David's Song of Deliverance

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(2 Samuel 8:15) And David reigned over all Israel, and David executed judgment and justice to all his people.

David now reigned over all of Israel.  The past few posts named David's mightiest warriors as he was their commander-in-chief.  Here begins a description of his officials.  He was a just ruler.

(16) And Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the host; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder;

Joab, the son of David's sister Zeruiah, was the general over David's army of mighty men.  Jehoshaphat was the recorder, the one who kept the minutes, so to speak, the chronicler of events.

(17) And Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, were the priests; and Seraiah was the scribe;

Zadok and Ahimelech were the priests, and Seraiah was the scribe, akin to the secretary of state.

(18) And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over both the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David's sons were chief rulers.

The historian Josephus wrote that the Cherethites and the Pelethites were the king's bodyguards.  Indeed 1 Chronicles 11:25, in the list of David's mightiest men, named Benaiah as head of David's guard.  David's sons, as princes, were the chief ministers and managers of the king's court.

(1 Chronicles 18:14) So David reigned over all Israel and executed judgment and justice among all his people. (15) And Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the host; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, recorder. (16) And Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Abimelech the son of Abiathar, were the priests; and Shavsha was scribe; (17) And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and the sons of David were chief about the king.

1 Chronicles 18 recorded the same officials, except that here the priest was called Abimelech instead of Ahimelech, and the scribe was called Shavsha instead of Seraiah. 

(2 Samuel 22:1) And David spoke to the Lord the words of this song in the day the Lord had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies and out of the hand of Saul.

According to Albert Barnes, in his Notes on the Bible, this song "belongs to the early part of David’s reign when he was recently established upon the throne of all Israel, and when his final triumph over the house of Saul, and over the pagan nations, Philistines, Moabites, Syrians, Ammonites, and Edomites, was still fresh."

(2) And he said, "The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer."

David declared that the Lord was his rock, his foundation, his sturdy support.  He was his fortress, his defense, and his deliverer, as He had delivered him from all his enemies and brought him to the throne.

(3) "The God of my rock, in Him I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my high tower and my refuge, my Savior, You save me from violence."

David found further words to say the same thing.  The Lord God was the foundation and support for his stand, and he would put all his trust in Him.  He was his defense as a shield and as the horn of a horned beast might save him.  He was his high tower, his fortress, defense, and refuge, but high above the reach of his enemies.  The Lord was his Savior who saved him from his enemies and all violence.

(4) "I will call on the Lord, worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies."

Just because of who He is, the perfect, holy, just, gracious, loving, and merciful God of the universe, He was to be praised.  David knew that he just needed to call on Him, and he would be saved from his enemies.

(5) "When the waves of death compassed me, the floods of ungodly men made me afraid, (6) The sorrows of hell compassed me about, the snares of death prevented me, (7) In my distress I called upon the Lord and cried to my God, and He did hear my voice out of His temple and my cry to His ears."

David spoke of times when ungodly men and deadly situations came upon him like a flood.  The original word that was translated as "sorrows" was "chebel" and literally meant "a rope or a noose" which by implication could mean "sorrows."  Just as the snares of death confronted David, so did the snares of hell seek to pull him in.  When all those things happened, David cried out to the Lord, and He heard him from His temple, His dwelling place in heaven.

(8) "Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of heaven moved and shook because He was angry."

Then the wrath of the Lord was kindled, and He rose up like an earthquake that shook the earth and the very foundations of heaven.

(9) "There went up a smoke out of His nostrils and fire out of His mouth devoured; coals were kindled by it."

Expressing the Lord's anger as a devouring fire denoted just how fierce it was.

(10) "He bowed the heavens also and came down, and darkness under His feet."

The Lord seemed to bend the heavens toward the earth, and He descended in the dark clouds of a storm.

(11) "And He rode upon a cherub and did fly, and He was seen upon the wings of the wind."

I believe the sense is that the Lord used His angels to bring the wind and the storm.

(12) "And He made darkness pavilions round about Him, dark waters, thick clouds of the skies."

The Lord was covered in darkness, dark clouds and fog, as He cannot be seen by the naked eye, but He is ever present.

(13) "Through the brightness before Him were coals of fire kindled."

