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2 Samuel
Chapter Five
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO SECOND SAMUEL 5
In
this chapter we have an account of all the tribes of Israel coming to Hebron,
and anointing David king over them, 2 Samuel 5:1; of
his expedition against the Jebusites in Jerusalem, and taking from them the
strong hold of Zion, 2 Samuel 5:6; of
his building an house for himself, and of his building up his family, by taking
more wives and concubines, and having more children, whose names are given, 2 Samuel 5:11; and
of an invasion of the land by the Philistines, and David's victory over them, 2 Samuel 5:17.
2 Samuel 5:1 Then
all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and spoke, saying, “Indeed we are
your bone and your flesh.
YLT
1And all the tribes of
Israel come unto David, to Hebron, and speak, saying, `Lo, we [are] thy bone
and thy flesh;
Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron,.... All the
rest of the tribes, save the tribe of Judah, who had made him king over them in
Hebron seven years ago. These were ambassadors sent in the name of the several
tribes to him, quickly after the deaths of Abner and Ishbosheth; from having
any hand in which David had sufficiently cleared himself, and which had tended
to reconcile the minds of the people of Israel to him:
and spake, saying, we are thy bone and thy flesh; for though he
was of the tribe of Judah, yet as all the tribes sprung from one man, they were
all one bone, flesh, and blood; all nearly related to each other, all of the
same general family of which David was; and so, according to their law, a fit
person to be their king, Deuteronomy 16:18;
and from whom they might expect clemency and tenderness, being so near akin to
them.
2 Samuel 5:2 2 Also, in time past, when
Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in;
and the Lord
said to you, ‘You shall shepherd My people Israel, and be ruler over Israel.’”
YLT
2also heretofore, in Saul's
being king over us, thou hast been he who is bringing out and bringing in
Israel, and Jehovah saith to thee, Thou dost feed My people Israel, and thou
art for leader over Israel.'
Also in time past, when Saul was king over us,.... Even over
all the tribes of Israel:
thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel; that led out
the armies of Israel against their enemies, fought their battles for them,
obtained victories, and brought the troops under his command home in safety;
and the remembrance of these valiant acts of his, which then endeared him to
the people, was now another reason for their choosing him king: and another
follows, the chiefest of them all:
and the Lord said to thee; when anointed by Samuel;
for though what follows is not recorded in so many words, yet the sense of it
is expressed in the anointing him to be king, whose office, as such, lay in doing
the following things:
thou shalt feed my people Israel; as a shepherd feeds his
flock; hence kings were frequently called shepherds, and David particularly, in
which he was an eminent type of Christ, see Psalm 78:71,
and thou shalt be a captain over Israel; the Targum
is,"and thou shalt be king over Israel;'which gives the true sense of the
tribes, and which was the chief and prevailing reason with them to make him
their king; and which they, at least many of them, would have done before, even
immediately upon the death of Saul, but that they were persuaded by Abner to
yield obedience to Ishbosheth he set up.
2 Samuel 5:3 3 Therefore all the elders
of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them
at Hebron before the Lord.
And they anointed David king over Israel.
YLT
3And all the elders of
Israel come unto the king, to Hebron, and king David maketh with them a
covenant in Hebron before Jehovah, and they anoint David for king over Israel.
So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron,.... Which
either explains what is meant by the tribes coming to him, 2 Samuel 5:1;
namely, coming by their elders as their representatives; or else the meaning
is, that the messengers the tribes sent, when they returned and reported the
favourable reception they had met with from David; the elders of the several
tribes, the princes or principal men met, and came together to David in Hebron:
and King David made a league with them before the Lord; the states of
the nation; he entered into a covenant with them; he on his part promising to
rule them in justice and judgment according to the laws, and they promising to
yield a cheerful obedience to him in all things just and lawful: and this was
done "before the Lord"; either before the ark of the Lord, as
Abarbinel; but that was in Kirjathjearim, from whence it was after this brought
by David to this city; rather, as Kimchi observes, wherever all Israel, or the
greater part of them, were assembled, there the divine Shechinah or Majesty
dwelt; so that what was done in a public assembly was reckoned as done before
the Lord, and in his presence; or this covenant was made before the Lord, and
each party appealed to him as witness of it, so that it was a very solemn one:
and they anointed David king over Israel; that is, over
all Israel, which was the third time of his being anointed; the first was by
Samuel, pointing out the person the Lord chose and appointed king; the second
was by the tribe of Judah, when they invested him with the office of a king
over them; and now by all the tribes, when he was inaugurated into the whole
kingdom of Israel; and not only the elders came at this time, but great numbers
of the people from the several tribes, and continued with David some days,
eating, drinking and rejoicing, see 1 Chronicles 12:1.
