Important Information

Authors: Nathan and Gad
Theme: The History of David’s Kingdom
Category: History

Fascinating Facts

1. 2 Samuel is devoted almost entirely to the history of David as king.
2. David’s name appears 280 times in 2 Samuel and 1,118 times total in Scripture, second only to the name of Jesus.
3. 2 Samuel gives us the first instance in which a ruler was compared to a shepherd (5:2).
4. 2 Samuel contains two notable parables; in particular, Nathan’s parable that exposed David’s sin (12:1–12; 14:1–20).
5. In 2 Samuel, David claims divine inspiration of his writings (23:2).

1. 2 Samuel is a powerful picture of the New Testament truth stated in James 1:15 about the effects of sin.
2. 2 Samuel records the establishment of Jerusalem as the Holy City of God.
3. While Samuel’s name appears at least 130 times in 1 Samuel, it does not appear once in the book of 2 Samuel.
4. The books of 1 and 2 Samuel were originally one single book in the old Hebrew Bible that was simply called the book of Samuel.
5. David, the son of Jesse, is the only person in the Bible to bear that name, which means “beloved.”

Quotable Quotes

The story of the second book of Samuel is one of triumph and tragedy, the rise and decline of King David, the triumph of his public life and the tragedy of his private one. —Eric W. Hayden

The book [of 2 Samuel] teaches us first that God’s opportunity is created by the attitude of man towards Him; and secondly, that man’s opportunity is created by the attitude of God towards him. —G. Campbell Morgan

The Bible never flatters its heroes. . . . As we consider the record of Bible characters, how often we find ourselves looking into a mirror. We are humiliated by the reminder of how many times we have failed. Great has been our stubbornness but greater still has been His faithfulness. Nowhere is this more true than in the story of the life of David. —Alan Redpath

Notable Notes

In 2 Samuel 3:1–5, six of David’s sons are named, and each one was born to a different wife! Unlike most of the other future rulers of Israel, David’s sins never included idolatry. However, they did include polygamy.

Christ Connections

Christ can be found in 2 Samuel as:
Son of David
Greater David

Lasseigne, Jeff. Unlocking the Scriptures: What the Bible Is, How We Got It, and Why We Can Trust It (Kindle Locations 2458-2481). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Categories: Studiu biblic