The brightness before Him even though He was in dark clouds might refer to lightning darting out from Him.

(14) "The Lord thundered from heaven, and the Most High uttered His voice."

It reasonably follows that the Lord's voice in thunder followed the lightning.

(15) "And He sent out arrows and scattered them, lightning, and He discomfited them."

The Lord sent out lightning as arrows and confused and scattered His enemies.

(16) "And the channels of the sea appeared, the foundations of the world were discovered, at the rebuking of the Lord, at the blast of the breath of His nostrils."

The sense is that the hidden and covered things were uncovered and revealed at the anger and rebuke of the Lord.

(17) "He sent from above, He took me, He drew me out of many waters; (18) He delivered me from my strong enemy, from them who hated me, for they were too strong for me."

The Lord plucked David out of the floods of ungodly men and snares of death all around.  He delivered him from his enemies for they were too strong for David to save himself.

(19) "They prevented me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my stay."

David's enemies confronted him in what would appear to be the day of his destruction, but the Lord was his support.

(20) "He brought me forth also into a large place; He delivered me because He delighted in me."

The Lord brought David out of his narrow straits and difficulties into a broad state of freedom and comfort.  He had delivered him because it delighted Him to do so, not because of anything David had done to deserve it.

(21) "The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands has He recompensed me."

David appears to say that it was because of his own righteousness and good behavior that the Lord had rescued him.  I suppose it could be David's way of saying that he had strived to follow God's leading, and he had done no wrong to his fellow men who were trying to kill him undeservedly, and he felt the Lord had blessed and delivered him.  And it is true that God saw him as a man after His own heart (Acts 13:22).

(22) "For I have kept the ways of the Lord and have not wickedly departed from my God. (23) For all His judgments were before me, and His statutes, I did not depart from them. (24) I was also upright before Him and have kept myself from my iniquity. (25) Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in His eyesight."

David had strived to follow the ways of his Lord; he did not depart from His commandments.  He felt he was upright before the Lord and had kept himself from iniquity.  And I suppose in the Old Testament, before Jesus, that was the best that people could do to be seen as righteous before God.  Indeed, the Lord had seen fit to deliver David from his enemies.

(26) "With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful, with the upright man You will show Yourself upright. (27) With the pure You will show Yourself pure, and with the froward You will show Yourself unsavory."

The Lord metes out to people the same measure which they mete out to others (Luke 6:38).  Therefore, He would be merciful, upright, and pure to those who were merciful, upright, and true to others.  However, He would be contrary to those who were contrary to Him.

(28) "And the afflicted people You will save, but Your eyes are upon the haughty You may bring down."

The Lord will save the poor and afflicted, but He hates the proud and haughty (Proverbs 6:16-17, 16:5), and He will bring them down.

(29) "For You are my lamp, O Lord, and the Lord will lighten my darkness."

The Lord was David's light; He would shine the light of truth and righteousness and light his paths.  The Lord would bring him out of the darkness with His light.

(30) "For by You I have run through a troop; by my God have I leaped over a wall."

David's meaning was that he had been able to break through the armed troops of his enemies and to scale the walls of their strongest cities because God had led and enabled him.

(31) "God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is tried; He is a buckler to all those who trust in Him."

God's way is perfect, and His word has been tried and proven.  No other book in history has been challenged and picked apart as much as the Bible, and yet it still stands true and proven.  The Lord is a shield and a protector to all those people who trust in Him and His word.

(32) "For who is God, save the Lord? And who is a rock, save our God?"

David asked the rhetorical question of who the one true God could possibly be, except for Jehovah, the Self-existent eternal Lord.  There is no one else who could be that steadfast defense and protection, that rock.

(33) "God my strength and power, and He makes my way perfect."

It was only through God that David had his strength and power, and it was God who led him in His perfect way and gave David success.

(34) "He makes my feet like hinds' feet and sets me upon my high places."

The Lord made David's feet as light and swift as the feet of a deer to set him on high places of refuge and safety.

(35) "He teaches my hands to war so that a bow of steel is broken by my arms."

David acknowledged that it was the Lord who gave him the skill and the strength to succeed in his battles.

(36) "You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, and Your gentleness has made me great."

The Lord had saved David, and he could have become proud and haughty, those things the Lord hated.  However, the Lord's loving and merciful ways had taught David humility and made him a great king.

