The BibleGospel Companion

David's kingdom

In the order Scripture gives them · 1 Samuel 16:1–13 · 2 Samuel 5:1–12 · 2 Samuel 8:1–14

12 stops
1BethlehemBethlehem · stop 12·4Elah Valley · AdullamElah Valley · Adullam · stop 2·43·10·11Nob · Jerusalem · ZionNob · Jerusalem · Zion · stop 3·10·115GathGath · stop 56ZiklagZiklag · stop 67GilboaGilboa · stop 78HebronHebron · stop 89MahanaimMahanaim · stop 912DamascusDamascus · stop 12about 437 km across · drawn without map tilesDavid's kingdom
Coastlines, rivers and lakes: Natural Earth · 1:10m physical vectors — ne_10m_coastline, ne_10m_rivers_lake_centerlines, ne_10m_lakes · v5.2.0-pre · Public domain · places: OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding · CC BY 4.0 · the route is drawn stop to stop, not road by road

About this route

The places David's story moves through, from the sheepfold at Bethlehem to the capital he made at Jerusalem: the valley where he met Goliath, the caves and border towns of his exile, the seven years at Hebron, and the campaigns that carried Israel's border to Damascus.

Written in-house from the passages named on each stop

The stops

1
Bethlehem1 Samuel 16:1–13

Yahweh said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I…

2
Elah Valley1 Samuel 17:1–2 · 1 Samuel 17:48–51

Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle; and they were gathered together at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between…

3
Nob1 Samuel 21:1–9

Then David came to Nob to Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech came to meet David trembling, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no man with you?”

4
Adullam1 Samuel 22:1–2

David therefore departed from there and escaped to Adullam’s cave. When his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him.

5
Gath1 Samuel 27:1–4

David said in his heart, “I will now perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape into the land of…

6
Ziklag1 Samuel 27:5–7 · 1 Samuel 30:1–20

David said to Achish, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, let them give me a place in one of the cities in the country, that I may dwell there.…

7
Gilboa1 Samuel 31:1–7

Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain on Mount Gilboa.

8
Hebron2 Samuel 2:1–4 · 2 Samuel 5:1–5

After this, David inquired of Yahweh, saying, “Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?” Yahweh said to him, “Go up.” David said, “Where shall…

9
Mahanaim2 Samuel 2:8–9 · 2 Samuel 17:24

Now Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul’s army, had taken Ishbosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim.

10
Jerusalem2 Samuel 5:6–10

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…

11
Zion2 Samuel 5:7–9 · 2 Samuel 6:12–17

Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion. This is David’s city.

12
Damascus2 Samuel 8:5–6

When the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David struck twenty two thousand men of the Syrians.

Sources