2 Samuel 5:2
Also in time past, when Saul was king over us, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and the LORD said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be a captain over Israel. Also in time past, when Saul was king over us, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and the LORD said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be a captain over Israel.
The verse belongs to the time of David's return after Saul's death and his move to Hebron, where the tribes acknowledged his leadership and made him king over Israel. It expresses Israel's recognition that even while Saul was still king over them, David was already the one who led them out and brought them in in war. It records the Lord's appointment of David to feed or shepherd His people Israel and to serve as captain or ruler over them. Spoken by the elders when David became king over all the tribes, these words affirmed God's choice, so that his rise to the throne fulfilled divine appointment rather than personal ambition.