Then all Israel came together to David at Hebron and said, "Here we are, your own flesh and blood. Even in times past, while Saul was king, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them back. And the LORD your God said, 'You will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be ruler over them.'" So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, where David made a covenant with them before the LORD. And they anointed him king over Israel, according to the word of the LORD through Samuel.
Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, "Here we are, your own flesh and blood. Even in times past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them back. And to you the LORD said, 'You will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be ruler over them.'" So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, where King David made with them a covenant before the LORD. And they anointed him king over Israel.
Significance
These are parallel accounts of David's anointing as king over all Israel at Hebron. Both texts record the tribal elders' declaration to David, "Here we are, your own flesh and blood" (עַצְמְךָ וּבְשָׂרְךָ, atsmekha uvsarekha) and God's charge that David will "shepherd" (רָעָה, ra'ah) Israel. The Chronicler follows 2 Samuel nearly verbatim but omits David's seven-year reign over Judah alone, presenting unified Israelite kingship as the immediate divine ideal. This editorial choice emphasizes the all-Israel unity under David that the post-exilic community is called to recover. Both accounts also record that David "made a covenant" (בְּרִית, berit) with the elders before the LORD, and the Chronicler adds that the anointing fulfilled "the word of the LORD through Samuel" (1 Chr 11:3), making explicit the prophetic authorization behind the throne.
Found via
Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type
Direct Quotation
Connection Method(s)
Redemptive-Historical Progression — the Chronicler retells 2 Samuel 5's Hebron anointing with the seven-year Judah-only reign omitted and the note added that the anointing accorded with "the word of the LORD through Samuel" (1 Chr 11:3); the source narrative is advanced into its canonical significance — all-Israel kingship under the shepherd-king as the pattern the post-exilic community awaits again.