2 Samuel 5:4 4 David was thirty
years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.
YLT
4A son of thirty years [is]
David in his being king; forty years he hath reigned;
David was thirty years old when he began reign,.... Over
Judah, which was the age of his antitype Christ, when he entered upon his
public ministry, Luke 3:23,
and he reigned forty years; and six
months, as appears by 2 Samuel 5:5; but
the months are not mentioned, only the round number of years given: two reasons
the JewsF1Hieron. Trad. Heb. in lib. Reg. fol. 77. I. give for this;
the one, that he fled six months from Absalom; the other is, that he was ill in
Hebron so long, and therefore are not reckoned.
2 Samuel 5:5 5 In Hebron he reigned over
Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three
years over all Israel and Judah.
YLT
5in Hebron he reigned over
Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three
years, over all Israel and Judah.
In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months,.... So long
the kingdom of Israel continued in the house of Saul after his death; and by
this it appears that David was near thirty eight years of age when the elders
of Israel came and made him their king:
and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel
and Judah; which in all made forty years and six months, see 1 Kings 2:11; upon
his being made king over all the tribes, as soon as he had taken the strong
hold of Zion, which he immediately attacked, as follows, he removed the seat of
his kingdom from Hebron to Jerusalem.
2 Samuel 5:6 6 And the king and his men
went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who spoke
to David, saying, “You shall not come in here; but the blind and the lame will
repel you,” thinking, “David cannot come in here.”
YLT
6And the king goeth, and his
men, to Jerusalem, unto the Jebusite, the inhabitant of the land, and they
speak to David, saying, `Thou dost not come in hither, except thou turn aside
the blind and the lame;' saying, `David doth not come in hither.'
And the king and his men went to Jerusalem,.... Which, at
least part of it, belonged to the tribe of Benjamin; and therefore until all
Israel, and that tribe, with the rest, made him king, he did not attempt the
reduction of it, but now he immediately set out on an expedition against it:
unto the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land: who inhabited
the country about it, and even dwelt in that itself; for the tribe of Judah
could not drive them out at first from that part of it which belonged to them,
nor the tribe of Benjamin from that part which was theirs; in short, they
became so much masters of it, that it was called, even in later times, Jebus,
and the city of the Jebusites; see Joshua 15:63 Judges 1:21,
which spake unto David; when he came up against
them, and besieged them:
except thou take away the blind and lame, thou shalt not come in
hither; which many understand of their idols and images, which had eyes,
but saw not, and feet, but walked not, which therefore David and his men in
derision called the blind and lame; these the Jebusites placed for the defence
of their city, and put great confidence in them for the security of it, and therefore
said to David, unless you can remove these, which you scornfully call the blind
and the lame, you will never be able to take the place. And certain it is the
Heathens had their tutelar gods for their cities as well as their houses, in
which they greatly trusted for their safety; and therefore with the Romans,
when they besieged a city, the first thing they attempted to do was by any
means, as by songs particularly, to get the tutelar gods out of itF2Vid.
Valtrinum de re militar. Rom. l. 5. c. 5. ; believing otherwise it would never
be taken by them; or if it could, it was not lawful to make the gods captivesF3Vid.
