2 Samuel About this book
About this book
The Second Book of Samuel is actually the second half of a single book that was divided into two parts, 1 and 2 Samuel, because together they were too long to fit on one scroll. Most of 2 Samuel is a history of the rule of King David.
After the death of King Saul, the people of the Judah tribe chose David to be their king. And for the next seven years David was at war with Saul's son, King Ishbosheth of Israel. Then David became king of the entire nation.
David captured Jerusalem from the Jebusites, made it his new capital, and brought the sacred chest there. He wanted to build a temple to honour the Lord and as a place to keep the sacred chest, but the Lord refused to let him do so. Instead, the Lord promised that David would be a powerful ruler and that one of his descendants would always be king.
David conquered the enemies of Israel and became the ruler of a small empire. But he also had an affair with Bathsheba, the wife of an army officer who was away at war. As a result, the Lord allowed David to have serious troubles later on, and many of those troubles came from within his own family. For example, one of David's sons, Amnon, raped David's daughter Tamar. Amnon was then killed by David's son Absalom, who later led a rebellion against David.
David wasn't perfect, but he was loyal to the Lord and worshipped only him. And for as long as Judah continued as a nation, the Lord kept the promise he made to David:
Now I promise that you and your descendants will be kings. I'll choose one of your sons to be king when you reach the end of your life and are buried in the tomb of your ancestors. I'll make him a strong ruler, and no one will be able to take his kingdom away from him…I will be his father, and he will be my son.
(7.11-14)
A quick look at this book
1. David mourns for Saul (1.1-27)
2. David, king of Judah (2.1—4.12)
3. David, king of all Israel (5.1—6.23)
4. The Lord's promise to David (7.1-29)
5. The wars of King David (8.1—10.19)
6. David's affair with Bathsheba (11.1—12.31)
7. Violence in David's family: Tamar, Amnon, and Absalom (13.1—14.33)
8. Absalom leads a rebellion (15.1—20.22)
9. Other events from David's rule (20.22—21.22)
10. Two poems by David (22.1—23.7)
11. David's warriors (23.8-39)
12. David counts the people of Israel, and Israel is punished (24.1-25)
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2 Samuel About this book: CEVUK
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© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012
2 Samuel Introduction
Introduction
This book continues the story begun in 1 Samuel. It records the rise of David from lowly shepherd boy to king over all Israel. During his time “on the run” from Saul's pursuing troops, David had built up strong support among the southern clans and cities in Judah. When Saul and his sons died in battle and the northern tribes (frequently called “Israel” in 2 Samuel) struggled to find a successor to Saul, the southern tribes made David king in the south at Hebron where he ruled for seven and a half years (2.11). Amidst much plotting and skullduggery the last son of Saul is killed, and the northern tribes then send representatives to Hebron to ask David to be king over both north and south. He accepted and ruled as king of all Israel for thirty-three years (5.5).
David had to contend with opponents within his kingdom as well as the traditional foreign powers, but he shrewdly captured Jerusalem, an old Jebusite stronghold, and made it his capital city. It was an ideal choice because it had no prior association with either northern or southern tribes. There he built a palace and brought the ark of the covenant there also. In general, David's reign shows him to have been a person of deep faith and devotion to God, and a very competent leader in governing. The boy shepherd proved to be a good shepherd of his people. His early successes as king led to a time of peace and expansion that would centuries later be remembered nostalgically as Israel's “golden age.” But eventually David's sense of absolute power proved stronger than his sense of responsibility to God and people, and he ruthlessly overstepped his authority by taking the wife of one of his trusted soldiers and setting that man up to be killed on the front line of battle. This was an affront to God causing the prophet Nathan to confront David with this grievous sin. To his credit David admitted his wrong-doing and accepted the consequences, which was the implosion of his family into violent self-interest and rebellion. His final years were thus tragic, but his earlier fame and achievements were so impressive that, even with his flaws, he has ever been remembered as Israel's greatest king. In much later times of national distress, after the era of kingship had passed, when the people of Israel hoped for a king again, it was for a “son of David,” one who would be a mighty warrior and inspiring leader like the great King David.
Outline
David's Reign in Hebron over Judah and the South (1.1—4.12)
David Is Anointed King over All Israel (5.1-16)
David's Military Victories (5.17—10.19)
David and Bathsheba, and the Ensuing Disintegration (11.1—12.25)
Family Troubles and Rebellion (12.26—20.26)
David's Last Years and Final Words (21.1—24.25)
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King James Version 1611, spelling, punctuation and text formatting modernized by ABS in 1962; typesetting © 2010 American Bible Society.