2 Samuel 5:4

4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and ¹he reigned forty years.

2 Samuel 5:4 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 5:4

David [was] thirty years old when he began reign
Over Judah, which was the age of his antitype Christ, when he entered upon his public ministry, ( Luke 3:23 ) ;

[and] he reigned forty years;
and six months, as appears by ( 2 Samuel 5:5 ) ; but the months are not mentioned, only the round number of years given: two reasons the Jews ^F1 give for this; the one, that he fled six months from Absalom; the other is, that he was ill in Hebron so long, and therefore are not reckoned.

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FOOTNOTES:

F1 Hieron. Trad. Heb. in lib. Reg. fol. 77. I.

2 Samuel 5:4 In-Context

2 In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led out and brought in Israel. And the LORD said to you, 'You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel.'"

3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the LORD, and they anointed David king over Israel.

4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.

5 At Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.

6 And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, "You will not come in here, but the blind and the lame will ward you off"--thinking, "David cannot come in here."

Cross References

• 1. 1 Kings 2:11; 1 Chronicles 3:4; 1 Chronicles 29:27