וַיָּבֹאוּ כָּל־שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל־דָּוִד חֶבְרוֹנָה וַיֹּאמְרוּ לֵאמֹר הִנְנוּ עַצְמְךָ וּבְשָׂרְךָ אֲנָחְנוּ׃   5:1

2Sam. 5:1   And all the tribes of Israel came to David to Hebron, and they spoke saying, “Here we are.  We are your bone and your flesh.”

גַּם־אֶתְמוֹל גַּם־שִׁלְשׁוֹם בִּהְיוֹת שָׁאוּל מֶלֶךְ עָלֵינוּ אַתָּה (ההָיִיתָ) [הָיִיתָ] (מּוֹצִיא) [הַמּוֹצִיא] (וְהַמֵּבִי   5:2

 וְהַמֵּבִיא] אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה לְךָ אַתָּה תִרְעֶה אֶת־עַמִּי אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאַתָּה תִּהְיֶה לְנָגִיד עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל׃

2Sam. 5:2   “Both now, and in the past when Saul was being king over us, you have been the one who has led out and brought in Israel.  And the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall shepherd My people, Israel, and you shall be for a ruler over Israel.’”

Three errors in a row in this verse!  The first one has an extra heh, the second is missing a heh, and the third is missing an aleph.  Talk about carelessness, apparently born of haste?  Please ignore the missing parenthesis and bracket.

וַיָּבֹאוּ כָּל־זִקְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ חֶבְרוֹנָה וַיִּכְרֹת לָהֶם הַמֶּלֶךְ דָּוִד בְּרִית בְּחֶבְרוֹן לִפְנֵי יְהוָה וַיִּמְשְׁחוּ   5:3 אֶת־דָּוִד לְמֶלֶךְ עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל׃

2Sam. 5:3   And all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron, and king David made a covenant for them in Hebron before the Lord and they anointed David to be king over Israel.

בֶּן־שְׁלֹשִׁים שָׁנָה דָּוִד בְּמָלְכוֹ אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה מָלָךְ׃   5:4

2Sam. 5:4   David was thirty years of age on his becoming king.  He reigned forty years.

בְּחֶבְרוֹן מָלַךְ עַל־יְהוּדָה שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים וְשִׁשָּׁה חֳדָשִׁים וּבִירוּשָׁלִַם מָלַךְ שְׁלֹשִׁים וְשָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנָה עַל כָּל־   5:5 יִשְׂרָאֵל וִיהוּדָה׃

2Sam. 5:5   In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.                     [Return to 2Sam. 15:7]

וַיֵּלֶךְ הַמֶּלֶךְ וַאֲנָשָׁיו יְרוּשָׁלִַם אֶל־הַיְבֻסִי יוֹשֵׁב הָאָרֶץ וַיֹּאמֶר לְדָוִד לֵאמֹר לֹא־תָבוֹא הֵנָּה כִּי אִם־   5:6

 הֱסִירְךָ הַעִוְרִים וְהַפִּסְחִים לֵאמֹר לֹא־יָבוֹא דָוִד הֵנָּה׃

2Sam. 5:6   And the king went with his men to Jerusalem to the Jebusite, the inhabitant of the land and he spoke to David saying, “You cannot enter here except by your turning away the blind and the lame,” thinking, “David cannot enter here.”

The Jebusites must have felt invulnerable, because their city was heavily walled.  And they assumed that David was weak in that the blind and lame could drive him away.                        [Return to Judg. 1:21]

וַיִּלְכֹּד דָּוִד אֵת מְצֻדַת צִיּוֹן הִיא עִיר דָּוִד׃   5:7

2Sam. 5:7   So David captured the stronghold of Zion; it is the city of David.

וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד בַּיֹּום הַהוּא כָּל־מַכֵּה יְבֻסִי וְיִגַּע בַּצִּנֹּור וְאֶת־הַפִּסְחִים וְאֶת־הַעִוְרִים (שְׂנֹאו) [שְׂנֻאֵי] נֶפֶשׁ   5:8

דָּוִד עַל־כֵּן יֹאמְרוּ עִוֵּר וּפִסֵּחַ לֹא יָבֹוא אֶל־הַבָּיִת׃

2Sam. 5:8   And David said on that day, “Whoever slew a Jebusite and struck by the water conduit and the lame and the blind, is a hater of the soul of David.”  Therefore they can say, “No one blind or lame may come into the house.”

