2 Samuel 5:10

So David went on and became great, and the Lord God of hosts was with him.
2 Samuel 5:10 · New King James Version

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.
BSB And David became greater and greater, for 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 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.
Rom 8:31What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Ps 46:11Yahweh of Armies is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
Isa 9:7Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, on David’s throne, and on his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from that time on, even forever. The zeal of Yahweh of Armies will perform this.
Luke 2:52And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
Ps 46:7Yahweh of Armies is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
Dan 2:44–45In the days of those kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall its sovereignty be left to another people; but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.
Prov 4:18But the path of the righteous is like the dawning light, that shines more and more until the perfect day.
Job 17:9Yet shall the righteous hold on his way. He who has clean hands shall grow stronger and stronger.
Isa 8:9–10Make an uproar, you peoples, and be broken in pieces! Listen, all you from far countries: dress for battle, and be shattered! Dress for battle, and be shattered!
Gen 21:22At that time, Abimelech and Phicol the captain of his army spoke to Abraham, saying, “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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