Macrob. Saturnal. l. 3. c. 9. Alex. ab Alex. Genial. Dier. l. 6. c. 4. : and to
this sense most of the Jewish commentators agree, as Kimchi, Jarchi, Ben
Gersom, and R. Isaiah, who take them to be images; some say, made of brass,
which were placed either in the streets of the city, or on the towers: it was
usual with all nations to place on their walls both their household and country
gods, to defend them from the enemyF4Cornel. Nepot. Vit. Themistocl.
l. 2. c. 7. . A learned countryman of oursF5Gregory's Notes and
Observations, &c. ch. 7. is of opinion that these were statues or images
talismanically made, under a certain constellation, by some skilful in
astrology, placed in the recess of the fort, and intrusted with the keeping of
it, and in which the utmost confidence was put: but it seems better with Aben
Ezra and Abarbinel, and so JosephusF6Antiqu. l. 7. c. 3. sect. 1. ,
to understand this of blind and lame men; and that the sense is, that the
Jebusites had such an opinion of the strength of their city, that a few blind
and lame men were sufficient to defend it against David and his army; and
perhaps in contempt of him placed some invalids, blind and lame men, on the
walls of it, and jeeringly told him, that unless he could remove them, he would
never take the city:
thinking: or "saying"F7לאמר
"dicendo", Pagninus, Montanus. ; this was the substance of what they
said, or what they meant by it:
David cannot come in hither; it is impossible for him
to enter it, he cannot and shall not do it, and very probably these words were
put into the mouths of the blind and lame, and they said them frequently.
2 Samuel 5:7 7 Nevertheless David took the
stronghold of Zion (that is, the City of David).
YLT
7And David captureth the
fortress of Zion, it [is] the city of David.
Nevertheless, David took the strong hold of Zion,.... A
fortress without the city, and separate from it, and which was very strong; and
the taking it might facilitate the taking of the city, which yet as appears by
what follows, was very difficult to do:
the same is the city of David; it was
afterwards so called, where he built an house, and dwelt.
2 Samuel 5:8 8 Now David said on that
day, “Whoever climbs up by way of the water shaft and defeats the Jebusites
(the lame and the blind, who are hated by David’s soul), he shall be
chief and captain.”[a] Therefore
they say, “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.”
YLT
8And David saith on that
day, `Any one smiting the Jebusite, (let him go up by the watercourse), and the
lame and the blind -- the hated of David's soul,' -- because the blind and lame
say, `He doth not come into the house.'
And David said on that day,.... On which he took the
strong hold of Zion:
whosoever getteth up to the gutter; where it is generally
supposed the blind and lame were, whether images or real men: but what is meant
by "Tzinnur", we render "gutter", is not easy to say; we
follow some of the Jewish writers, who take it to be a canal, or water spout,
used to carry off the water from roofs of houses into cisterns, as the word is
rendered in Psalm 42:7; which
is the only place besides this in which it is used in Scripture; but R. Isaiah
takes it to be the bar or bolt of the gate, and the sense to be, whoever got up
to the gate, and got in at that, unbolting it, or breaking through it; the
Targum interprets it of the tower of the city, or strong fortress, and so
Abarbinel; but Jarchi says it was a ditch, agreeably to which BochartF8Phaleg.
l. 4. c. 36. col. 304. translates the words, and indeed more agreeably to the
order of them;"whosoever smites the Jebusites, let him cast into the ditch
(next the wall) both the blind and the lame, extremely hated by David.'But a
learned modern writerF9Dr. Kennicott's Dissert. 1. p. 35. gives a
more ingenious and probable interpretation of these words thus;"whosoever
(first) smiteth the Jebusites, and through the subterraneous passages reaches
the lame and the blind, &c.'and which seems to be favoured by Josephus, as
he observes; who saysF11Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 7. c. 3. sect. 1.) ,
the king promised the command of the whole army to him who should δια των υποκειμενων φαραγγων,
"through the subterraneous cavities", go up to the citadel, and take
it: to which I would add that the word is used in the Chaldee paraphrase of Ecclesiastes 1:7,
of the several subterraneous passages, through which the rivers flow out of and
reflow into the ocean: remarkable is the note of Theodoret,
"a
certain Hebrew says, Aquila renders it "through a pipe"; on which, he
observes, David being willing to spare the walls of the city, ordered the
citizens should enter into the city by an aqueduct;'according to the Jews,
there, was a cave underground, which reached from the king's house in Jerusalem
to Jericho, when it was taken by Nebuchadnezzar; See Gill on Jeremiah 39:4; in
which story there may be a mixture of fable; yet it is not improbable that
there was such a subterraneous passage; since Dio CassiusF12Hist. l.
