© koninklijke brill nv, leiden, 2018 | doi:10.1163/15685330-12341342 Vetus Testamentum 69 (2019) 46-59 brill.com/vt Vetus Testamentum Did David Actually Conquer Jerusalem? The Blind, the Lame, and the Ṣinnôr Jonathan Grossman Bar Ilan University Jonathan.grossman@biu.ac.il Abstract One of the most cryptic narratives in Samuel is the story of David’s conquest of the city of Jebus-Jerusalem. This paper proposes that David did not conquer the city through battle, but through the Jebusites’ peaceful surrender. This understanding illuminates the meaning of the obscure reference to “the blind and the lame,” as well as the word “ṣinnôr.” Keywords David – Jerusalem – the blind and the lame – Ṣinnôr – Jebus One of the most challenging episodes in the book of Samuel is the story of David’s conquest of Jerusalem (2 Sam 5:6-9). Some verses seem fragmented and corrupt, the narrative contains several words of uncertain meaning, but above all, there is no actual description of the city’s conquest and the defeat of the Jebusites: “Despite the importance of this event, the report is limited to a few lines. Above all, it does not appear to contain any reference to the actual process of conquest.”1 This is especially surprising given “Jerusalem’s importance in biblical thought and the nation’s history.”2 In addition to these textual issues, many 1  H. J. Stoebe, “Die Einnahme Jerusalems und der Ṣinnôr”, Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palästina- Vereins 73 (1957), p. 73. 2  S. Bar Efrat, II Samuel: A Commentary (Mikra Leyisra’el; Tel Aviv and Jerusalem 1996), p. 53.