“And the king and his men went to Jerusalem unto the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land: which spake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither: thinking, David cannot come in hither.”
My Notes
What Does 2 Samuel 5:6 Mean?
"The Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land: which spake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither." The Jebusites taunt David: our city is so impregnable that even the blind and lame could defend it against you. The mockery is based on architectural confidence: Jerusalem's walls, positioned on a defensible ridge with steep valleys on three sides, were considered unassailable.
The taunt — "the blind and the lame" defending successfully — is military bravado at its most arrogant: we don't even need real soldiers. The disabled on our walls could stop you. The confidence is in the fortress, not the fighters. The walls do the defending.
The Jebusites had held Jerusalem for centuries — through the entire period of the judges, through Saul's reign, despite being surrounded by Israelite territory. The city's survival produced the overconfidence: nobody has taken us in four hundred years. Nobody will take us now. History is our guarantee.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What 'impregnable fortress' is taunting you with its track record of invincibility?
- 2.What does the Jebusites' arrogance teach about trusting structures instead of God?
- 3.How does 'nevertheless David took it' answer four hundred years of apparent invincibility?
- 4.What 'blind and lame' taunt are you hearing that David's God can silence?
Devotional
Even the blind and lame could stop you. That's what the Jebusites say from their unbreachable walls. We've held this city for four hundred years. Nobody's taken it. Our walls are our guarantee. And you, David, are just the latest person who'll fail.
The arrogance is architectural: the Jebusites trust the fortress, not themselves. The walls are so strong that the quality of the defenders is irrelevant. Put blind people on the ramparts — the walls still hold. The confidence is in the structure, not the personnel.
The four-hundred-year track record produces the certainty: we've survived the judges period, Saul's reign, and every attack in between. History says this city doesn't fall. The pattern says this wall doesn't break. The precedent says you'll fail like everyone else.
David takes the city (verse 7). The 'nevertheless' is the most important word: nevertheless David took the stronghold. The walls that held for centuries fall in a single assault. The blind-and-lame taunt is answered by the capture of the most defended city in Canaan. Four hundred years of invincibility end in one day.
What 'impregnable fortress' in your life taunts you with its track record? What wall says 'even the blind and lame could stop you'? What four-hundred-year pattern says 'this will never change'? David's 'nevertheless' is the answer to every wall's boast. The fortress that's never fallen is about to fall. Because David has a 'nevertheless' that history doesn't.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And the king and his men went to Jerusalem,.... Which, at least part of it, belonged to the tribe of Benjamin; and…
David immediately after being anointed king of Israel, probably wished to signalize his accession by an exploit which…
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If Salem, the place of which Melchizedec was king, was Jerusalem (as seems probable from Psa 76:2), it was famous in…
The Capture of Jebus
= 1Ch 11:4-9
6. to Jerusalem, &c. The Chronicler paraphrases the text thus, "to Jerusalem, which…
Cross References
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