66. speaks of several such, through which the Jews made their escape in the
last siege of the city:
and smiteth the Jebusites, and the lame and the blind; or even the
lame and the blind men the Jebusites had placed to mock David; and therefore it
follows:
that are hated of
David's soul: because he was despised and jeered at by them, and through them:
if these could be understood of their idols and images, the phrase would be
easily accounted for, nothing being more abominable to David than idolatry:
he shall be chief and captain; these words are not in
the original text here, but are supplied from 1 Chronicles 11:6;
that is, he shall be chief commander of the army, as Joab became, who was the
first that went up and smote them:
wherefore they said, the blind and the lame shall not come into
the house; that is, either the Jebusites said this, that their images,
called in derision by David the blind and the lame, if these did not keep David
out, they should never be intrusted with the safety of their fort any moreF13Gregory,
ut supra. (Notes and Observations, &c. ch. 7.) ; or rather because the
blind and the lame men said this of David, he shall not come into the house,
the fort, or citadel, therefore David hated them; which is the sense of the
above learned writerF14Dr. Kennicott, ut supra. (Dissert. 1. p. 35.)
.
2 Samuel 5:9 9 Then David dwelt in the
stronghold, and called it the City of David. And David built all around from
the Millo[b] and
inward.
YLT
9And David dwelleth in the
fortress, and calleth it -- City of David, and David buildeth round about, from
Millo and inward,
So David dwelt in the fort,.... The strong hold of
Zion, which he took:
and called it the city of David; from his own name, to
keep up the memory of his taking it, and of his habitation in it:
and David built round about, from Millo and inward; built a wall
about it, and enlarged the place, increased the buildings both within and
without. Millo is supposed to be a ditch round the fort, full of water, from
whence it had its name; or was a large hollow place which divided the fort from
the lower city, and which afterwards Solomon filled up, and made it a level,
and therefore is called so here by anticipation; though Jarchi says it was done
by David. According to Dr. LightfootF15Works, vol. 2. Chorograph.
Cent. c. 24. p. 25. , it was a part or Sion, or some hillock, east up against
it on the west side; his first sense is best, Millo being no other than the
fortress or citadel; which, as Josephus saysF16Antiqu. l. 7. c. 3.
sect. 2. , David joined to the lower city, and made them one body, and erecting
walls about it made Joab superintendent of them; and this was the "round
about", or circuit, which David made, reaching from Millo, or the citadel,
to that again, which is meant by "inward", or "to the
house"F17וביתה "et ad
domum". , as it should be rendered; that is, to the house of Millo, as in 2 Kings 12:20; and
so it is said 1 Chronicles 11:8;
that David built the city "from Millo round about"; that is, to the
same place from whence he beganF18See Dr. Kennicott, ut supra,
(Dissert. 1.) p. 49, &c. .
2 Samuel 5:10 10 So David went on and
became great, and the Lord
God of hosts was with him.
YLT
10and David goeth, going on
and becoming great, and Jehovah, God of Hosts, [is] with him.
And David went on, and grew great,.... In honour and
wealth, in fame and reputation, in subduing his enemies, obtaining conquests
over them, and enlarging his dominions:
and the Lord God of hosts, of armies above and
below:
was with him: to whom all
his prosperity and success was owing. The Targum is,"the Word of the Lord
God of hosts was for his help,'or his helper.
2 Samuel 5:11 11 Then Hiram king of Tyre
sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, and carpenters and masons. And they
built David a house.
YLT
11And Hiram king of Tyre
sendeth messengers unto David, and cedar-trees, and artificers of wood, and
artificers of stone, for walls, and they build a house for David,
And Hiram king of Tyre,.... This was father of
that Hiram that lived in the times of Solomon, whose name was Abibalus before
he took the name of Hiram, which became a common name of the kings of Tyre; his
former name may be seen in the ancient historians quoted by JosephusF19Contr.
