2 Samuel, The Throne of David (2 Samuel 1:1-24:25)

Lyrics · 2 Samuel

2 Samuel, The Throne of David

2 Samuel 1:1-24:25

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2 Samuel, The Throne of David

2 Samuel 1:1-24:25

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About this song

This song belongs to the 2 Samuel collection. One recording is available to play here, with the complete lyrics below.

Bible book: 2 Samuel
Collection: 2 Samuel
Musical styles: Acoustic

Second Samuel is the story of a king And the cost that followed him They came with dust from Gilboa With torn click news at break of day Saul had fallen, Jonathan with him And David wept where the mighty lay Then Judah raised him up in Hebron Oil and sorrow on his brow A throne was born through blood and waiting The Lord had called him to it now From the caves to the city walls From the cry to the trumpet call O kingdom rise but not untouched The harp and sword both hands of blood Jerusalem, lift up your gates A broken man will bear this weight The crown shines bright, the heart grows thin Mercy calls through grief and sin 2 Samuel, fire and stone A king can reign and stand alone He took the heights of Jerusalem Brought the ark with song and flame Heaven spoke a house of promise Then the rooftop changed his name Nathan came with truth and judgment And the child was gone by dawn What was hidden in the chamber Broke the house he built so strong Oh kingdom rise but not untouched The harp and sword both answer blood Jerusalem, lift up your gates A broken man will bear this weight The crown shines bright, the heart grows thin Mercy calls through grief and sin Second Samuel, fire and stone A king can reign and stand alone To my wept, Absalom answered Barefoot David fled the hill Then the forest took the young man And the father felt it still Numbers rose and wrath came near Till the altar stayed the hand Mercy met him on the threshing floor And peace returned upon the land O kingdom, rise but not untouched The harp and sword both answer blood Jerusalem, remember this The Lord still speaks through shattered kings The crown grows dim But mercy stays through ruined homes and broken days Second Samuel, fire and stone No man can stand on strength alone

Lyrics transcribed from this recording. Word-for-word review is pending.

Named in this songGilboa David Hebron Jerusalem Ark Nathan Absalom

About the passage

2 Samuel 1: A crown arrives, and David mourns

A messenger reaches Ziklag carrying Saul's crown, bracelet, and a claim that he personally ended the wounded king's life. The royal objects establish that Saul is dead, but they do not settle every detail of the man's account, which differs from the closing report of 1 Samuel. David does not seize on the news as the moment his long struggle has finally paid. He and his men tear their clothes, mourn, weep, and fast for Saul, Jonathan, and Israel. Only after grief comes judgment, and the messenger is condemned by the testimony of his own mouth that he killed the LORD's anointed. The chapter then refuses to end on punishment or accession. David composes a lament to be taught in Judah, praises Saul's strength and gifts, names Jonathan as "my brother," and closes with the repeated cry, "How are the mighty fallen!" A crown has arrived, but David's last possession in the chapter is a song of grief.

Study 2 Samuel 1 in depth

2 Samuel 2: Two kings, one people, and a widening wound

David asks the LORD not only whether he should enter Judah but where, and the answer takes him to Hebron rather than straight to a claim over every tribe. Judah anoints him king, while Abner moves Ishbosheth to Mahanaim and establishes Saul's son over Israel. The divided succession soon takes visible form at the pool of Gibeon. Abner proposes that selected young men "play," Joab agrees, and the equal groups kill one another before the contest spreads into a sore battle. Asahel's remarkable speed then becomes the means by which he refuses to break off pursuit of Abner. Twice warned, he continues and is killed, creating a personal blood claim that will survive the day's fighting. At sunset Abner appeals to the fact that the pursuers and pursued are brethren. Joab sounds the trumpet, yet the unequal casualty count and Asahel's burial make clear that stopping the sword has not healed the division.

Study 2 Samuel 2 in depth

2 Samuel 3: Peace negotiated, then cut down at the gate

The long war tilts toward David while his household grows at Hebron, introducing sons whose family relationships will later shape the kingdom's internal conflicts. Within Saul's weakening house, Ishbosheth challenges Abner over Rizpah, and Abner answers by announcing that he will transfer the kingdom to David. His negotiations are political, tribal, and personal at once: Michal is returned to David, Israel's elders and Benjamin are consulted, and Abner comes to Hebron with twenty men. David feasts him and sends him away "in peace." Joab returns after that settlement and refuses its terms. He accuses Abner of spying, recalls him without David's knowledge, and kills him at the gate for Asahel's blood. David responds with public mourning, fasting, lament, and a declaration of innocence. Israel believes him. Yet the chapter refuses a perfectly strong ending. David admits that, although anointed king, the sons of Zeruiah are "too hard for me," exposing the distance between royal authority and actual control of armed men.

Study 2 Samuel 3 in depth