(37) "You have enlarged my steps under me so that my feet did not slip."

David had been before straitened and hindered in his goings, but now that the Lord had removed the obstacles in his way, he could walk freely and not stumble.

(38) "I have pursued my enemies and destroyed them and did not turn back until I had consumed them. (39) And I have consumed them and wounded them that they could not arise; yea, they are fallen under my feet."

David had been able to pursue his enemies and destroy them.  He had been given the strength to not turn back, but to persevere, until he finished them, killing them or wounding them so that they would not be able to rise up again.

(40) "For You have girded me with strength to battle; those who rose up against me You have subdued under me."

David gave all the credit to the Lord as He was the one who gave David the strength to battle his enemies.  It was the Lord who had subdued his enemies under his feet.

(41) "You have also given me the necks of my enemies that I might destroy them who hate me."

The Lord had given David the necks of his enemies that he might destroy them, meaning that he might break their necks and kill them, or in other cases, he might put a yoke upon their necks to make them tributaries.

(42) "They looked, but none to save, to the Lord, but He did not answer them."

David's enemies looked around them for someone to save them, probably crying out to their gods who could not save them.  They even cried out to the one true God, but He would not answer them.

(43) "Then I beat them as small as the dust of the earth; I stamped them as the mire of the street and spread them abroad."

David had beaten his enemies to pieces and scattered them so that they were no more.

(44) "You also have delivered me from the strivings of my people; You have kept me head of the heathen; a people I knew not shall serve me. (45) Strangers shall submit themselves to me; as soon as they hear, they shall be obedient to me. (46) Strangers shall fade away, and they shall be afraid out of their close spaces."

The Lord had saved David from the strife of his own people; He had united Israel again.  He had also made him head of the nations round about Israel; people he had not known would be in subjection to him and obedient to him.  Those nations would fade away as their people would fear to come out of their safe spaces.

(47) "The Lord lives, and blessed my Rock! And exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation!"

The Lord Jehovah lives, and David ascribed blessing, honor, and glory to his Protector, and wished his Savior to be exalted above all others.

(48) "It is God who avenges me and who brings down the people under me, (49) And who brings me forth from my enemies; You also have lifted me up on high above them who rose up against me; You have delivered me from the violent man."

David acknowledged that it was God who avenged the wrong done to him and subdued his enemies.  God alone delivered him from his enemies as he triumphed over those who rose up against him.  He alone lifted David up to the throne when all odds were against him.  He alone had delivered him from the violent man, any man who had been his enemy at the time, or perhaps his meaning was that all his enemies were under the influence of one particular violent man, Satan.

(50) "Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the heathen, and I will sing praises to Your name."

For all the marvelous things the Lord had done for David, he was happy to give thanks and sing praises to Him among all nations.  This could be an allusion to Christ, as in the New Testament, Paul cited scripture very similar to this and ascribed to it prophecy of Christ calling the heathen, the Gentiles (Romans 15:9).

(51) "The tower of salvation for His king, and shows mercy to His anointed, to David, and to his descendants forevermore."

The Lord was David's tower, his rock, his very salvation, and He showed great mercy to him and had promised to do so to his descendants forevermore (2 Samuel 7:13, 1 Chronicles 17:14).

This song of deliverance sung by David was one of those songs of praise David vowed to sing to his Lord, and it would become one of his many psalms, specifically Psalm 18, studied in the next post.

David's Mighty Men

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(1 Kings 11:15) For it came to pass, when David was in Edom, and Joab the captain of the host had gone up to bury the slain, after he had killed every male in Edom, 

Even though this was written at a much later chronological time, it fills in a little bit of detail about when David, with Joab and Abishai, killed the Edomites (2 Samuel 8:13, Psalm 60:1, 1 Chronicles 18:12).  After his victory over the Edomites, David was in Edom, and Joab the captain of his army, had gone to bury the slain of Israel.

(16) (For six months Joab did remain there with all Israel, until he had cut off every male in Edom), (17) That Hadad fled, he and certain Edomites of his father's servants with him, to go into Egypt, Hadad yet a little child.

