Charles Ellicott Commentary 2 Samuel 5:1

"Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, and spake, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh." — 2 Samuel 5:1 (ASV)

All the tribes. —Not only as represented by their elders (2 Samuel 5:3), but by the large bodies of their warriors enumerated in 1 Chronicles 12:23–40. It should be noted, then, that the children of Judah (1 Chronicles 12:24), over whom David was already king, joined in the assembly, and that there were 4,600 Levites with Jehoiada as the leader of the priestly family of Aaron, while Zadok appears only as a conspicuous member of that family (1 Chronicles 12:27–28).

Thy bone and thy flesh. —The Israelites, oppressed by the Philistines and their other enemies, and having seen the utter failure of the house of Saul and the death of their leader, Abner, felt the necessity of union under a competent leader. It is probable that this gathering to David, already prepared for by the negotiations of Abner, took place immediately after the death of Ishbosheth. They assigned three reasons for their action:

1. That they were of the same flesh and bone with David (Judges 9:2; 2 Samuel 19:12)—i.e., were of such common descent that it was unfitting for them to constitute separate nations;
2. That David, even in Saul’s reign, had been their military leader, and therefore they knew him and had confidence in his prowess and sagacity;
3. That the Lord had chosen him for their king.

The exact language of the Divine promise quoted is not found in the record, but is either (as in the case of Abner’s words, 2 Samuel 3:18) a summary of the communications made to David, or else some unrecorded language of one of the prophets.