2 Samuel 5:10

And David became greater and greater, for the LORD God of Hosts was with him.
2 Samuel 5:10 · Berean Standard Bible

Parallel translations

WEB David grew greater and greater; for Yahweh, the God of Armies, was with him.
KJV And David went on, and grew great, and the LORD God of hosts was with him.
NKJV So David went on and became great, and the Lord God of hosts was with him.
NASB David became greater and greater, for the Lord God of armies was with him.
NLT And David became more and more powerful, because the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies was with him.

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 grows ever greater because the Lord of Armies is with him. His success is credited wholly to God's presence.

Overview

The narrator sums up David's rise: he became greater and greater, and the reason given is that the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him. David's strength flows not from his own ability but from divine favor. This theme runs through Scripture, that true greatness comes from God's accompanying presence, supremely fulfilled in Christ with whom the Father was always pleased.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 11

2 Sam 3:1Now 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.
Rom 8:31What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Ps 46:11The LORD of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
Isa 9:7Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from that time and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this.
Luke 2:52And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.
Ps 46:7The LORD of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
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.
Prov 4:18The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday.
Job 17:9Yet a righteous one holds to his way, and the one with clean hands grows stronger.
Isa 8:9–10Huddle together, O peoples, and be shattered; pay attention, all you distant lands; prepare for battle, and be shattered; prepare for battle, and be shattered!
Gen 21:22At that time Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army said to Abraham, “God is with you in all that you do.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

DAVID

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

VideoBibleProject — 2 Samuel videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
VideoWatch teaching on 2 Samuel 5:10YouTube · Lay · Free
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
CommentaryMatthew Henry on 2 SamuelMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free
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 5:10 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.

And Davidדָּוִד wentיָלַךְ onהָלַךְ and grew greatגָּדוֹל and the LORDיְהֹוָה Godאֱלֹהִים of hostsצָבָא

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