Joab and his army had been in Edom for six months until they killed every male in Edom.  However, Hadad, a child of the royal family (1 Kings 11:14), fled into Egypt with his father's servants.

(18) And they arose out of Midian and came to Paran, and they took men with them out of Paran, and they came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave him a house and appointed him victuals and gave him land.

Hadad and his father's servants went to Egypt through Midian and Paran, where they gathered an entourage, and then came to Pharaoh king of Egypt.  Pharaoh gave Hadad provisions and a house and land.

(19) And Hadad found great favor in the sight of Pharaoh so that he gave him as wife the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen.

As he grew up, Hadad found great favor with Pharaoh, so much so that he gave Hadad the sister of his wife, Queen Tahpenes, to be his wife.

(20) Then the sister of Tahpenes bore him Genubath his son, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh’s house; and Genubath was in Pharaoh’s household among the sons of Pharaoh.

Hadad's wife bore him a son, Genubath.  It seems he grew up in Pharaoh's household among the sons of Pharaoh.  

(2 Samuel 23:8) These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: the Tachmonite who sat in the seat, chief among the captains; the same was Adino the Eznite, who slew eight hundred at one time.

Here follows a list of the mighty men who fought under David, under his general, Joab.  First was Adino the Eznite, a name that meant something to the effect of a sharp, strong spear, given because he had killed 800 men at one time with a spear.  He was called a Tachmonite, which meant wise.  He was called chief among the captains, but it seems there were three chief captains, of which he was one (2 Samuel 23:18, 1 Chronicles 12:18).

(9) And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines who were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel had gone away. (10) He arose and struck the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clung to the sword; and the Lord wrought a great victory that day, and the people returned after him only to spoil.

Next was Eleazar, one of three mighty men with David, who alone defied the Philistines who had gathered together to battle Israel when the men of Israel had fled.  It seems he struck the Philistines until his hand was weary, but he clung to his sword, regardless, and the Lord gave them a great victory that day.  The people returned only afterward to plunder.  

(11) And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered together into a troop where was a piece of ground full of lentils, and the people fled from the Philistines. (12) But he stood in the midst of the ground and defended it and killed the Philistines, and the Lord wrought a great victory.

Third there was Shammah who defended a piece of ground full of lentils against the Philistines.  The people had fled, but he stood his ground, defending it, and killing the Philistines.  The Lord wrought a great victory that time, as well.

(13) And three of the thirty chief went down and came to David in the harvest time to the cave of Adullam, and the troop of the Philistines pitched in the valley of Rephaim. (14) And David was then in a hold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem.

This event that continues following occurred right after David had been anointed king over all of Israel, and the Philistines came up to seek David, and David heard and went down to the hold (2 Samuel 5:17).  Three of David's thirty chief men went to him in the cave of Adullam where he had apparently gone; they were likely the three who were named above, Adino, Eleazar, and Shammah.  The Philistines were then in Bethlehem.

(15) And David longed, and said, "Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem which is by the gate."

David longingly said he wished he could have a drink of the water from the well of Bethlehem which was said to be about three-quarters of a mile to the north of Bethlehem.

(16) And the three mighty men broke through the host of the Philistines and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate and took it and brought it to David. Nevertheless he would not drink of it but poured it out to the Lord.

The three mighty men took it upon themselves to break through the army of the Philistines to go to the well of Bethlehem and bring water back to David.  However, David did not drink it but poured it out before the Lord.

(17) And he said, "Be it far from me, O Lord, that I should do this. Is this not the blood of the men who went in jeopardy of their lives?" Therefore he would not drink it. These things did these three mighty men.

Evidently David had not expected anyone to actually go get him water from the well.  He had just meant to express that it would have been welcome at that time.  He felt he could not drink the water because it represented the blood of the men who had risked their lives just to bring him water.  This was another one of the exploits of those three mighty men.  

(18) And Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief among three. And he lifted up his spear against three hundred, killed them, and had the name among three. (19) Was he not most honorable of three? Therefore he was their captain, however, he did not attain to the first three.

Joab's brother Abishai, son of David's sister Zeruiah, was chief among what would appear to be the next group of three of David's mightiest men.  He had killed three hundred men with his spear and had his name among three mighty men.  He was the most honorable of the second set of three named mighty men, so he was their captain.  However, it would seem he came in as David's fourth most mighty man.

