(4-9) THE CAPTURE OF ZION BY JOAB'S VALOUR, AND DAVID'S SETTLEMENT THERE.

The accession of the new king is followed by a warlike enterprise, according to the precedent of Saul (1 Samuel 11). This agrees with the reason assigned for the election of a king (1Samuel 8:20), as well as with what we know of Assyrian custom, and is a mark of historic truth.

(4) And David . . . land.--Samuel is briefer: "And the king and his men went to Jerusalem, to the Jebusite, the inhabitant of the land." The chronicler adds the explanatory "that is Jebus," because of the after-mention of the Jebusite. He then further modifies the form of the original statement, continuing "and there (lived) the Jebusite (collect.), the inhabitants," &c.

Jerusalem means city of Salem; Assyrian, Ursalimme. But in Hebrew the name has been so modified as to suggest "vision of peace." In Greek the name became Hierosolyma, "Sacred Solyma."

Inhabitants of the land.--A standing name of the native Canaanites, and equivalent to indigenae, or ??????????.

Verse 4. - Jerusalem, which is Jebus. This ancient name of Jerusalem, of Canaanitish date, is found only once beside, viz. in Judges 19:10, 11; the Gentile form of the noun, however, Jebusi, is of more frequent occurrence, and sometimes it is found even as the name of the city (Joshua 15:8, 63; Joshua 18:16, 28). The derivation and meaning of the word are unascertained. Gesenius explains it to mean "a place dry or downtrodden like a threshing-floor."

11:1-9 David was brought to possess the throne of Israel after he had reigned seven years in Hebron, over Judah only. God's counsels will be fulfilled at last, whatever difficulties lie in the way. The way to be truly great, is to be really useful, to devote all our talents to the Lord.And inquired not of the Lord,.... For though he did inquire in some sense in an external, careless, and hypocritical manner, yet not done seriously, sincerely, and heartily, nor with constancy; it was accounted as if he inquired not at all, 1 Samuel 28:6 the Targum adds another reason of his death, because he killed the priests of Nob; but that is not in the text:

therefore he slew him; or suffered him to be slain:

and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse; translated the kingdom of Israel out of Saul's family, upon his death, into Jesse's, even unto David; for the sake of which observation this short account is given of the last end of Saul.