The Hebrew of this verse is convoluted.  All the popular translations ignore grammar, add words, distort the Hebrew, and otherwise make the verse say what they imagine it should say.  My translation isn’t perfect either, but it conforms to the Hebrew better than any other.  Some translators add words from 1Chro. 11:6, where this episode is cursorily described, and there David says, “Whoever smites the Jebusites first shall be chief and captain,” and as the first to attack, Joab regains the position he forfeited after he killed Abner.  I suspect the saying at the end of this verse may refer to those who are blemished and may not enter the Tabernacle or Temple.  Maybe the scribe knew few if any of the Torah commandments, and assumed this was a proverb.  Thus this verse may have been his idea of how the saying originated.

By the way, the word in parentheses, translated as a hater of, is spelled with a vav (making it plural) in place of a yad.  The correction is in the brackets.

וַיֵּשֶׁב דָּוִד בַּמְּצֻדָה וַיִּקְרָא־לָהּ עִיר דָּוִד וַיִּבֶן דָּוִד סָבִיב מִן־הַמִּלּוֹא וָבָיְתָה׃   5:9

2Sam. 5:9   And David dwelled in the stronghold, and he gave the name of the City of David to it.  And David built everywhere from the millo inward.

וַיֵּלֶךְ דָּוִד הָלוֹךְ וְגָדוֹל וַיהוָה אֱלֹהֵי צְבָאוֹת עִמּוֹ׃   5:10

2Sam. 5:10   And David grew greater and greater, as the Lord, God of hosts, was with him.

וַיִּשְׁלַח חִירָם מֶלֶךְ־צֹר מַלְאָכִים אֶל־דָּוִד וַעֲצֵי אֲרָזִים וְחָרָשֵׁי עֵץ וְחָרָשֵׁי אֶבֶן קִיר וַיִּבְנוּ־בַיִת לְדָוִד׃   5:11

2Sam. 5:11   And Hiram, king of Tyre, sent messengers to David, and cedar trees and craftsmen of wood and craftsmen of stone walls, and they built a house for David.

וַיֵּדַע דָּוִד כִּי־הֱכִינוֹ יְהוָה לְמֶלֶךְ עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל וְכִי נִשֵּׂא מַמְלַכְתּוֹ בַּעֲבוּר עַמּוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל׃   5:12

2Sam. 5:12   And David understood that the Lord had established him to be king over Israel, and that He had exalted his kingdom because of His people, Israel.

וַיִּקַּח דָּוִד עוֹד פִּלַגְשִׁים וְנָשִׁים מִירוּשָׁלִַם אַחֲרֵי בֹּאוֹ מֵחֶבְרוֹן וַיִּוָּלְדוּ עוֹד לְדָוִד בָּנִים וּבָנוֹת׃   5:13

2Sam. 5:13   And David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem after his arrival from Hebron and more sons and daughters were born to David.

וְאֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹת הַיִּלֹּדִים לוֹ בִּירוּשָׁלִָם שַׁמּוּעַ וְשׁוֹבָב וְנָתָן וּשְׁלֹמֹה׃   5:14

2Sam. 5:14   And these are the names of those born to him in Jerusalem:  Shammua and Shobab and Nathan and Solomon,                                                                     [Return to Zech. 12:14]

וְיִבְחָר וֶאֱלִישׁוּעַ וְנֶפֶג וְיָפִיעַ׃   5:15

2Sam. 5:15   and Ibhar and Elishua and Nepheg and Japhia,

וֶאֱלִישָׁמָע וְאֶלְיָדָע וֶאֱלִיפָלֶט׃   5:16

2Sam. 5:16   and Elishama and Eliada and Eliphelet.                         [Return to 1Chr. 14:7]

וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ פְלִשְׁתִּים כִּי־מָשְׁחוּ אֶת־דָּוִד לְמֶלֶךְ עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּעֲלוּ כָל־פְּלִשְׁתִּים לְבַקֵּשׁ אֶת־דָּוִד וַיִּשְׁמַע   5:17 דָּוִד וַיֵּרֶד אֶל־הַמְּצוּדָה׃

2Sam. 5:17   Now the Philistines heard that they had anointed David to be king over Israel, and all the Philistines went up to seek David, and David heard and he went down to the stronghold.