(20) And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man, of Kabzeel, who had done many acts; he killed two lionlike men of Moab; he went down also and killed a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow.

Benaiah appears to have been in the second group of three of the mightiest men of David.  He had killed a lion and two lion-like men of Moab.  

(21) And he killed an Egyptian, a goodly man; and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand. But he went down to him with a staff and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian's hand and killed him with his own spear.

The "goodly" Egyptian did not mean he was a good and moral man, but that he was of a goodly size and stature.  He had a spear in his hand, but Benaiah wrenched the spear from his hand and killed him with his own spear.

(22) These things Benaiah, the son of Jehoida, did, and had a name among three mighty men. (23) He was more honorable than the thirty, but he did not attain to the first three. And David set him over his guard.

Because of the things he had done, Benaiah had a name among the second grouping of three mighty men, but he did not attain to the first three.  However, he was more honorable than the next thirty named mighty men, so David set him over his guard, probably a bodyguard.

(24) Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty, Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, (25) Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite, 

The list of the next thirty mightiest men began with Asahel, Joab's brother, who was killed by Abner (2 Samuel 2:23).  31 men are actually named in these and the following verses.  Because Asahel was killed so early, he was probably replaced by another but deserved his name among the thirty.  Elhanan, a townsman of David, was also among the thirty.  Shammah the Harodite does not appear to be the same Shammah who was in the first group of three mighty men.  When he was mentioned in 1 Chronicles 11:27, he was called Shammoth.  Another man of Harod, Elika, was named among the thirty.

Because Blogger only allows me twenty labels, I will continue this list of David's most mighty men in the next post:

David's Mightiest Men

David Anointed King Over All of Israel

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(2 Samuel 5:1) Then came all the tribes of Israel to David to Hebron, and spoke, saying, "Behold we, your bone and your flesh."

In the last chapter and post, Ishbosheth, the acting king of all Israel except for Judah where David was king, had been murdered, and David had the murderers executed for their crime.  Now representatives of all the tribes of Israel came to David.  They spoke to David and began by telling him they acknowledged that they were all part of the family of Israel.

(2) "Also in time past, when Saul was king over us, you were he who led out and brought in Israel, and the Lord said to you, 'You shall feed My people Israel, and you shall be a captain over Israel.'"

The reps told David that they realized that when Saul was king of all Israel, it had been David who led out the armies of Israel to fight against their enemies, obtained victories, and brought them home again.  They also acknowledged that the Lord had said that David was to tend His flock, His people Israel, and that He was to reign over them.  Once again, as in 2 Samuel 3:18, we have words quoted as the Lord's words of which we don't find in the Bible.  The Lord probably did say those words at some point, and they had become known by the people.

(3) So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron, and King David made a league with them in Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel.

Then all the elders of Israel came to David at Hebron, and David made an agreement with them, surely promising to rule over all of Israel justly and righteously, and this he did before the Lord and in His name, I'm sure.  So the elders anointed David king over all of Israel. 

(1 Chronicles 11:1) Then all Israel gathered themselves to David to Hebron, saying, "Behold we, your bone and your flesh."

This same incident is recorded in 1 Chronicles 11.  Representatives of all Israel, as all the people of Israel could not have all come, came to David acknowledging that they were all of one family of Israel.

(2) "And moreover in time past, even when Saul was king, you were he who led out and brought in Israel, and the Lord your God said to you, 'You shall feed My people Israel, and you shall be ruler over My people Israel." (3) Therefore came all the elders of Israel to the king to Hebron, and David made a covenant with them in Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the Lord by Samuel.

As stated before, the reps acknowledged that even when Saul was king, it was David who had led the troops to victories and brought them home again.  They also knew that the Lord had told David he was to rule over Israel.  So the elders of Israel came to David, and David made a covenant with all Israel, and they anointed him king of all Israel as the Lord had determined when He spoke to the prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 16:1).

(1 Chronicles 12:23) And these are the numbers of the bands ready armed for war who came to David to Hebron to turn the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of the Lord.

1 Chronicles 12 numbers the men who were able men of war who came to David in Hebron to make him king over all of Israel in the following verses.

(24) The children of Judah who bore shield and spear, six thousand and eight hundred, ready armed for war.

