Lectionary Calendar
Monday, May 19th, 2025
the Fifth Week after Easter
Attention!
StudyLight.org has pledged to help build churches in Uganda. Help us with that pledge and support pastors in the heart of Africa.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

Good News Translation

2 Samuel 2:1

After this, David asked the Lord , "Shall I go and take control of one of the towns of Judah?" "Yes," the Lord answered. "Which one?" David asked. "Hebron," the Lord said.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Armies;   David;   Hebron;   Judah;   Prayer;   Scofield Reference Index - Kingdom;   Thompson Chain Reference - Enquiring of God;   Hebron;   Inquiring of God;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Urim and Thummin;   Easton Bible Dictionary - David;   Hebron;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Abiathar;   Divination;   King;   Ziklag;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Abiathar;   David;   Samuel, Books of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Abner;   Magic, Divination, and Sorcery;   Samuel, Books of;   Urim and Thummim;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Joab;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Abiathar;   Hebron;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Abi'athar;   Da'vid;   Divination;   Zik'lag;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Government of the Hebrews;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Inquire;   Samuel, Books of;   Urim and Thummim;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Hebron;   Judah, Tribe of;   Urim and Thummim;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Some time later, David inquired of the Lord: “Should I go to one of the towns of Judah?”
Hebrew Names Version
It happened after this, that David inquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Yehudah? the LORD said to him, Go up. David said, Where shall I go up? He said, To Hevron.
King James Version
And it came to pass after this, that David enquired of the Lord , saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? And the Lord said unto him, Go up. And David said, Whither shall I go up? And he said, Unto Hebron.
Lexham English Bible
It happened after this that David inquired of Yahweh, saying, "Shall I go up into one of the cities of Judah?" And Yahweh said to him, "Go up." David asked, "Where shall I go up?" And he said, "To Hebron."
English Standard Version
After this David inquired of the Lord , "Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?" And the Lord said to him, "Go up." David said, "To which shall I go up?" And he said, "To Hebron."
New Century Version
Later, David prayed to the Lord , saying, "Should I go up to any of the cities of Judah?" The Lord said to David, "Go." David asked, "Where should I go?" The Lord answered, "To Hebron."
New English Translation
Afterward David inquired of the Lord , "Should I go up to one of the cities of Judah?" The Lord told him, "Go up." David asked, "Where should I go?" The Lord replied, "To Hebron."
Amplified Bible
So it happened after this that David inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall I go up into one of the cities of Judah?" And the LORD said to him, "Go up." David asked, "Where shall I go?" And He said, "To Hebron."
New American Standard Bible
Then it came about afterward that David inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall I go up to one of the cities of Judah?" And the LORD said to him, "Go up." So David said, "Where shall I go up?" And He said, "To Hebron."
Geneva Bible (1587)
After this, Dauid asked counsel of the Lord, saying, Shall I go vp into any of the cities of Iudah? And the Lord sayd vnto him, Goe vp. And Dauid sayd Whither shall I goe? Hee then answered, Vnto Hebron.
Legacy Standard Bible
Now it happened afterwards that David asked of Yahweh, saying, "Shall I go up to one of the cities of Judah?" And Yahweh said to him, "Go up." So David said, "Where shall I go up?" And He said, "To Hebron."
Contemporary English Version
Later, David asked the Lord , "Should I go back to one of the towns of Judah?" The Lord answered, "Yes." David asked, "Which town should I go to?" "Go to Hebron," the Lord replied.
Complete Jewish Bible
After this, David consulted Adonai ; he asked, "Should I go up into any of the cities of Y'hudah?" Adonai said to him, "Go up." David asked, "Where should I go up?" He said, "To Hevron."
Darby Translation
And it came to pass after this that David inquired of Jehovah, saying, Shall I go up into one of the cities of Judah? And Jehovah said to him, Go up. And David said, Whither shall I go up? And he said, Unto Hebron.
Easy-to-Read Version
Later David asked the Lord for advice. David said, "Should I take control of any of the cities of Judah?" The Lord said to David, "Yes." David asked, "Where should I go?" The Lord answered, "To Hebron."
George Lamsa Translation
AND it came to pass after this, that David inquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up to one of the cities of Judah? And the LORD said to him, Go up. And David said, Whither shall I go up? And he said, To Hebron.
Literal Translation
And it happened after this, David asked of Jehovah, saying, Shall I go up to one of the cities of Judah? And Jehovah said to him, Go up. And David said, Where shall I go up? And He said, To Hebron.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
