2 Samuel 4–5

David Becomes King

In 2 Samuel 4 it is recorded that eventually men seeking favor from David killed Ishbosheth and brought his head to David. David had these men killed for their actions. Even with all Saul tried to do to him, David loved and honored Saul and his family. With Ishbosheth dead, the rest of the leaders in Israel came to David and asked him to be their king.

Chapter 5 of 2 Samuel then tells about how David captured the city of Jerusalem—a city that seemed nearly impossible to conquer in those days because it was located on a natural hill surrounded by three deep valleys. Jerusalem was very easy to defend because of these valleys. Jerusalem was an important city to obtain because it included Mount Moriah, where Abraham went to sacrifice Isaac. David made Jerusalem the capitol city of Israel.