דברי הימים א, פרק י״ג, פסוק ה׳

King David initiates a massive national gathering to prepare for a monumental event: bringing the Ark of God up from Kiriath-jearim. To ensure the entire nation is part of this moment, he summons people from the furthest edges of the land, spanning from the extreme south to the distant north.

The locations mentioned represent the full territorial boundaries of the land, much like the familiar biblical boundary extending from the northern edge to the Brook of Egypt [רש״י, מלבי״ם]. The southern border is marked by Shihor, which is identified either as the Nile River [מצודת ציון] or another river forming the eastern border of Egypt. On the opposite end, Lebo-hamath serves as the northernmost boundary point [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Although the account states that David gathered the entirety of the Israelites, a parallel record in the Book of Samuel notes that only thirty thousand chosen men were assembled. This apparent contradiction is resolved by understanding the nature of the crowd. David did not physically gather every citizen in the country. Instead, he brought together a representative body of the nation, collecting the finest individuals, judges, and local leaders from every city [רלב״ג, מלבי״ם]. These thirty thousand select men represented the various tribes of the Israelites and joined together with the tribe of Judah. Therefore, the description of gathering the entire nation reflects how David summoned the leaders and consulted with the high-ranking officers, who together stood in for the people as a whole [רלב״ג].