II Samuel 5:6 · Bible study
2 Samuel 5:6 Commentary: Jebusite Taunt
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Explore the meaning of the Jebusites' taunt about 'the blind and the lame' in 2 Samuel 5:6.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The Jebusites taunted David that even disabled defenders could keep him out, a boast of impregnability that masked overconfidence.
- Key words: “blind” (עִוֵּר, ivver), “lame” (פִּסֵּחַ, pisseach), “come in” (בּוֹא, bo), “turn aside/remove” (סוּר, sur).
- Main debate: Whether the “blind and lame” are literal defenders or references to Jebusite idols. Most commentators favor the literal reading.
- Theological theme: God’s sovereignty over human pride and the establishment of his chosen king’s capital.
- Best use: A sermon or lesson on trusting God for victory in the face of mockery and seemingly impossible odds.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Now the king and his men marched to Jerusalem against the Jebusites who inhabited the land. The Jebusites said to David: “You will never get in here. Even the blind and lame can repel you.” For they thought, “David cannot get in here.”
WEB World English Bible 2000
The king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who spoke to David, saying, “The blind and the lame will keep you out of here,” thinking, “David can’t come in here.”
KJV King James Version 1769
And the king and his men went to Jerusalem unto the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land: which spake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither: thinking, David cannot come in hither.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who spake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither; thinking, David cannot come in hither.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And the king goeth, and his men, to Jerusalem, unto the Jebusite, the inhabitant of the land, and they speak to David, saying, `Thou dost not come in hither, except thou turn aside the blind and the lame;' saying, `David doth not come in hither.'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land; and they spoke to David, saying, Thou shalt not come in hither, but the blind and the lame will drive thee back; as much as to say, David will not come in hither.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And the king and all the men that were with him went to Jerusalem to the Jebusites the inhabitants of the land: and they said to David: Thou shalt not come in hither unless thou take away the blind and the lame that say: David shall not come in hither.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Entonces el rey y los suyos fueron á Jerusalem al Jebuseo que habitaba en la tierra; el cual habló á David, diciendo: Tú no entrarás acá, si no echares los ciegos y los cojos; diciendo: No entrará acá David.
Então o rei e os seus foram a Jerusalém aos jebuseus que habitavam na terra; os qual falaram a Davi, dizendo: Tu não entrarás aqui, a não ser que consigas expulsar aos cegos e aos coxos; e pensavam: Davi não entrará aqui.
Le roi marcha avec ses gens sur Jérusalem contre les Jébusiens, habitants du pays. Ils dirent à David: Tu n’ entreras point ici, car les aveugles mêmes et les boiteux te repousseront! Ce qui voulait dire: David n’ entrera point ici.
Und der König zog hin mit seinen Männern gen Jerusalem wider die Jebusiter, die im Lande wohnten. Sie aber sprachen zu David: Du wirst nicht hier hereinkommen, sondern Blinde und Lahme werden dich abtreiben. Damit meinten sie aber, daß David nicht würde dahinein kommen.
En de koning toog met zijn mannen naar Jeruzalem, tegen de Jebusieten, die in dat land woonden. En zij spraken tot David, zeggende: Gij zult hier niet inkomen, maar de blinden en kreupelen zullen u afdrijven; dat is te zeggen: David zal hier niet inkomen.
Or il re con la sua gente si mosse verso Gerusalemme contro i Gebusei, che abitavano quel paese. Questi dissero a Davide: “Tu non entrerai qua; giacché i ciechi e gli zoppi te ne respingeranno!”; volendo dire: “Davide non c’entrerà mai”.
A tak poszedł król i mężowie jego do Jeruzalemu przeciw Jebuzejczykowi mieszkającmu w onej ziemi, który rzekł do Dawida, mówiąc; Nie wnijdziesz sam, aż zniesiesz ślepe i chrome, jakoby mówili: Nie wnijdzie tu Dawid.
И пошел царь и люди его на Иерусалим против Иевусеев, жителей той страны; но они говорили Давиду: "ты не войдешь сюда; тебя отгонят слепые и хромые", — это значило: "не войдет сюда Давид".
大衛 和跟隨他的人 到了 耶路撒冷，要攻打 住 那地方的耶布斯人。耶布斯人 對大衛 說：「你若不 趕出 瞎子、瘸子，必不能 進 這地方」；心裡想 大衛 決不能 進去。
And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the people of the land: and they said to David, You will not come in here, but the blind and the feeble-footed will keep you out; for they said, David will not be able to come in here.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · II Samuel 5:6
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
The Jebusites taunted David with a boast about the blind and the lame. Most supplied commentators agree this was not a literal assertion that disabled people were on the walls, but a proud claim that even the weakest defenders could keep David out. The Cambridge Bible notes that the Jebusites “boasted that a garrison of blind and lame men would be sufficient to defend it.” Keil and Delitzsch describe it as haughty self-security. Matthew Henry calls it a provoking message sent in contempt. Gill alone records the alternative Jewish interpretation that “the blind and lame” refer to idols, but he himself finds the literal reading better. Wesley says the Jebusites “set a parcel of blind and lame people… in contempt of David.” So across traditions, the consensus is that the taunt was a mockery of David’s ability to take the stronghold.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Literal boast of disabled defenders: The plain reading of the narrative and the context of siege warfare; most supplied commentators favor this view.