Apion. l. 1. sect. 17, 18. ; of the city of Tyre; see Gill on Isaiah 23:1; which
was built one year before the destruction of TroyF20Justin e Trogo,
l. 18. c. 3. . This king, on hearing of David's being acknowledged king by all
Israel, and of his taking Jerusalem out of the hands of the Jebusites:
sent messengers to David; to congratulate him upon
all this:
and cedar trees, and carpenters, and masons; these might
not be sent at first, but David intending to build himself an house, might, by
the messengers on their return, request of Hiram to send him timber and workmen
for that purpose; the people of Israel being chiefly employed in cultivating
their fields, and vineyards, and oliveyards, and feeding their flocks and
herds, few of them had any skill in hewing: timber and stone, and building
houses, at least not like the Tyrians and Sidonians; see 1 Kings 5:6; and
accordingly he sent him cedars from Lebanon, a great part of which was in his
dominions, and artificers in wood and stone, to build his house in the most
elegant manner:
and they built David an house; to dwell in, a stately
palace, called an house of cedar, 2 Samuel 7:2.
2 Samuel 5:12 12 So David knew that the Lord had
established him as king over Israel, and that He had exalted His kingdom for
the sake of His people Israel.
YLT
12and David knoweth that
Jehovah hath established him for king over Israel, and that He hath lifted up
his kingdom, because of His people Israel.
And David perceived that the Lord had established him king over
Israel,.... By the prosperity and success which attended him in
everything he set his hand to:
and that he had exalted his kingdom for his people Israel's sake; for their
advantage and glory more than for his own.
2 Samuel 5:13 13 And David took more
concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he had come from Hebron. Also more
sons and daughters were born to David.
YLT
13And David taketh again
concubines and wives out of Jerusalem, after his coming from Hebron, and there
are born again to David sons and daughters.
And David took him more concubines and wives out of
Jerusalem, after he was come from Hebron,.... He had six when he
was at Hebron, 2 Samuel 3:2, and
now he took more, which was not to his honour, and contrary to the law of God, Deuteronomy 17:17;
the concubines were a sort of half wives, as the word may signify, or secondary
ones, and under the others:
and there were yet sons and daughters born to David; besides those
in Hebron mentioned in 2 Samuel 3:2.
2 Samuel 5:14 14 Now these are the
names of those who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua,[c] Shobab,
Nathan, Solomon,
YLT
14And these [are] the names
of those born to him in Jerusalem: Shammuah, and Shobab, and Nathan, and
Solomon,
And these be the names of those that were born unto him in
Jerusalem,.... The names of his sons, for his daughters are not mentioned,
and these seem to be such only that were born of his wives, see 1 Chronicles 3:9,
Shammua, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon; these four
were by Bathsheba; the first of these is called Shimea, 1 Chronicles 3:5.
2 Samuel 5:15 15 Ibhar, Elishua,[d] Nepheg,
Japhia,
YLT
15and Ibhar, and Elishua, and
Nepheg, and Japhia,
Ibhar also, and Elishua, and Nepheg, and Japhia. Elishua is
called Elishama, 1 Chronicles 3:6.
2 Samuel 5:16 16 Elishama, Eliada, and
Eliphelet.
YLT
16and Elishama, and Eliada,
and Eliphalet.
And Elishama, and Eliada, and Eliphalet. Seven more by
some other wife or wives; nine are mentioned in 1 Chronicles 3:6;
there being in that account two Eliphalets, and another called Nogah; which
two, one of the Eliphalets, and Nogah, might die without sons, as Kimchi
thinks, and so are not mentioned here.
2 Samuel 5:17 17 Now when the Philistines
heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines went
up to search for David. And David heard of it and went down to the
stronghold.
YLT
17And the Philistines hear
that they have anointed David for king over Israel, and all the Philistines
come up to seek David, and David heareth, and goeth down unto the fortress,
But when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king
over Israel,.... That the civil war in the nation was now at an end, which
they hoped would have issued in their destruction, and therefore lay still and
quiet; but now being united under the government of David, and he hereby
greatly strengthened and become powerful; and hearing also of his success
against Jerusalem, and the friendship he had contracted with Hiram king of
Tyre, they thought it was high time to bestir themselves, and put a stop to his
power and greatness; and now it was, as Kimchi thinks, that David penned the
second psalm, which begins, "why do the Heathen rage", &c. Psalm 2:1,
all the Philistines came up to seek David: in order to
fight him, all the five principalities of the Philistines combined together
against him; perhaps his old friend Achish king of Gath was now dead, or had
now entertained a different opinion of him:
and David heard of it; that they had invaded
his kingdom, and sought to fight him:
and went down to the hold; some fortified place or
strong hold near Jerusalem, which lay lower than the city, or than the strong
hold of Zion, in which David dwelt; hither he went, not so much for safety, or
with an intention to abide there, but as a rendezvous for his men, and to
prepare to meet the Philistines.
