Commentary - 2 Samuel 5:13-16

Bird's-eye view

This short passage, a simple list of names, might seem like a dry genealogical insertion, but its placement is everything. It comes directly after David has conquered Jerusalem, established it as his capital, and defeated Israel's arch-enemies, the Philistines. The kingdom is secure. In this context, the list of sons born in Jerusalem is a powerful statement of God's blessing and covenant faithfulness. God is building David's house, just as He promised. However, this blessing is complicated by the opening verse, which states that David multiplied his wives and concubines. This was a direct violation of the law for Israel's king given in Deuteronomy 17. So here we have a picture that is common in the Old Testament saints: God's profound grace flowing through a man's significant and sinful compromises. The passage is a testament to God's sovereign plan, which is not derailed by our failures, and it sets the stage for both the glory of the Davidic dynasty and the profound troubles that will later erupt from within this complicated royal family.

In essence, this is a snapshot of the kingdom's establishment. David is behaving like a typical ancient Near Eastern monarch by building a large harem, a sign of power and prestige. But he is not a typical monarch; he is God's anointed. God blesses him with children, the substance of the covenant promise, despite his disobedience in the manner of obtaining them. This list, therefore, is a record of both David's sin and God's intractable grace. It is a messy picture, but it is through this very mess that God will bring forth both Solomon the wise and, ultimately, Jesus the Christ.

Outline

Context In 2 Samuel

Chapter 5 marks the consolidation of David's power. He has moved from being king over Judah in Hebron to being king over all twelve tribes. He then captures the fortress of Zion from the Jebusites, a masterful military and political stroke, establishing a neutral capital city that would belong to all of Israel. He renames it the City of David. Immediately following this, he soundly defeats the Philistines twice, securing his kingdom from external threats. It is at this moment of triumph and stability that we get this list. The verses immediately before it say that "David went on and grew great, and the LORD God of hosts was with him" (2 Sam. 5:10) and that he "perceived that the LORD had established him king over Israel" (2 Sam. 5:12). This list of sons is the tangible evidence of that establishment. It is the foundation of the dynasty that God will formalize in the Davidic Covenant in chapter 7. It is a picture of a kingdom at peace, prospering under God's hand, yet with a clear indication of the king's personal failings that will bear bitter fruit in the chapters to come.

Key Issues

A Disobedient Blessing

One of the hardest things for modern Christians to get their heads around is how God's blessing and man's sin can be so intertwined in the biblical narrative. We want things to be neat and tidy. If a man is obedient, God blesses him. If he is disobedient, God curses him. And while that pattern is certainly present in Scripture, the story is often far more complex. The story of David is a case study in this complexity.

Here, David is at the height of his powers. He has secured the kingdom, established his capital, and the text says God is with him. What is one of the first things he does with this security? He directly disobeys a clear command given specifically to Israel's kings. "And he shall not multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away" (Deut. 17:17). David multiplies wives. This is not a sign of spiritual vitality; it is a sign of worldly conformity. He is acting like the kings of the other nations. And yet, in the very next breath, the text records the blessing of God in the form of many children. God does not approve of the polygamy, but He does not withhold the blessing of fruitfulness. God's covenant promises are more robust than our covenant failures. He is determined to build David's house, and He will do so even when David is using worldly and sinful scaffolding.

Verse by Verse Commentary

13 And David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he came from Hebron; and more sons and daughters were born to David.

The action is stated plainly. Having established himself in Jerusalem, David expands his harem. The distinction between "concubines and wives" was one of social and legal status, but both were sexual relationships. This was a political and cultural power move, the kind of thing any potentate of that era would do to display his wealth and secure alliances. But David was not supposed to be just any potentate. The law in Deuteronomy 17 was designed to make the king of Israel distinct, to keep him dependent on God, not on political marriages, foreign horses, or great wealth. David's actions here are a clear failure of faith and an embrace of worldly standards of kingship. This sin will be the direct cause of immense pain in his household: incest, murder, and rebellion will all spring from the rivalries and dysfunctions of this polygamous family. And yet, God's response is not to strike him barren. Instead, "more sons and daughters were born to David." God's grace operates in the midst of, and sometimes through, the messes we make.

14-16 Now these are the names of those who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama, Eliada and Eliphelet.

A list of names in Scripture is a record of God's tangible faithfulness. These are not abstract blessings; they are individual people, each with a name and a story. This list is a fulfillment of God's promise to give David a "house." While there are eleven sons named here, two names stand out to any reader of the whole Bible: Nathan and Solomon. Solomon, of course, was the son of Bathsheba and would become David's heir, the great king who would build the temple. He is the official royal heir through whom the genealogy in Matthew's gospel runs. But Nathan is also profoundly significant. He would become the prophet who would bravely confront David over his sin with Bathsheba. And even more than that, Luke's genealogy of Jesus traces the line of Christ back to David not through Solomon, but through this very Nathan (Luke 3:31). So in this one list, born out of a situation compromised by sin, God is sovereignly weaving the two gospel genealogies of His Son. God's plan is not a fragile thing, easily broken by our foolishness. He is the master weaver, and He makes the pattern of redemption come out right, using all the threads we give Him, colored as they are by both faith and failure.

Application

The first lesson here is a warning against the temptations of success. It is often when we are most secure, most successful, and most established that we are in the greatest spiritual danger. David, on the run from Saul in the wilderness, was in a position of constant dependence on God. David, the established king in Jerusalem, leans on the arm of the flesh. We must be wary when things are going well, lest we forget the Lord who gave us the success and begin to operate by the world's playbook.

Second, we see that God's commands are for our protection. The prohibition against multiplying wives was not arbitrary. God knew that polygamy would create a hornet's nest of jealousy, rivalry, and strife that would tear a family apart. David's later life is a tragic testimony to the wisdom of God's law. When we disobey God, we are not breaking His laws so much as we are breaking ourselves against them.

But the final and greatest lesson is that of God's sovereign grace. David sinned, and his sin had terrible consequences. But his sin did not, and could not, derail God's ultimate redemptive purpose. God had promised to bring a Savior through the line of David, and He did. He brought Him through this messy, complicated, and sinful family. This should give us great comfort. Our own lives and families are also messy and complicated. We have all made foolish and sinful choices that have had lasting consequences. But if we are in Christ, our sin is not the final chapter of the story. God's grace is the final chapter. He is able to take our worst failures and weave them into the tapestry of His good purposes, all for His glory and for our ultimate good. Our hope is not in our ability to live a perfect life, but in the faithfulness of a God who remains true even when we are not.