Verse Lens · Concise explanation
2 Samuel 2:1 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 1. 1And it came to pass after this, that David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? And the LORD said unto him, Go up. And David said, Whither shall I go up? And he said, Unto Hebron.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
This verse opens the thought unit and establishes its first action or speech: “And it came to pass after this, that David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up….” Its responsible meaning belongs to the complete movement “David Is Anointed at Hebron and Blesses Jabesh-gilead.”
Read It With
- 2 Samuel 2:1–7
Read 2 Samuel 2:1 with 2:1–7. The wording “And it came to pass after this, that David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up…” supplies one opening in the thought unit and establishes its first action or speech; the surrounding verses supply the causes, responses, and outcome summarized here: David inquires of the LORD, moves to Hebron with his households, is anointed by Judah, and sends a politically charged blessing to Saul's buriers.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Within “David Is Anointed at Hebron and Blesses Jabesh-gilead,” 2 Samuel 2:1 opens the thought unit and establishes its first action or speech through the wording “And it came to pass after this, that David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up….” Its placement is governed by this reviewed relationship: Saul and Jonathan's deaths leave Israel without settled rule. David's inquiry and move to Hebron respond to that larger succession crisis, while the preceding lament honors the dead without itself commanding the move.
What Remains True
Faithful leadership is measured by truth, restraint, justice, repair, and the treatment of people with less power rather than by title, victory, popularity, or narrative prominence. In this unit, that truth is tested by the concrete movement: David inquires of the LORD, moves to Hebron with his households, is anointed by Judah, and sends a politically charged blessing to Saul's buriers. In 2 Samuel 2:1, the concrete line “And it came to pass after this, that David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up…” keeps that truth accountable to the narrated evidence.
How It Can Shape Life
- The evidence to keep visible in this verse is “And it came to pass after this, that David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up….” Use authority to increase truthful access, protect people with less power, preserve meaningful dissent, and repair concrete harm instead of defending reputation or control. This response follows from the unit's own pattern—David inquires of the LORD, moves to Hebron with his households, is anointed by Judah, and sends a politically charged blessing to Saul's buriers.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read 2 Samuel 2:1–7 — David Is Anointed at Hebron and Blesses Jabesh-gileadSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact reader-facing KJV wording, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
Exact location: 2 Samuel 2:1-7, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: 2 Samuel
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording, morphology, repeated verbs, names, syntax, and the base text behind translation and textual discussion.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/2Sam.xml, 2:1-7
Open source ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible: 2 Samuel with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2006
Supports: Unit-bounded wording, older-English clarification, textual witnesses, syntax, names, numbers, and major historical or literary notes actually printed for these verses.
Exact location: NET Bible 2 Samuel PDF, printed pp. 546–547, translation and all translator notes attached to 2:1-7
Open source ↗