- Reference to Jebusite idols: Supported by Jewish exegetical tradition and the understanding that tutelary gods were thought to protect cities; Gill records this interpretation.
What is clear: The Jebusites mocked David with a taunt about the blind and lame, but David conquered the stronghold, demonstrating that Yahweh, not human confidence, determines victory.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of 'the blind and the lame' | All traditions agree the Jebusites used the phrase to mock David and express confidence in their defenses. | Some interpreters (e.g., Gill citing Jewish commentators) understand the phrase as a reference to idols. Others (Barnes, Cambridge, Keil, Matthew Henry) see it as a literal boast that even disabled people could defend the city. |
| When David captured Jerusalem | Scholars agree the conquest occurred immediately after David was anointed king over all Israel (2 Samuel 5:3-6). | There is debate whether David had a political strategy to unite the tribes (Cambridge) or simply acted on military necessity (some commentators suggest divine direction, though not explicit in the text). |
| Significance of the Jebusite presence in Jerusalem | Historically, the Jebusites remained in Jerusalem because neither Judah nor Benjamin could fully drive them out (Joshua 15:63; Judges 1:21). | Traditions differ on whether this failure was due to Israel’s disobedience or simply the strength of the fortress. The text does not assign blame. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Jerusalem had a long history of incomplete conquest. Joshua fought its king (Joshua 10:3), and the tribe of Judah captured the lower city (Judges 1:8), but the Jebusites retained the citadel on Mount Zion. The city lay on the border of Judah and Benjamin (Joshua 15:63; 18:28; Judges 1:21), so neither tribe drove them out fully. By David’s time, Jebus was still a “city of a foreigner” (Judges 19:10-12). As soon as David was anointed king over all Israel (2 Samuel 5:3), he moved to take this strategic site.
The Jebusites’ confidence was not empty. The citadel sat on a rocky plateau surrounded by deep ravines on three sides, a natural fortress nearly impregnable against ancient siege tactics. Keil and Delitzsch note that the defenders “relied upon the unusual natural advantages of their citadel.” Cambridge calls it “a natural fortress of almost impregnable strength.” Into this setting comes the taunt: the Jebusites claim that even the blind and lame could repel David. Their mockery reveals both arrogant self-assurance and a contempt for David’s new royal authority.
David needed a capital that united the twelve tribes. Hebron was too southern; Jerusalem, on the border of Judah and Benjamin, offered neutrality. By capturing it, David would bind the nation together. The Jebusites’ boast made the conquest a test of God’s promise.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for 2 Samuel 5:6. The different English translations reflect ambiguity in the Hebrew syntax, especially the phrase ki im hesirekha (“except he turns you aside” or “but the blind and lame will turn you away”). This is an interpretive difference, not a manuscript one. The Hebrew text is stable across editions.
Reception History
Jewish interpreters such as Kimchi and Rashi (referenced by Gill) understood the blind and lame as idols, figures that could not see or walk, placed as tutelary deities. This reading emphasizes the futility of trusting in false gods. Christian commentators from the Reformation onward (Matthew Henry, Wesley, Keil) largely read the phrase as a literal boast, focusing on the Jebusites’ arrogance. The verse has been cited in homiletic contexts to illustrate the fall of pride before God’s power. It is not a central text in creedal theology, but it anchors the biblical theme of God choosing weak and despised things to shame the strong (1 Corinthians 1:27).
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Human confidence mocks God’s anointed. The Jebusites thought their fortress was invincible. Their taunt reveals the pride that comes before a fall.
- God’s king does not retreat from mockery. David pressed the attack. The defeat of the stronghold showed that Yahweh, not human strength, establishes the king.
- What seems impossible becomes the City of David. Jerusalem, once a Jebusite stronghold, became the royal city and future site of the temple. God turns obstacles into foundations for his purposes.
Five-point outline
- Political strategy: David needed a capital that belonged to no tribe, a neutral ground for unity.
- Military challenge: The Jebusite fortress had resisted Israel for centuries. David took the risk.
- Provocative taunt: “The blind and the lame will keep you out.” The Jebusites mocked David’s ability and his God.
- Decisive victory: David captured the stronghold of Zion. Verse 7 says simply, “Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion.”
- Lasting legacy: Jerusalem became the City of David, the heart of Israel’s worship and the place where God would choose to dwell.
Illustration hooks
- A small-town soccer team taunts a professional squad, saying the defenders are too strong. The pros win anyway. Overconfidence rarely holds up against real power.
