2 Samuel maps & timelines

Geographic Context

Second Samuel centers on two cities. David first reigns from Hebron, the ancient patriarchal town in the hill country of Judah, over the southern tribes. Then, made king of all Israel, he captures Jerusalem — the Jebusite fortress on the border between Judah and Benjamin, well placed as a neutral capital — and makes it the City of David and the home of the ark, so that Zion becomes the political and spiritual center of the nation.

David’s wars extend Israel’s reach in every direction: against the Philistines on the western coastal plain, Moab and Ammon across the Jordan to the east, the Aramean kingdoms to the north toward Damascus, and Edom to the south. When Absalom’s revolt drives David out, he flees eastward across the Jordan to Mahanaim in Gilead, where the decisive battle is fought in the nearby forest of Ephraim. The book closes at the threshing floor of Araunah on the hill north of the city — the future site of Solomon’s temple.

Timeline of Major Events

• c. 1010 BC - David anointed king over Judah at Hebron.
• c. 1003 BC - David anointed king over all Israel; captures Jerusalem and brings up the ark.
• c. 1000 BC - The Davidic Covenant given through Nathan; David’s wars extend the kingdom.
• c. 991 BC - David’s sin with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah; Nathan’s rebuke; Solomon born.
• c. 980 BC - Absalom’s rebellion and death; David restored to Jerusalem.
• c. 975 BC - The census, the plague, and the purchase of Araunah’s threshing floor.
• c. 971 BC - The close of David’s reign, preparing for Solomon’s succession.