וּפְלִשְׁתִּים בָּאוּ וַיִּנָּטְשׁוּ בְּעֵמֶק רְפָאִים׃   5:18

2Sam. 5:18   And the Philistines came and spread out over the valley of Raphaim.

וַיִּשְׁאַל דָּוִד בַּיהוָה לֵאמֹר הַאֶעֱלֶה אֶל־פְּלִשְׁתִּים הֲתִתְּנֵם בְּיָדִי וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל־דָּוִד עֲלֵה כִּי־נָתֹן   5:19

 אֶתֵּן אֶת־הַפְּלִשְׁתִּים בְּיָדֶךָ׃

2Sam. 5:19   And David inquired with the Lord saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines?  Will You deliver them into my hand?”  And the Lord said to David, “Go up, for surely I will deliver the Philistines into your hand.”

וַיָּבֹא דָוִד בְּבַעַל־פְּרָצִים וַיַּכֵּם שָׁם דָּוִד וַיֹּאמֶר פָּרַץ יְהוָה אֶת־אֹיְבַי לְפָנַי כְּפֶרֶץ מָיִם עַל־כֵּן קָרָא   5:20 שֵׁם־הַמָּקוֹם הַהוּא בַּעַל פְּרָצִים׃

2Sam. 5:20   So David went into Baal-perazim and David smote them there.  And he said, “The Lord has dispersed my enemies before me like the spreading of water” -- therefore the name of that place was called Baal-perazim.                                                 [Return to Isai. 28:21]

The name Baal-perazim can mean lord of the breaks or lord of the breaches, among other more remote possibilities.  It may refer either to the metaphor of spreading water or the place where the Philistine idols may have been broken.

וַיַּעַזְבוּ־שָׁם אֶת־עֲצַבֵּיהֶם וַיִּשָּׂאֵם דָּוִד וַאֲנָשָׁיו׃   5:21

2Sam. 5:21   And they left their idols there, so David and his men took them away.

וַיֹּסִפוּ עוֹד פְּלִשְׁתִּים לַעֲלוֹת וַיִּנָּטְשׁוּ בְּעֵמֶק רְפָאִים׃   5:22

2Sam. 5:22   And the Philistines proceeded again to come up and spread out over the valley of Rephaim.

וַיִּשְׁאַל דָּוִד בַּיהוָה וַיֹּאמֶר לֹא תַעֲלֶה הָסֵב אֶל־אַחֲרֵיהֶם וּבָאתָ לָהֶם מִמּוּל בְּכָאִים׃   5:23

2Sam. 5:23   And David inquired with the Lord and He said, “Do not go up.  Go around to their rear and you should come at them suddenly from inside the mulberry trees.”

וִיהִי בְּשָׁמְעֲךָ אֶת־קוֹל צְעָדָה בְּרָאשֵׁי הַבְּכָאִים אָז תֶּחֱרָץ כִּי אָז יָצָא יְהוָה לְפָנֶיךָ לְהַכּוֹת בְּמַחֲנֵה   5:24 פְלִשְׁתִּים׃

2Sam. 5:24   “And it shall be on your hearing of the sound of tinkling in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall move, for then the Lord goes out before you to strike against the host of the Philistines.”

וַיַּעַשׂ דָּוִד כֵּן כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּהוּ יְהוָה וַיַּךְ אֶת־פְּלִשְׁתִּים מִגֶּבַע עַד־בֹּאֲךָ גָזֶר׃   5:25

2Sam. 5:25   And David did just as the Lord had commanded him, and he smote the Philistines from Geba all the way to your approach of Gezer.

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