In this great battle the Philistines, as we have said, used bows and arrows, and in this respect had a great advantage over the Israelites, who were not taught the use of this instrument in war until after this battle, 2 Sam. 1:18, and in the reign of David.
=1. Upon the death of Saul= and Jonathan the kingdom of Israel was ruled by =two kings=, David and the son of Saul, Ish-bosheth, whom Abner, the captain-general of Saul’s host, had made king over all Israel excepting Judah, which was loyal to David, 2 Sam. 2:4. Saul’s son reigned only two years, when he was assassinated by two of his “captains of bands.” After this event the chief men of Israel came to David, who was at Hebron, and entered into a league with him, by which he became king over all Israel at the age of forty years.
After seven years of reign at Hebron he attacked the city of the Jebusites, 18 miles north of Hebron. This place was known as JERUSALEM in after ages, although at that time called Jebus, 1 Chron. 11:4. The position of Jebus was an exceedingly strong one.
=2. From recent examinations=, by shafts and excavations, the site of the Jebus of David’s time was a rocky eminence, precipitous towards the east, south, and southwest, with access on other sides except for a short space on the north. The top was unevenly level, but only a part of this top seems to have been occupied by the city of Jebus, the southern part having a fortification distinct from the walled-up portion on the north and northeast. This part was taken by David on his arrival, and the remaining part, after some delay, was captured in a very courageous attack by an officer whose name was Joab.
=3. The present circumference= of the walls of Jerusalem is 2¾ miles very nearly; but although these walls include the larger part of the hill, there still remains a portion, called Mt. Zion, on the southwest, which is not included, and it is this part that was captured by David and was called the city of David or Zion.
Due west from the city the Mediterranean is 36 miles distant and the Jordan is 18 miles due east. On the east side, in the time of David, a part of the city wall rose nearly 100 feet above the channel of the Kidron, and from the representations of fortified cities of these times, as they are met with upon the tablets both of Egypt and of Assyria, the stones of the walls were placed with great skill. Some of the ancient stones of the city are even now laid upon solid rock eighty feet below the soil at the base of the present wall on the east side and the southeast corner.