- A homeowner boasts that no burglar can enter because of a state-of-the-art alarm. The boast itself becomes a challenge. The alarm is bypassed. Confidence without wisdom is foolish.
- An office team dismisses a new manager’s ideas as naïve. They are certain their way is secure. The new manager quietly enacts changes that outperform the old system. The Jebusites thought they knew better than David; they were wrong.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why did David attack Jerusalem first, before dealing with the Philistines or other threats?
- Did David sin by not offering peace to the Jebusites first? (The text does not record an offer, but conquest of Canaan’s remnant was commanded.)
- Why does this passage seem to mock disabled people? Does the Bible devalue the disabled? (Careful: The Jebusites used “blind and lame” as a boast, not an insult to disability. The phrase is about the fortress’s strength, not the worth of disabled persons.)
Leading a Discussion
This passage records the first major military action of David’s reign over all Israel. The Jebusites’ taunt is central. Read 2 Samuel 5:6-10 together. Then discuss the questions below, moving from what the text says to what it means and how it shapes your life.
Discussion questions
- What did the Jebusites say to David? Why did they say it? (Look at the wording of the taunt in different translations.)
- Why would the Jebusites think that even blind and lame defenders could stop David? What does their confidence reveal about their view of the city and of David?
- How did David respond to their taunt? Read verses 7-9. What does his response show about his character and his trust in God?
- The Jebusites had held the citadel for centuries. Why do you think David succeeded where others had failed? (Consider 2 Samuel 5:10: “for Yahweh, the God of Armies, was with him.”)
- Where do you see people putting their confidence in human strength or systems rather than in God? Are there areas in your own life where you depend on your own resources?
- David turned the Jebusite stronghold into the City of David. How does God transform obstacles in your life into foundations for his work?
- How does this story encourage you to trust God when you face a “Jebusite” situation that seems impossible?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Genesis 14:18 | Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High. |
| Joshua 10:3 | Therefore Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of Eglon, saying, |
| Joshua 15:63 | As for the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah couldn’t drive them out; but the Jebusites live with the children of Judah at Jerusalem to this day. |
| Joshua 18:28 | Zelah, Eleph, the Jebusite (also called Jerusalem), Gibeath, and Kiriath; fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their families. |
| Judges 1:8 | The children of Judah fought against Jerusalem, took it, struck it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire. |
| Judges 1:21 | The children of Benjamin didn’t drive out the Jebusites who inhabited Jerusalem, but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day. |
| Judges 19:10 | But the man wouldn’t stay that night, but he rose up and went near Jebus (also called Jerusalem). With him were a couple of saddled donkeys. His concubine also was with him. |
| Judges 19:12 | His master said to him, “We won’t enter into the city of a foreigner that is not of the children of Israel; but we will pass over to Gibeah.” |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke sidesteps the long scholarly debate over the Jebusites' taunt, calling it not worth the effort. He offers a simple explanation: the defenders placed blind and lame men on the walls to mock David, confident their fortress was unassailable.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes notes David's political motive for capturing Jerusalem: the city straddled the border of Judah and Benjamin, making it an ideal capital to unite the tribes. He clarifies the Jebusite taunt, showing they boasted that even their blind and lame could keep David out, not that David would need to remove them first.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Jebusites were so confident in Jerusalem’s defenses that they boasted a garrison of blind and lame men could repel David. The commentator notes that the Chronicler omitted this detail, probably because it was obscure and not directly relevant to the historical narrative.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Note highlights the Jebusites' arrogant confidence: they taunted David with a proverb about the blind and lame, believing that even the weakest guards would keep him out. Their mockery reveals how thoroughly they underestimated David's God-given ability to conquer Jerusalem.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill notes that the Jebusites either placed their idols, which they called the blind and lame, on the walls as protector gods, or they stationed actual blind and lame men there to mock David, boasting that even these weak defenders could keep him out. He favors the latter view, reading it as contemptuous bravado.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB highlights that the Jebusites mocked David by stationing the blind and lame on the walls, shouting that he could never enter. Their taunt only makes sense in light of Jerusalem's steep valley and the fortress's massive defenses, which seemed impossible to breach.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch reads David's command as a sarcastic turn on the Jebusites' taunt: every defender, whom David labels "lame and blind," is to be hurled down the precipice (zinnor). The proverb "blind
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry highlights the Jebusites' mocking boast that their blind and lame could keep David out, showing their contempt for God's anointed king. He also traces Jerusalem's long history from Melchizedek through the tribal allotments, presenting David's capture as a long-overdue restoration of this central city under unified Israel.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley highlights the defenders' arrogant trust in their fortifications, so confident they boasted the blind and lame could hold the city against David. Their taunt went further: they deliberately displayed disabled or wounded soldiers on the wall to mock David and his army as too weak even to breach such a garrison.