2 Samuel 5:18 18 The Philistines also went
and deployed themselves in the Valley of Rephaim.
YLT
18and the Philistines have
come, and are spread out in the valley of Rephaim.
The Philistines also came and spread themselves in the valley of
Rephaim. Or "of the giants", as Joshua 15:8; which
lay to the west of Jerusalem; of which; see Gill on Joshua 15:8; the
Philistines spreading themselves in it, shows that they were very numerous.
2 Samuel 5:19 19 So David inquired of the Lord, saying,
“Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?” And
the Lord
said to David, “Go up, for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into your
hand.”
YLT
19And David asketh of
Jehovah, saying, `Do I go up unto the Philistines? dost Thou give them into my
hand?' And Jehovah saith unto David, `Go up, for I certainly give the
Philistines into thy hand.'
And David inquired of the Lord,.... By Abiathar, and the
Urim and Thummim, in the ephod he had on:
saying, shall I go up to the Philistines? who by this
time were gone from the valley to an higher place, to Mount Perazim, as in Isaiah 28:21,
wilt thou deliver them into my hand? here two questions are
put together, and an answer returned to both, contrary to a notion of the Jews;
see Gill on 1 Samuel 23:11,
and the Lord said to David, go up, for I will doubtless deliver
the Philistines into thine hand; by which oracle he had both the mind of God
that he should go up, and was assured of victory.
2 Samuel 5:20 20 So David went to Baal
Perazim, and David defeated them there; and he said, “The Lord has broken
through my enemies before me, like a breakthrough of water.” Therefore he
called the name of that place Baal Perazim.[e]
YLT
20And David cometh in to
Baal-Perazim, and David smiteth them there, and saith, `Jehovah hath broken
forth [on] mine enemies before me, as the breaking forth of waters;' therefore
he hath called the name of that place Baal-Perazim.
And David came to Baalperazim,.... As it was after
called, for here it has its name by anticipation, and whither the Philistines
were come from the valley of Rephaim; see 1 Chronicles 14:11;
which was at no great distance, the one being the hill, to which the other was
the valley, computed to be about three miles from Jerusalem, in the way to
BethlehemF21Bunting's Travels, &c. p. 138. , between which
places were two hours' travelsF23Maundrell's Journey from Aleppo,
&c. p. 87. ed. 7. :
and David smote them there; there a battle was
fought, in which David had the victory assured him:
and said, the Lord hath broken forth upon mine enemies before me,
as the breach of waters; as when waters, through their mighty force, break down the banks
of rivers, and carry all before them; or as one breaks an earthen vessel full
of water, so the Targum on 1 Chronicles 14:11.
therefore he called the name of the place Baalperazim; which
signifies "the master of breaches", where the Philistines were broke
in upon, and broken to pieces, of which God was the author, and which gave
David the mastery over his enemies; the Targum renders it "the plain of
breaches", and seems to take it to be the same with the valley of Rephaim;
see 2 Samuel 5:22.
2 Samuel 5:21 21 And they left their images
there, and David and his men carried them away.
YLT
21And they forsake there
their idols, and David and his men lift them up.
And they left their images,.... Their idol gods,
which they brought with them to protect and defend them, and give them success;
perhaps in imitation of the Israelites, who formerly brought the ark of God
into their camp against the Philistines, 1 Samuel 4:3; and
it appears to have been the custom of other countries, in later times, to bring
their gods with them to battleF24"Omnigenumque Deum",
&c. Virgil. Aeneid. l. 8. :
and David and his men burnt them: that is, his men burnt
them at his command, 1 Chronicles 14:12;
agreeably to the law of God, that so no profit might be made of them, Deuteronomy 7:5;
the Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions, and others, render it, "and
took them", or "carried them away"F25וישאם και
ελαβοσαν αυτους, Sept. "tulit", V. L. Tigurine version, Montanus;
"sustulit", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. ; as they might do,
and, after they had exposed them in triumph, then burnt them.
