David Puts An End To The Philistine Danger
The Philistines attacked. They deployed their troops in the country south of Yerusalem, a stronghold still in the hands of the Jebusites, a Canaanite tribe. It was obvious that their objective was to cut the forces of Yisrael and Yahudah in two.
David replied by a guerilla action. The struggle was sharp and David was not successful on all occasions. The Philistine troops laid waste the north of Yahudah. In return the Hebrews launched attacks right into Philistia. David, the popular leader whose orders were obeyed with enthusiasm, had formations of seasoned troops who fought relentlessly and were increasingly successful, even to the point that the final, definitive victory could be foreseen.
The Bible mentions two pitched battles, both of which took place in the valley of Rephaim, close to Yerusalem. During the first of these encounters not only did David succeed in throwing back the enemy to their starting-point, but he seized the Philistine idols which their leaders had been imprudent enough to bring on to the battlefield in order to be assured of their protection. David burnt them. During the second action David pursued the enemy as far as the neighborhood of Gezer. This enabled the troops of YAHWEH to penetrate into the richest part of Philistia, the coastal region and the cultivated plains of Sharon and Shephelah Although in this passage of the Bible the text is in a poor state and is difficult to interpret, it seems probable that David's army even seized the Philistine citadel of Gath, the stronghold governed by Achish, the chieftain of the Peoples of the Sea whose vassal David had been at the time of his exile. Times had changed indeed.
At that time the cities in the north (on the plain of Jezreel) occupied by, or in subjection to, the Philistines were incorporated into the Hebrew kingdom. It was victory all along the line. By his methodical application of a bold plan David swiftly succeeded in eliminating the Philistine peril which had been a source of anxiety for two centuries.
King David In His Capital Hebron (2 Schmuel 2:2-4;3:2-5)
The new king could look on his achievements with some satisfaction. He had settled in Hebron, his capital, with his military court; in the neighbourhood of this small city his troops were encamped under the command of chieftains who were entirely devoted to him. He had also his harem; this was a royal prerogative. His firstborn was Amnon, by Ahinoam. His second son was Chileab by the beautiful Abigail from Carmel. The third was Absalom whose mother was Maacah. The fourth son was Adonijah, and the fifth and sixth were Shephatiah and Ithream. This encouraging start for the royal lineage at Hebron sufficed to ensure the future of the dynasty, but David's descendants were not confined to these children; at Yerusalem, a little later, the family circle continued to increase.
On the political level the two great objectives of the Hebrews, close centralization of the Twelve Tribes and elimination of the Philistine danger, had now been attained.
On the spiritual level the kingdom of Yisrael-Yahudah could congratulate itself on possessing a devout king, who would not follow in the footsteps of his predecessor Saul. The Chosen People felt heartened; their sovereign was convinced that the yeshua of the House of Yacob was not to be found in the mere ambition of its leaders but in observance of the law of YAHWEH.
David Chooses A New Capital: Yerusalem
Despite its unification the Hebrew kingdom continued to possess two capitals: Mahanaim in TransYardenia and Hebron in Yahudah.
David, having rendered the Philistine war machine powerless, began to consider where best to have his capital city, because neither Mahanaim nor Hebron was really suitable.
From the political point of view it was impossible to give preference to either city, at least if peace was to be maintained between the two parts of the kingdom. To make Mahanaim the capital would mean provoking the general reprobation of David's bands of warriors who, for the most part, belonged to the south. To remain at Hebron would mean causing an affront to the quarrelsome chieftains of the northern tribes. The young king, desiring to obtain the support of all by a wise policy, contrived to avoid petty differences of this kind.
From the administrative and military point of view the two capitals had a serious disadvantage: they were both situated in frontier regions. Of course, the capital could have been established once more at Gibeah of Benjamin, Saul's royal seat, but David was too clever to renew in one way or another any connection with the extinct dynasty. What he required was a city entirely independent of the history of the Hebrews, a neutral territory, a new setting in which the new king would be really in his own place.
David was thoroughly acquainted with this region. As a fugitive, an underground fighter and an adept at guerilla warfare, he had traveled over the whole of this countryside in all directions. Thus he was able to decide very quickly: he would make Yerusalem his, capital city. It was an old Semitic city, named Urushalim occupied at that time by a Canaanite clan called the Jebusites.
In addition, if he could obtain possession of Yerusalem he would abolish the partition unfortunately separating Yisrael in the north from Yahudah in the south. Ever since the time of Yahshua Ben Nun this Canaanite fortress had always proved an obstacle to relations between the tribes in the south and the northern federation. If Yerusalem had not entirely isolated the two divisions of the Hebrew people from each other, it at least proved a considerable hindrance to cultural exchanges, thus encouraging the development of differing interpretations of Yahwism.
The matter then was definitely decided upon; it seemed absolutely necessary for David to establish his capital in Yerusalem. The only difficulty was that Yerusalem was in the hands of the Canaanites.
King David and the Foundation of Yerusalem Index King David Sitemap Scripture History Through the Ages