After these actes Dauid axed at the LORDE, and sayde: Shall I go vp in to one of the cities of Iuda? And the LORDE sayde vnto him: Go vp. Dauid sayde: Whither? He sayde: Vnto Hebron.
American Standard Version
And it came to pass after this, that David inquired of Jehovah, saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? And Jehovah said unto him, Go up. And David said, Whither shall I go up? And he said, Unto Hebron.
Bible in Basic English
Now after this, David, questioning the Lord, said, Am I to go up into any of the towns of Judah? And the Lord said to him, Go up. And David said, Where am I to go? And he said, To Hebron.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
After this, Dauid asked counsel at the lord, saying: Shall I go vp into any of the cities of Iuda? And the Lorde sayd vnto him: Go vp. And Dauid said: Whyther shall I go? He aunswered: Unto Hebron.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And it came to pass after this, that David inquired of the LORD, saying: 'Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?' And the LORD said unto him: 'Go up.' And David said: 'Whither shall I go up?' And He said: 'Unto Hebron.'
King James Version (1611)
And it came to passe after this, that Dauid enquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I goe vp into any of the Cities of Iudah? And the Lord said vnto him, Goe vp. And Dauid said, Whither shall I goe vp? And he said, Unto Hebron.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And it came to pass after this that David enquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up into one of the cities of Juda? and the Lord said to him, Go up. And David said, Whither shall I go up? and he said, To Chebron.
English Revised Version
And it came to pass after this, that David inquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? And the LORD said unto him, Go up. And David said, Whither shall I go up? And he said, Unto Hebron.
Berean Standard Bible
Some time later, David inquired of the LORD, "Should I go up to one of the towns of Judah?" "Go up," the LORD answered. Then David asked, "Where should I go?" "To Hebron," replied the LORD.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor aftir these thingis Dauid counseilide the Lord, and seide, Whether Y schal stie in to oon of the citees of Juda? And the Lord seide to hym, Stie thou. And Dauid seide to the Lord, Whidur schal Y stie? And the Lord answeride to hym, In to Ebron.
Young's Literal Translation
And it cometh to pass afterwards, that David asketh at Jehovah, saying, `Do I go up into one of the cities of Judah?' and Jehovah saith unto him, `Go up.' And David saith, `Whither do I go up?' and He saith, `To Hebron.'
Update Bible Version
And it came to pass after this, that David inquired of Yahweh, saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? And Yahweh said to him, Go up. And David said, Where shall I go up? And he said, To Hebron.
Webster's Bible Translation
And it came to pass after this, that David inquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? And the LORD said to him, Go up. And David said, Whither shall I go up? And he said, To Hebron.
World English Bible
It happened after this, that David inquired of Yahweh, saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? Yahweh said to him, Go up. David said, Where shall I go up? He said, To Hebron.
New King James Version
It happened after this that David inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall I go up to any of the cities of Judah?" And the LORD said to him, "Go up." David said, "Where shall I go up?" And He said, "To Hebron."
New Living Translation
After this, David asked the Lord , "Should I move back to one of the towns of Judah?" "Yes," the Lord replied. Then David asked, "Which town should I go to?" "To Hebron," the Lord answered.
New Life Bible
After this, David asked the Lord, "Should I go up to one of the cities of Judah?" And the Lord said to him, "Go up." So David said, "Where should I go?" And He said, "To Hebron."
New Revised Standard
After this David inquired of the Lord , "Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?" The Lord said to him, "Go up." David said, "To which shall I go up?" He said, "To Hebron."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And it came to pass, after this, that David enquired of Yahweh, saying - Shall I go up into one of the cities of Judah? And Yahweh said unto him, Go up. And David said - Whither shall I go up? And he said - Unto Hebron.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And after these things David consulted the Lord, saying: Shall I go up into one of the cities of Juda? And the Lord said to him: Go up. And David said: Whither shall I go up? And he answered him: Into Hebron.
Revised Standard Version
After this David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?" And the LORD said to him, "Go up." David said, "To which shall I go up?" And he said, "To Hebron."
THE MESSAGE
After all this, David prayed. He asked God , "Shall I move to one of the cities of Judah?" God said, "Yes, move." "And to which city?" "To Hebron."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then it came about afterwards that David inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall I go up to one of the cities of Judah?" And the LORD said to him, "Go up." So David said, "Where shall I go up?" And He said, "To Hebron."

