2 Samuel 5:11 - Meaning and Application

Here we see, first, David’s house built, a royal palace fit for the court he kept and the honor paid to him (2 Samuel 5:11). The Jews were farmers and shepherds, and they did not give themselves much to trade or craft. So Hiram, king of Tyre, a rich ruler, sent congratulations when David came to the throne and offered skilled workers to build him a house. David gladly accepted, and Hiram’s workers built him a house that suited him well.

Many people have excelled in arts and learning who were outsiders to God’s covenant promises. Yet David’s house was no less fit to be dedicated to God because foreigners built it. It is also foretold of the gospel church, God’s people in the New Testament, that “the sons of the foreigners shall build up your walls, and their kings shall serve you” (Isaiah 60:10).

Second, David’s rule was settled and firmly established (2 Samuel 5:12). His kingdom was secure. Nothing could shake it, and no one could question his right to it. God, who made him king, also established him, because David was to be a picture of Christ, whose kingdom would be firmly upheld, and whose covenant would remain sure (Psalm 89:21-28).

Saul was made king, but he was not established. Adam, too, had a standing that was not secure in his innocence. David, however, was established as king, and so is the Son of David, together with all who, through him, are made kings and priests to God. His kingdom was also lifted up in the eyes of both friends and enemies. Israel had never seemed so great or made such an impression as it did then. In the same way, Christ is promised to be higher than the kings of the earth (Psalm 89:27), and God has highly exalted him (Philippians 2:9).

David understood, from the wonderful way God’s providence brought him to power and kept him there, that God was with him. “By this I know that you favor me” (Psalm 41:11). Many people have God’s favor and do not realize it, so they miss the comfort it brings. But to be raised up, established in that place, and to know it is a great blessing. He also recognized that God had done these great things for him for the sake of Israel, so he could be a blessing to them and they could live well under his rule. God did not make Israel his subjects for David’s benefit, so he could be great, rich, and absolute. He made David their king for their good, so he could lead, guide, and protect them. Rulers are God’s servants for the good of the people (Romans 13:4).

Third, David’s family grew and increased. All the sons born to him after he came to Jerusalem are listed together here, eleven in all, besides the six born earlier in Hebron (2 Samuel 3:2, 2 Samuel 3:5). The mothers are named there, but not here. Here it only says in general that he took more concubines and wives (2 Samuel 5:13). Should we praise him for that? No, we should not. We cannot justify it, and we can hardly excuse it. The poor example of the patriarchs may have made him think there was no harm in it. He may also have hoped it would strengthen his position by building more family ties and enlarging the royal house.

“Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them.” But one vine beside the house, with God’s blessing, can spread over the sea and the rivers. Adam, with one wife, filled the world, and Noah filled it again after the flood. David had many wives, yet that did not keep him from coveting his neighbor’s wife and defiling her. Once people break through the fence, they often keep wandering farther and farther. For David’s concubines, see (2 Samuel 15:16; 2 Samuel 16:22; 2 Samuel 19:5). For his sons, see (1 Chronicles 3:1-9).