From the tribe of Judah that had already made David their king, 6800 armed men ready for war came to David.

(25) Of the children of Simeon, mighty men of valor for war, seven thousand and one hundred. (26) Of the children of Levi, four thousand and six hundred.

From the tribe of Simeon, 7100 valiant men of war came to David.  Even from the tribe of Levi, who were the priests and their attendants, 4600 men came to David.

(27) And Jehoiada was the leader of the Aaronites, and with him, three thousand and seven hundred; (28) And Zadok, a young man mighty of valor, and of his father's house, twenty-two captains.

The Aaronites were Levites, but these would have been direct descendants of Aaron.  Jehoiada was captain over that family, and he alone brought 3700 men with him.  Also from the tribe of Levi came Zadok, a young man of valor, and 22 captains from his father's house.

(29) And of the children of Benjamin, the kindred of Saul, three thousand (for until then the greatest part of them had kept the ward of the house of Saul).

Only 3000 men came from the tribe of Benjamin, as it seems being of the family of Saul, most men maintained their allegiance to the house of Saul up to that point.

(30) And of the children of Ephraim, twenty thousand and eight hundred mighty men of valor, famous throughout the house of their fathers. 

From the tribe of Ephraim, a whopping 20,800 famous men of valor came to David in Hebron.

(31) And of the half tribe of Manasseh, eighteen thousand who were expressed by name to come and make David king.

From the half tribe of Manasseh that was on the same side of the Jordan River, 18,000 men who were expressly named, either specifically called by name for the purpose, or by volunteering by name, came to David to make him king.

(32) And of the children of Issachar who had understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to do, the heads of them were two hundred, and all their brethren were at their command.

The men of the tribe of Issachar it seems had a unique understanding of the times to know what Israel should do.  There were two hundred heads, and the rest were at their command, apparently having full confidence in their leaders' direction.  Perhaps this meant only 200 went to David to make him king, but all the tribe would have been in agreement that he should be made king.

(33) Of Zebulun, such as went forth to battle, expert in war, with all instruments of war, fifty thousand who could keep rank, not of double heart.

The tribe of Zebulun sent 50,000 men of war who were experts in all instruments of war and ready to organize and go to war if necessary.  These men were steadfast in their loyalty to David.

(34) And of Naphtali, a thousand captains, and with them with shield and spear, thirty-seven thousand.

The tribe of Naphtali sent 1000 captains and 37,000 armed men with them.

(35) And of the Danites, expert in war, twenty-eight thousand and six hundred. (36) And of Asher, such as went forth to battle, expert in war, forty thousand.

From the tribe of Dan came 28,600, and from Asher, 40,000, all men expert in war.

(37) And on the other side of Jordan, of the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and of the half tribe of Manasseh, with all manner of instruments of war for the battle, a hundred and twenty thousand.

From the eastern side of the Jordan River came 120,000 men from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the other half tribe of Manasseh, with all manner of instruments of war with them.

(38) All these men of war who could keep rank, came with a perfect heart to Hebron to make David king over all Israel, and all the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David king.

All these mighty men of valor, well-disciplined and well able to organize for war, if necessary, came with a perfect heart and one mind to make David king over all of Israel.  And it seems that by that time, all of Israel was unanimous in making David king, even the tribe of Benjamin, Saul's tribe.

(39) And there they were with David three days, eating and drinking, for their brethren had prepared for them. (40) Moreover, they who were near them, even to Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought bread on asses, and on camels, and on mules, and on oxen, meat, meal, cakes of figs, and bunches of raisins, and wine, and oil, and oxen, and sheep abundantly, for there was joy in Israel.

All these tens of thousands of men were with David for three days, celebrating, eating, and drinking, for their brethren who were near enough to them, even as far as the tribes of Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali, brought huge amounts of food and wine on all animals that could carry it.  There was great joy in Israel for the people were united again as one people Israel under King David.  This map borrowed from Maps of the World shows the twelve tribes at this time:

(1 Chronicles 29:26) Thus David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel.

From that point onward, David reigned over all of Israel.

(2 Samuel 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.

David had reigned over Judah in Hebron for seven years and six months.  He was about to begin his reign over all of Israel which would last thirty-three years.