Contextual Overview

1 After this, David asked the Lord , "Shall I go and take control of one of the towns of Judah?" "Yes," the Lord answered. "Which one?" David asked. "Hebron," the Lord said. 2 So David went to Hebron, taking with him his two wives: Ahinoam, who was from Jezreel, and Abigail, Nabal's widow, who was from Carmel. 3 He also took his men and their families, and they settled in the towns around Hebron. 4 Then the men of Judah came to Hebron and anointed David as king of Judah. When David heard that the people of Jabesh in Gilead had buried Saul, 5 he sent some men there with the message: "May the Lord bless you for showing your loyalty to your king by burying him. 6 And now may the Lord be kind and faithful to you. I too will treat you well because of what you have done. 7 Be strong and brave! Saul your king is dead, and the people of Judah have anointed me as their king."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

inquired: 2 Samuel 5:19, 2 Samuel 5:23, Numbers 27:21, Judges 1:1, 1 Samuel 23:2, 1 Samuel 23:4, 1 Samuel 23:9-12, 1 Samuel 30:7, 1 Samuel 30:8, Psalms 25:4, Psalms 25:5, Psalms 27:4, Psalms 143:8, Proverbs 3:5, Proverbs 3:6, Ezekiel 36:37

Hebron: 2 Samuel 2:11, 2 Samuel 5:1-3, 2 Samuel 15:7, Genesis 32:2, Numbers 13:22, Joshua 14:14, Joshua 14:15, 1 Samuel 30:31, 1 Kings 2:11, 1 Chronicles 29:7

Reciprocal: Genesis 35:27 - Mamre Joshua 9:14 - asked not Joshua 21:11 - is Hebron 2 Samuel 15:10 - Hebron 1 Chronicles 11:1 - Hebron 1 Chronicles 14:10 - inquired 2 Chronicles 18:4 - Inquire

Cross-References

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning, when God created the universe,
Genesis 1:10
He named the land "Earth," and the water which had come together he named "Sea." And God was pleased with what he saw.
Genesis 2:3
He blessed the seventh day and set it apart as a special day, because by that day he had completed his creation and stopped working.
Genesis 2:4
And that is how the universe was created. When the Lord God made the universe,
Genesis 2:5
there were no plants on the earth and no seeds had sprouted, because he had not sent any rain, and there was no one to cultivate the land;
Genesis 2:8
Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the East, and there he put the man he had formed.
Genesis 2:11
The first river is the Pishon; it flows around the country of Havilah.
Genesis 2:13
The second river is the Gihon; it flows around the country of Cush.
Exodus 20:11
In six days I, the Lord , made the earth, the sky, the seas, and everything in them, but on the seventh day I rested. That is why I, the Lord , blessed the Sabbath and made it holy.
Exodus 31:17
It is a permanent sign between the people of Israel and me, because I, the Lord , made heaven and earth in six days, and on the seventh day I stopped working and rested."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And it came to pass after this,.... After David had heard of the death of Saul and Jonathan, and made a lamentation over them, perhaps the next day; since David and his men are only said to mourn, and weep, and fast till even, 2 Samuel 1:10;

that David inquired of the Lord; of the Word of the Lord, as the Targum, by Abiathar the priest, and through the Urim and Thummim, in the ephod he had put on on this occasion:

saying, shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? though the Lord had promised him the kingdom, and he had been anointed by Samuel by his appointment, yet he was not hasty to take it into his hands, but was desirous of acting according to the will of God, and by his direction, and wait his time when and where he should go and take possession of it; he mentions Judah because it was his own tribe, and where he had the most friends:

and the Lord said unto him, go up; from Ziklag into the tribe of Judah, but did not mention any particular place whither he should go; hence another question was put:

and David said, whither shall I go up? To what town or city in the tribe of Judah? whether Jerusalem or any other?

And he said, unto Hebron; a city of the priests, a city of refuge, Joshua 21:13, twenty miles from Jerusalem, or more, which is not directed to, because it was then chiefly in the hands of the Jebusites, and because, as Procopius Gazaeus says, Hebron was now the metropolis of Judah.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Enquired of the Lord - Through Abiathar, the high priest. The death of Saul and Jonathan had entirely changed David’s position, and therefore he needed divine guidance how to act under the new circumstances in which he was placed. Compare the marginal references.

Hebron was well suited for the temporary capital of David’s kingdom, being situated in a strong position in the mountains of Judah, amidst David’s friends, and withal having especially sacred associations (see the marginal references note). It appears to have also been the center of a district 2 Samuel 2:3.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

CHAPTER II

David, by the direction of God, goes up to Hebron, and is

there anointed king over the house of Judah, 1-4.

He congratulates the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead on their

kindness in rescuing the bodies of Saul and his sons from

the Philistines, 5-7.

Abner anoints Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, king over Gilead, the

Ashurites, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and all Israel; over

whom he reigned two years, 8-10.

David reigns over Judah, in Hebron, seven years and six months,

11.

Account of a battle between Abner, captain of the Israelites,

and Joab, captain of the men of Judah; in which the former

are routed with the loss of three hundred and sixty men: but

Asahel, the brother of Joab, is killed by Abner, 12-32.

NOTES ON CHAP. II

Verse 2 Samuel 2:1. David inquired of the Lord — By means of Abiathar the priest; for he did not know whether the different tribes were willing to receive him, though he was fully persuaded that God had appointed him king over Israel.

Unto Hebron. — The metropolis of the tribe of Judah, one of the richest regions in Judea. The mountains of Hebron were famed for fruits, herbage, and honey; and many parts were well adapted for vines, olives, and different kinds of grain, abounding in springs of excellent water, as the most accurate travellers have asserted.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile