2 Samuel 5:2

“For some time now, when Saul was king over us, you were the one who led out and brought in Israel; and YHWH said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will be leader over Israel.’””
2 Samuel 5:2 · direct translation from the Hebrew

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With the Hebrew beneath

For some time now,גַּם אֶתְמוֹל גַּם שִׁלְשׁוֹםwhen Saulבִּהְיוֹת שָׁאוּלwas kingמֶלֶךְover us,עָלֵינוּyouאַתָּהwereהָיִיתָthe one who led outהַמּוֹצִיאand brought inוְהַמֵּבִיאIsrael;יִשְׂרָאֵלand YHWHוַ יְהוָהsaidיֹּאמֶרto you,לְךָ‘Youאַתָּהwill shepherdתִרְעֶהmy peopleעַמִּיIsrael,יִשְׂרָאֵלand youוְאַתָּהwill beתִּהְיֶהleaderלְנָגִידoverעַלIsrael.’”יִשְׂרָאֵל

Quotation · Matthew 2:6

Go to Matthew 2:6

The last phrase of the quotation, “who will shepherd my people Israel,” is the words that YHWH says to David in 2 Samuel 5:2.

Formula: οὕτως γὰρ γέγραπται διὰ τοῦ προφήτου “for so it is written through the prophet” (Matthew 2:5)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: Καὶ σύ Βηθλέεμ γῆ Ἰούδα οὐδαμῶς ἐλαχίστη εἶ ἐν τοῖς ἡγεμόσιν Ἰούδα ἐκ σοῦ γὰρ ἐξελεύσεται ἡγούμενος ὅστις ποιμανεῖ τὸν λαόν μου τὸν Ἰσραήλ

Hebrew (Masoretic text): גַּם אֶתְמוֹל גַּם שִׁלְשׁוֹם בִּהְיוֹת שָׁאוּל מֶלֶךְ עָלֵינוּ אַתָּה הָיִיתָ הַמּוֹצִיא וְהַמֵּבִיא אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה לְךָ אַתָּה תִרְעֶה אֶת עַמִּי אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאַתָּה תִּהְיֶה לְנָגִיד עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל

Septuagint (2 Samuel 5:2 in the Septuagint numbering): καὶ ἐχθὲς καὶ τρίτην ὄντος Σαοὺλ βασιλέως ἐφ’ ἡμῖν σὺ ἦσθα ὁ ἐξάγων καὶ εἰσάγων τὸν Ἰσραήλ, καὶ εἶπεν Κύριος πρὸς σέ Σὺ ποιμανεῖς τὸν λαόν μου τὸν Ἰσραήλ, καὶ σὺ ἔσει εἰσηγούμενος ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰσραήλ.

The Greek of the NT matches the Septuagint word for word in 5 consecutive words: “τὸν λαόν μου τὸν Ἰσραήλ.”

Septuagint, Swete’s text, First1KGreek transcription (with reading errors), CC BY-SA 4.0

2 Samuel 5:2, word by word

For some time nowאֶתְמוֹלetmol

yesterday, before

Yesterday; together with "the day before" it forms the expression "before", "in the past".

Where else “etmol” appears

For some time nowשִׁלְשׁוֹםshilshom

day before yesterday

The day before yesterday; formerly. With "yesterday" it forms the idiom "as before".

Where else “shilshom” appears

when Saulהְיוֹתheot

happen

For something to occur or take place; many stories open with this word.

Where else “heot” appears

when Saulשָׁאוּלshaul

Saul

Saul, the name of several people. The best known is the son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, the first king of Israel. A king of Edom and a son of Simeon also bear it. It means "asked for".

Where else “shaul” appears

was kingמֶלֶךְmelech

king

A king who rules a people.

Where else “melech” appears

the one who led outמּוֹצִיאmotsi

bring out

To lead someone out: "I led you out of Egypt".

Where else “motsi” appears

and brought inמֵּבִיאmevi

bring

To bring something or someone.

Where else “mevi” appears

Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyisrael

Israel

Israel, the new name Jacob received from God, explained as "you have striven with God" (Genesis 32:28); then the name of the people that came from him and, after the division, of the northern kingdom.

Where else “yisrael” appears

and YHWHיְהוָהyehva

YHWH

The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.

Where else “yehva” appears

saidיֹּאמֶרyomer

say

To say with the mouth to someone what one thinks or wants, or to answer him.

Where else “yomer” appears

will shepherdתִרְעֶהtire

shepherd

One who looks after sheep; or one who leads a people, like YHWH.

Where else “tire” appears

my peopleעַמִּami

Ammi

Israel, YHWH's people: "my people".

Where else “ami” appears

leaderנָגִידnagid

leader

Leader: the one who goes at the head of others, in war, in government or in worship. In the books of Samuel it is used of the one whom YHWH places at the head of his people.

Where else “nagid” appears

Translation note

“Leading out and bringing in Israel”: going at the head of the people in war and bringing them back (1 Samuel 18:13, 16).

Parallel passages

Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.

David king over all Israel

1 Chronicles 11:1-3

See them side by side

2 Samuel 5:1-5

¹All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “Look at us: we are your bone and your flesh. ²For some time now, when Saul was king over us, you were the one who led out and brought in Israel; and YHWH said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will be leader over Israel.’” ³So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before YHWH; and they anointed David as king over Israel. ⁴David was thirty years old when he began to reign; forty years he reigned. ⁵In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah.

1 Chronicles 11:1-3

¹Then all Israel gathered to David at Hebron, saying, “Look, we are your bone and your flesh. ²For some time now, even when Saul was king, you were the one who led out and brought in Israel; and YHWH your Elohim said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people, Israel, and you will be leader over my people Israel.’” ³So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and David made a covenant with them at Hebron before YHWH; and they anointed David as king over Israel, according to the word of YHWH by the hand of Samuel.

Quotation · Matthew 2:6

The last phrase of the quotation, “who will shepherd my people Israel,” is the words that YHWH says to David in 2 Samuel 5:2.

See them side by side

2 Samuel 5:2

²For some time now, when Saul was king over us, you were the one who led out and brought in Israel; and YHWH said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will be leader over Israel.’”

Matthew 2:6

⁶‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you will come a leader who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

The context

1All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “Look at us: we are your bone and your flesh.

2 · This verse (above)

3So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before YHWH; and they anointed David as king over Israel.

Read all of 2 Samuel 5

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