2 Samuel 5:13
in 2 Samuel 5After he had arrived from Hebron, David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, and more sons and daughters were born to him.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And David took him more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem, after he was come from Hebron; and there were yet sons and daughters born to David.
KJV
And David took him more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem, after he was come from Hebron: and there were yet sons and daughters born to David.
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This verse in 2 Samuel 5
Commentary
4 notes on this verseAnd David took him more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem, after he was come from Hebron,.... He had six when he was at Hebron, 2Sa 3:2, and now he took more, which was not to his honour, and contrary to the law of God, Deu 17:17; the concubines were a sort of half wives, as the word may signify, or secondary ones, and under the others: and there were yet sons and daughters born to David; besides those in Hebron mentioned in 2Sa 3:2.
This site's exposition
more concubines and wives
on 2 Samuel 5:13-16
David takes concubines and wives in Jerusalem, though the law for Israel's king says, “He must not take many wives for himself”, at Deuteronomy 17:17. The sons born there are named, among them Nathan and Solomon, both sons of Bathsheba by 1 Chronicles 3:5.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
We praise him not; we justify him not; nor can we scarcely excuse him. The bad example of the patriarchs might make him think there was no harm in it, and he might hope it would strengthen his interest, by multiplying his alliances, and increasing the royal family. Happy is the man that has his quiver full of these arrows.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
David took him more concubines - He had, in all conscience, enough before; he had, in the whole, eight wives and ten concubines. That dispensation permitted polygamy, but from the beginning it was not so; and as upon an average there are about fourteen males born to thirteen females, polygamy is unnatural, and could never have entered into the original design of God.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
Dovid understood. When he saw all his endeavors succeeding, and the idol worshipping kings sending him a present.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 6 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
14 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּקַּח֩ | vaiyikach | and he took | H3947 → | 966 times |
| דָּוִ֨ד | david | David | H1732 → | 999 times |
| ע֜וֹד | od | again | H5750 → | 490 times |
| פִּֽלַגְשִׁ֤ים | pilagshim | concubines | H6370 → | 37 times |
| וְנָשִׁים֙ | venashim | and wives | H802 → | 781 times |
| מִיר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם | mirushalim | from Jerusalem | H3389 → | 643 times |
| אַחֲרֵ֖י | ʾacharei | after | H310 → | 715 times |
| בֹּא֣וֹ | boo | came he | H935 → | 2568 times |
| מֵחֶבְר֑וֹן | mechevron | from Hebron | H2275 → | 72 times |
| וַיִּוָּ֥לְדּוּ | vaiyivaldu | and they were born | H3205 → | 496 times |
| ע֛וֹד | od | again | H5750 → | 490 times |
| לְדָוִ֖ד | ledavid | to David | H1732 → | 999 times |
| בָּנִ֥ים | banim | sons | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| וּבָנֽוֹת׃ | uvanot | and daughters | H1323 → | 588 times |
וַיִּקַּח֩and he took
vaiyikachH3947 →966 times
דָּוִ֨דDavid
davidH1732 →999 times
ע֜וֹדagain
odH5750 →490 times
פִּֽלַגְשִׁ֤יםconcubines
pilagshimH6370 →37 times
וְנָשִׁים֙and wives
venashimH802 →781 times
מִיר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔םfrom Jerusalem
mirushalimH3389 →643 times
אַחֲרֵ֖יafter
ʾachareiH310 →715 times
בֹּא֣וֹcame he
booH935 →2568 times
מֵחֶבְר֑וֹןfrom Hebron
mechevronH2275 →72 times
וַיִּוָּ֥לְדּוּand they were born
vaiyivalduH3205 →496 times
ע֛וֹדagain
odH5750 →490 times
לְדָוִ֖דto David
ledavidH1732 →999 times
בָּנִ֥יםsons
banimH1121 →4930 times
וּבָנֽוֹת׃and daughters
uvanotH1323 →588 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
6 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Deuteronomy 17:17He must not take many wives for himself, lest his heart go astray. He must not accumulate for himself large amounts of silver and gold.
it leads to
- Nehemiah 13:26
Did not King Solomon of Israel sin in matters like this? There was not a king like him among many nations, and he was loved by his God, who made him king over all…
- Proverbs 30:8–9
Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me. Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the bread that is my portion.
- Matthew 19:5
and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?
- Psalms 62:10
Place no trust in extortion, or false hope in stolen goods. If your riches increase, do not set your heart upon them.
- 1 Kings 11:1–4
King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh—women of Moab, Ammon, Edom, and Sidon, as well as Hittite women.
- Nehemiah 13:26
Through
1 Chronicles 3:9These were all the sons of David, besides the sons by his concubines. And Tamar was their sister.
it leads to
- 2 Samuel 13:1–20
After some time, David’s son Amnon fell in love with Tamar, the beautiful sister of David’s son Absalom.
- 2 Samuel 13:1–20
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About 2 Samuel
Who and where
3 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PersonUnited MonarchyDavidSecond king of united Israel, shepherd-turned-monarch, ancestor of the Messiah, and traditional author of many Psalms.
- PlaceJerusalemJerusalemThe city David took from the Jebusites and made his capital, where Solomon built the temple, where Christ was crucified and rose,…
- PlaceJudean hill countryHebronThe city of the patriarchs, where Abraham bought the cave of Machpelah, Caleb took his inheritance, and David reigned seven years…
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.