KEY PLACES IN 2 SAMUEL
1 Hebron After Saul’s death, David moved from the Philistine city of Ziklag to Hebron, where the tribe of Judah crowned him king. But the rest of Israel’s tribes backed Saul’s son Ishbosheth and crowned him king at Mahanaim. As a result, there was war between Judah and the rest of the tribes of Israel until Ishbosheth was assassinated. Then all of Israel pledged loyalty to David as their king (1:1—5:5).
2 Jerusalem One of David’s first battles as king occurred at the fortress of Zion (Jerusalem). David and his troops took the city by surprise, and it became his capital. It was here that David brought the Ark of the Covenant and made a special covenant with God (5:6—7:29).
3 Gath The Philistines were Israel’s constant enemy, though they did give David sanctuary when he was hiding from Saul (1 Samuel 27). But when Saul died and David became king, the Philistines planned to defeat him. In a battle near Jerusalem, David and his troops routed the Philistines (5:17–25), but they were not completely subdued until David conquered their largest city (8:1).
4 Moab During the time of the judges, Moab controlled many cities in Israel and demanded heavy taxes (Judges 3:12–30). David conquered Moab and, in turn, levied tribute from them (8:2).
5 Edom Though the Edomites and the Israelites traced their ancestry back to the same man, Isaac (Genesis 25:19–23), they were long-standing enemies. David defeated Edom and forced them to pay tribute also (8:14).
6 Rabbah The Ammonites insulted David’s delegation and turned a peacemaking mission into angry warfare. The Ammonites called troops from Syria, but David defeated this alliance first at Helam, then at Rabbah, the capital city (10:1—12:31).
7 Mahanaim David had victory in the field, but problems at home. His son Absalom incited a rebellion and crowned himself king at Hebron. David and his men fled to Mahanaim. Acting on bad advice, Absalom mobilized his army to fight David (13:1—17:29).
8 Forest of Ephraim The armies of Absalom and David fought in the forest of Ephraim. Absalom’s hair got caught in a tree, and Joab, David’s general, found and killed him. With Absalom’s death the rebellion died, and David was welcomed back to Jerusalem (18:1—19:43).
9 Abel-beth-maacah A man named Sheba also incited a rebellion against David. He fled to Abel-beth-maacah, but Joab and a small troop besieged the city. The citizens of Abel-beth-maacah killed Sheba themselves (20:1–26). David’s victories laid the foundation for the peaceful reign of his son Solomon.