John Gill Commentary 2 Samuel 5:9

"And David dwelt in the stronghold, and called it the city of David. And David built round about from Millo and inward." — 2 Samuel 5:9 (ASV)

So David dwelt in the fort
The strong hold of Zion, which he took:

and called it the city of David ;
from his own name, to keep up the memory of his taking it, and of his habitation in it:

and David built round about, from Millo and inward ;
built a wall about it, and enlarged the place, increased the buildings both within and without. Millo is supposed to be a ditch round the fort, full of water, from which it has its name; or was a large hollow place which divided the fort from the lower city, and which afterwards Solomon filled up, and made it a level, and therefore is called so here by anticipation; though Jarchi says it was done by David.

According to Dr. Lightfoot {o}, it was a part or Sion, or some hillock, east up against it on the west side; his first sense is best, Millo being no other than the fortress or citadel; which, as Josephus says ^F16 , David joined to the lower city, and made them one body, and erecting walls about it made Joab superintendent of them; and this was the "round about", or circuit, which David made, reaching from Millo, or the citadel, to that again, which is meant by "inward", or "to the house" ^F17 , as it should be rendered; that is, to the house of Millo, as in (2 Kings 12:20) ; and so it is said (1 Chronicles 11:8) ; that David built the city "from Millo round about"; that is, to the same place from which he began ^F18 .

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FOOTNOTES:

• F16: Antiqu. l. 7. c. 3. sect. 2.
• F17: (htybw) "et ad domum".
• F18: See Dr. Kennicott, ut supra, (Dissert. 1.) p. 49