angels had gone out to strike the Philistines, as they said regarding Barak: "Has not the LORD gone out before you?" And so it says: "Behold, then the LORD went out before you."
"Then you shall act decisively." Move and strengthen yourself against the Philistines, as in "a dog shall not so much as move its tongue" (Exodus 11:7)—a matter of movement. And the meaning of "marching" is a matter of walking, as in "those who make good strides" (Proverbs 30:29). And Targum renders: "When you hear the sound of a shout in the tops of the trees, then you shall prevail, for then the angel of the Lord will go forth to make you succeed before you." And in the midrash: "Do not go up; circle around behind them"—the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: "You have no permission to stretch out your hand against them, even if they are close to you, until you see the tops of the trees swaying. Then you shall act decisively." "A decisive matter" is like "if his days are determined" (Job 14:5). And why did He give them a sign from the tops of the trees and not from their rear? Rabbi Berechiah said: Because this baca tree is entirely full of arrows—to tell you that whenever Israel is in distress, it is as if the distress were before Him, as it is said, "I am with him in distress" (Psalms 91:15).
Metzudat David
When you hear. When you hear the sound of marching, etc., then decide to fight, for then the Lord will go out, meaning: then He sent His angel to strike them (and although there is no restraint on the Lord to save without the stratagem of circling around behind them, and without setting a time, nevertheless He said so to test him, whether he would keep His commandments regarding war, or would be lax in his distress, as Saul had been lax with them):
Metzudat Zion
Step. From the word step and stride.
Stir. Shake yourself from your place to fight, as (Exodus 11:7): no dog shall move his tongue, and its explanation: he did not move his tongue to bark.
Malbim
And it was, and He commanded him not to begin to strike until he heard the sound of marching on the tops of the baca trees, and in this there is a lesson of the way that is near to victory through military stratagems, for after he had fallen upon them the first time from the rear, surely they would now guard themselves on this side and station there mighty men of war, and therefore it is good that he should now fall upon them from the side, and that he should begin the striking at the time when the wind blows among the baca trees and the [other] trees, so that they will think that there is a camp and army among the baca trees, and they will be terrified from both sides, besides the fact that in this there was a matter of Divine Providence, that the Lord went out to strike the enemy camp and made heard the sound of marching, until it was a miracle and nature together, and apart from this, He came to test David in a matter in which Saul did not stand firm, for he did not wait for Samuel, and because of this the kingship was taken from him, and David kept the commandment and did not trust in his own might, and it was said to him, "Then you shall act," for then the Lord will go out, for Providence is attached to faith, and the miracle is attached to the one who trusts, and although the first time he defeated them by the way of nature, he believed in the Lord that now he would not strike them unless the Lord went out before him, and therefore, "and he struck them from Geba and onward."
And David did so, as Hashem commanded him, and smote the Philistines from Geba until you come to Gezer.
verse value 2843
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 44 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "so" (כֵּ֔ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "Philistine" (אֶת־פְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "commanded·him" (צִוָּ֖הוּ), "from·Geba" (מִגֶּ֖בַע), "until·you·arrive" (עַד־בֹּאֲךָ֥). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "as" (root אשר, 188x in II Samuel); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 151x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיַּ֤עַשׂ [and·did] (386) + דָּוִד֙ [David] (14) + כֵּ֔ן [so] (70) + כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר [as] (521) + צִוָּ֖הוּ [commanded·him] (107) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + וַיַּךְ֙ [and·he·smote] (36) + אֶת־פְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים [Philistine] (1261) + מִגֶּ֖בַע [from·Geba] (115) + עַד־בֹּאֲךָ֥ [until·you·arrive] (97) + גָֽזֶר [Gezer] (210) = 2843.
Radak
"From Geva to Gezer." And in Chronicles it says: "from Gibeon to Gezer," and it is one and the same [place].
Metzudat David
From Geba. Along the way of their journey from Geba until you come to Gezer, meaning until you arrive at Gezer, that is, until the place where one comes to Gezer, and it is as though he is speaking with someone who knows the place, and there are many such [expressions] in Scripture:
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim