Now the war between the house of Saul and the house of David was protracted. And David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.
Parallel translations
- WEB Now there was long war between Saul’s house and David’s house. David grew stronger and stronger, but Saul’s house grew weaker and weaker.
- KJV Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David: but David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker.
- NKJV Now there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. But David grew stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.
- NASB Now there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David; and David became steadily stronger, while the house of Saul became steadily weaker.
- NLT That was the beginning of a long war between those who were loyal to Saul and those loyal to David. As time passed David became stronger and stronger, while Saul’s dynasty became weaker and weaker.
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
The war between the houses of Saul and David drags on, with David steadily growing stronger. The verse summarizes the shifting balance toward David.
Overview
This summary statement captures the trajectory of the entire conflict: David's house grows stronger while Saul's grows weaker. The gradual triumph reflects the certainty of God's promise to establish David's throne, accomplished not in a single stroke but over time. It assures readers that the Lord's purposes prevail steadily even through prolonged struggle, pointing toward the unshakable kingdom of the Son of David.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 17
- 1 Kgs 14:30There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam throughout their days.
- Prov 4:18–19The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday.
- 2 Sam 2:17The battle that day was intense, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by the servants of David.
- Job 8:7Though your beginnings were modest, your latter days will flourish.
- Job 17:9Yet a righteous one holds to his way, and the one with clean hands grows stronger.
- Ps 84:7They go from strength to strength, until each appears before God in Zion.
- Eph 6:12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
- Matt 10:35–36For I have come to turn ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
- 1 Kgs 15:32And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel throughout their days.
- 1 Kgs 15:16Now there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel throughout their days.
- Esth 6:13Haman told his wife Zeresh and all his friends everything that had happened. His advisers and his wife Zeresh said to him, “Since Mordecai, before whom your downfall has begun, is Jewish, you will not prevail against him—for surely you will fall before him.”
- Gal 5:17For the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are opposed to each other, so that you do not do what you want.
- Gen 3:15And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
- Dan 2:44–45In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will shatter all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, but will itself stand forever.
- Dan 2:34–35As you watched, a stone was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay, and crushed them.
- Ps 45:3–5Strap your sword at your side, O mighty warrior; appear in your majesty and splendor.
- Rev 6:2So I looked and saw a white horse, and its rider held a bow. And he was given a crown, and he rode out to overcome and conquer.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 3:1 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.