According to the picture of 2 Samuel, where did David rule for 7 1/2 years?

• A. Hebron
• B. Jerusalem
• C. Bethlehem
• D. Gath

Answer: (A)

Hebron is the place where David ruled for seven and a half years in 2 Samuel. After Saul’s death, the tribes of Judah anointed him king at Hebron, and he reigned there for seven years and six months before the political center moved to Jerusalem to rule over all Israel. This period in Hebron distinguishes his initial kingship from the later phase when he becomes king over the entire nation and establishes Jerusalem as the capital. Bethlehem is David’s hometown, not the seat of his kingship during this seven-and-a-half-year span, and Jerusalem becomes the capital only later. Gath is a Philistine city tied to earlier episodes in David’s life, not the location of this reign over Judah.