The Philistines did not oppose the action of Judah in making David king. They had befriended him in his exile, in order to harass and weaken the kingdom of Saul, and now they hoped that because of their former kindness to David the extension of his power would, in the end, work to their advantage. But David's reign was not to be free from trouble. With his coronation began the dark record of conspiracy and rebellion. David did not sit upon a traitor's throne; God had chosen him to be king of Israel, and there had been no occasion for distrust or opposition. Yet hardly had his authority been acknowledged by the men of Judah, when through the influence of Abner, Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, was proclaimed king, and set upon a rival throne in Israel.

Filisterne modsatte sig ikke, at judæerne gjorde David til konge. Filisterne havde sluttet venskab med David under hans landflygtighed for at svække Sauls rige, og nu håbede de, at det i det lange løb ville falde ud til deres fordel, at hans magt voksede, fordi de havde vist ham venlighed dengang. Men Davids regeringstid ville ikke blive uden problemer. Det mørke kapitel, som bærer overskriften: Sammensværgelser og oprør, tog sin begyndelse, lige så snart han var blevet kronet. David sad ikke på en forræders trone. Gud havde valgt ham til at være konge over Israel, og der var ikke grund til at vise ham mistillid eller gøre oprør imod ham. Han var dog næppe blevet anerkendt som konge over judæerne, før Sauls søn Isjbosjet ved Abners mellemkomst blev udråbt til konge over Israel.