2 Samuel 5:22 22 Then the Philistines went
up once again and deployed themselves in the Valley of Rephaim.
YLT
22And the Philistines add
again to come up, and are spread out in the valley of Rephaim,
And the Philistines came up yet again,.... And, as
Josephus saysF26Antiqu. l. 7. c. 4. sect. 1. , with an army three
times larger than the former:
and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim; in the same
place where they were before, 2 Samuel 5:20.
2 Samuel 5:23 23 Therefore David inquired
of the Lord,
and He said, “You shall not go up; circle around behind them, and come upon
them in front of the mulberry trees.
YLT
23and David asketh of
Jehovah, and He saith, `Thou dost not go up, turn round unto their rear, and
thou hast come to them over-against the mulberries,
And when David inquired of the Lord,.... For though he had
success before, and got the victory, he would not engage again with them
without having the mind and will of God, on whom he knew victory alone
depended:
he said, thou shalt not go up; that is, directly, and
in a straight line:
but fetch a compass behind
them; and get to the rear of them, instead of falling upon them in the
front:
and come upon them over against the mulberry trees: which grew in
the valley of Rephaim, and near where the Philistines had pitched.
2 Samuel 5:24 24 And it shall be, when you
hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall
advance quickly. For then the Lord will go out before you to
strike the camp of the Philistines.”
YLT
24and it cometh to pass, in
thy hearing the sound of a stepping in the tops of the mulberries, then thou
dost move sharply, for then hath Jehovah gone out before thee to smite in the
camp of the Philistines.'
And let it be, when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops
of the mulberry trees,.... Of a going of the wind on the tops of these trees, making a
rustling upon them, and that in such a manner as to resemble the going of men,
or march of armies, as if they were moving in the air over the tops of the
mulberry trees; which Jarchi and R. Isaiah interpret of angels being sent of
God, and moving at that time to help David, and destroy the Philistines; so the
Targum on 1 Chronicles 14:15.
These trees being in Judea account for silk there, Ezekiel 16:10;
though some think time was not known so early; others suppose it was, and to be
the Hebrew byssus mentioned by PausaniasF1Eliac. sive, l. 5. p. 294.
, as being of a yellow colour:
that then thou shall bestir thyself; or move towards the camp
of the Philistines, and fall upon them in the rear, who, by reason of the sound
in the trees, would not hear the motion of the Israelites; or, if they heard
it, would take it to be no other than the motion of the trees they heard, both
sounds being confounded together; or they would take the sound they heard for
the motion of the enemy in the front, and give way, and so fall into the hands
of the Israelites in their rear, which must throw them into the utmost
confusion and consternation:
for then shall the Lord go out before thee to smite the host of
the Philistines: by an angel or angels; so the Targum,"for then shall go
forth the angel of the Lord, to make thee prosperous to slay in the camp of the
Philistines;'
that
being the precise time for the salvation of Israel, and the destruction of the
Philistines, and the token of it.
2 Samuel 5:25 25 And David did so, as the Lord commanded him;
and he drove back the Philistines from Geba[f] as far as
Gezer.
YLT
25And David doth so, as
Jehovah commanded him, and smiteth the Philistines from Geba unto thy coming to
Gazer.
And David did so as the Lord commanded him,.... In all
things he was obedient to the command of God; Saul was not: he got behind the
army of the Philistines, as he was directed; and when he heard the sound in the
mulberry trees, he arose and fell upon his enemies:
and smote the Philistines from Geba until thou come to Gazer; or from
Gibeon, as in 1 Chronicles 14:16;
a city in the tribe of Benjamin, near to which this battle was fought, and
where the pursuit began, which was carried as far as Gazer, a city that lay on
the borders of the Philistines, as Josephus saysF2Antiqu. l. 7. c.
4. sect. 1. ; and so far they were pursued, and were smitten as they fled; and,
according to BuntingF3Travels, &c. p. 138. , it was a space of
eighteen miles.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)