Therefore now let your hands be strengthened, and be ye valiant: for your master Saul is dead, and also the house of Judah have anointed me king over them.
Parallel translations
- WEB Now therefore let your hands be strong, and be valiant; for Saul your lord is dead, and also the house of Judah have anointed me king over them.”
- BSB Now then, be strong and courageous, for though Saul your lord is dead, the house of Judah has anointed me as their king.”
- NKJV Now therefore, let your hands be strengthened, and be valiant; for your master Saul is dead, and also the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.”
- NASB Now then, let your hands be strong and be valiant, since Saul your lord is dead, and also the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.”
- NLT Now that Saul is dead, I ask you to be my strong and loyal subjects like the people of Judah, who have anointed me as their new king.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
David urges them to be strong and valiant, noting Judah has anointed him king. He gently invites their allegiance.
Overview
With Saul dead, David encourages the men of Jabesh Gilead to courage and informs them of his anointing over Judah. He does not coerce but appeals to them, leaving room for their loyalty to grow. This patient, non-coercive approach contrasts with the political maneuvering that follows under Abner and points to a kingship grounded in trust rather than force.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Eph 6:10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
- 2 Sam 10:12Be of good courage, and let us play the men for our people, and for the cities of our God: and the LORD do that which seemeth him good.
- 1 Sam 31:12All the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Bethshan, and came to Jabesh, and burnt them there.
- Gen 15:1After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
- 1 Sam 4:9Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight.
- 1 Cor 16:13Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.
- 1 Sam 31:7And when the men of Israel that were on the other side of the valley, and they that were on the other side Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities, and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.
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Christ at the center
God's covenant with David — a son whose throne and kingdom would last forever (7:12–16) — finds its yes in Jesus, the Son of David who reigns without end.
How 2 Samuel 2:7 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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