שמואל ב, פרק ב׳, פסוק ג׳

David's journey to Hebron marked a major transition, shifting the center of his loyalists to a new region. He did not make this move alone. He brought along his active military force of about six hundred men, as well as their entire families [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Rather than settling directly inside Hebron, these families spread out into the smaller surrounding towns. Commentators agree on this detail and offer two complementary reasons for the scattered settlement. On a practical level, Hebron was originally the inheritance of Caleb, a city inhabited by Levites, and designated as a city of refuge. Because of this existing population, there simply was not enough space within the city limits to house all of David's men and their households, forcing them to live in the nearby towns [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Beyond practical needs, this arrangement served a deeper spiritual purpose. David intentionally chose not to keep his men together as a unified military unit to surround and protect him. By placing them in nearby towns and remaining in Hebron without a close military guard, he showed his complete trust in God [מלבי״ם].