David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.
Parallel translations
- WEB David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.
- KJV David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.
- BSB David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years.
- NASB David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned for forty years.
- NLT David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in all.
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 is thirty when he begins to reign and rules for forty years. The summary frames the length and significance of his reign.
Overview
This formula records David's age at accession and the total span of his rule, a full and complete reign of forty years. The note marks David as established in God's appointed time. His long, God-blessed reign became the standard against which later kings were measured and the pattern for the everlasting kingdom promised to his greater Son.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- 1 Chr 29:27The time that he reigned over Israel was forty years; he reigned seven years in Hebron, and he reigned thirty-three years in Jerusalem.
- Luke 3:23Jesus himself, when he began to teach, was about thirty years old, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli,
- 1 Kgs 2:11The days that David reigned over Israel were forty years; he reigned seven years in Hebron, and he reigned thirty-three years in Jerusalem.
- 1 Chr 26:31Of the Hebronites was Jerijah the chief, even of the Hebronites, according to their generations by fathers’ households. They were sought for in the fortieth year of the reign of David, and mighty men of valor were found among them at Jazer of Gilead.
- 1 Chr 3:4six were born to him in Hebron; and he reigned there seven years and six months. He reigned thirty-three years in Jerusalem;
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 5:4 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.