II Shmuel 5: Three Blind Mice

David’s first act as king is to attempt to conquer Jerusalem. As he approaches the city, the Jebusite inhabitants call out to the approaching army: “You will never get in here! Even the blind and the lame will turn you back” (לֹא תָבוֹא הֵנָּה כִּי אִם־הֱסִירְךָ הַעִוְרִים וְהַפִּסְחִים לֵאמֹר לֹא־יָבוֹא דָוִד הֵנָּה) (verse 6). Later, David tells his troops: “‘Those who attack the Jebusites shall reach the water channel and [strike down] the lame and the blind, who are hateful to David.’” That is why they say: “‘No one who is blind or lame may enter the House.’” (כׇּל־מַכֵּה יְבֻסִי וְיִגַּע בַּצִּנּוֹר וְאֶת־הַפִּסְחִים וְאֶת־הַעִוְרִים שְׂנֻאֵי נֶפֶשׁ דָּוִד ... עַל־כֵּן יֹאמְרוּ עִוֵּר וּפִסֵּחַ לֹא יָבוֹא אֶל־הַבָּיִת) (verse 8).Why do the inhabitants taunt David with these words? What does David mean by striking down the blind and the lame? According to Rashi, the blind and the lame referred to Jebusite idols. They claimed their two gods would protect the city. David was incensed that they would taunt him with idolatry. He told his army that he would reward those who destroy the idols. Rashi’s reading is interesting as up until now, almost all idols had names. These seem to go by a description. It does make sense that the Jebusites would look to their gods and that David would want to destroy them. This is similar to the Assyrian Lamassu (human-headed winged bulls or lions) that guarded the gates of Assyrian cities. Another possibility is that David was making a pun. These statues were lame and blind because all idols have eyes but do not see and feet but do not walk. Ralbag takes a similar approach. His understanding is that these were not idols, but statues. These two statues were guarding the gate by being connected to a mechanism that locked the city walls with iron rods. The statues were controlled by the water cistern that turned the statues and moved the rods. The taunt to David is that he could not enter the city as long as these gatekeepers were in the locked position. This is why later David tells his soldiers that removing the blind and lame statues by reaching the water cistern would be the only way to enter the city. Metzudat David explains that these were not idols but actual people. The Jebusites believed that the inhabitants of the city were so strong that even the blind and lame could defend against the city. David’s charge to his people is to reach the water cistern and then everyone would see that this claim was nothing more than an empty threat. Radak brings a Midrashic interpretation. Avraham had sworn an oath to the Jebusites and Avimelech that none of his descendants would harm the city as long as Avimelech’s descendants controlled it. The Jebusites erected two statues as monuments to this oath. One was blind like Yitzchak and the other was lame like Yaakov. These two descendants of Avraham “stood guard” of the city to repel any attempt by the Israelites to conquer it. David’s charge to the people is to explain that this oath is no longer in effect as the descendants of Avimelech no longer dwelled there.