“After this, David consulted Adonai; he asked, ‘Should I go up into any of the cities of Y’hudah?’ Adonai said to him, ‘Go up.’ David asked, ‘Where should I go up?’ He said, ‘To Hevron.‘ So David went up there with his two wives Achino‘am from Yizre‘el and Avigayil the widow of Naval from Karmel. David brought the men up with him, each with his household; and they lived in the cities of Hevron.”-2 Samuel 2:1-3
So God directed David to go to Hebron.
This was a city located about 20 miles south-southwest of Jerusalem.
In earlier times, it was called Kiryat Arba and was visited by the Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
In fact, all three Patriarchs were buried there.
Next to Jerusalem, Hebron is the most important city in the Bible.
However, verse 3 mentions the “cities” of Hebron, which means that Hebron was both the name of the main city and the larger region where other towns and villages were located.
David’s two wives were probably quite happy about this choice because both of them were from towns near Hebron or in the Hebron area.
We don’t know how long David was in Hebron before the men of Judah came and made him their king.
It seems he was quietly crowned King of Judah without much fuss or fanfare.
Now I’d like to end this post by reminding you of how Israel was politically divided at this time.
There were three divisions as follows:
The House of Judah…
The House of Israel…
And…
Gilead (across the Jordan).
Before Saul died, he had the support of most of the House of Israel and Gilead, but not the House of Judah.
This is important to grasp because it’ll directly impact not only your understanding of the rest of the Bible but also explain many prophecies connected to modern Israel.
See ya all next time.
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