Shmuel Bais 5:2

2 Also in time past, when Sha’ul was melech over us, thou wast he that didst lead out and brought in Yisroel; and Hashem said to thee, Thou shalt feed [like a shepherd] My people Yisroel, and thou shalt become Nagid over Yisroel.

Shmuel Bais 5:2 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 5:2

Also in time past, when Saul was king over us
Even over all the tribes of Israel:

thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel;
that led out the armies of Israel against their enemies, fought their battles for them, obtained victories, and brought the troops under his command home in safety; and the remembrance of these valiant acts of his, which then endeared him to the people, was now another reason for their choosing him king: and another follows, the chiefest of them all:

and the Lord said to thee;
when anointed by Samuel; for though what follows is not recorded in so many words, yet the sense of it is expressed in the anointing him to be king, whose office, as such, lay in doing the following things:

thou shalt feed my people Israel;
as a shepherd feeds his flock; hence kings were frequently called shepherds, and David particularly, in which he was an eminent type of Christ, see ( Psalms 78:71 Psalms 78:72 ) ( Ezekiel 34:23 Ezekiel 34:24 ) ( Ezekiel 37:24 ) ;

and thou shalt be a captain over Israel;
the Targum is,

``and thou shalt be king over Israel;''

which gives the true sense of the tribes, and which was the chief and prevailing reason with them to make him their king; and which they, at least many of them, would have done before, even immediately upon the death of Saul, but that they were persuaded by Abner to yield obedience to Ishbosheth he set up.

Shmuel Bais 5:2 In-Context

1 Then came kol Shivtei Yisroel to Dovid unto Chevron, and spoke, saying, Hineni, we are thy etzem and thy basar.

2 Also in time past, when Sha’ul was melech over us, thou wast he that didst lead out and brought in Yisroel; and Hashem said to thee, Thou shalt feed [like a shepherd] My people Yisroel, and thou shalt become Nagid over Yisroel.

3 So all the zekenim of Yisroel came to HaMelech at Chevron; and Dovid HaMelech cut a Brit with them in Chevron before Hashem; v’yimshechu (and they anointed) Dovid Melech Yisroel.

4 Dovid was in age shloshim shanah when he began to reign, and he reigned arba’im shanim.

5 In Chevron he reigned over Yehudah sheva shanim and shishah chodashim; and in Yerushalayim he reigned shloshim v’shalosh shanah over kol Yisroel and Yehudah.