2 Samuel 21:15-22 – When There Is War AGAIN

Translation & Sermon by Nate Wilson for Christ The Redeemer Church, Manhattan, KS, 06 Nov. 2022

Greyed-out text should be omitted to bring presentation time down to 45 minutes.

Introduction

vs. 15-17 War Again; David Ages Out

v. 18 War Again (x2); Saph Slain By Sibbecai

v. 19 War Again (x3); Goliath Struck By Elkhanan

vs. 20-22 War Again (x4); Six-fingered Offspring of Rapha Humbled

APPLICATION

2 Samuel 21:15-22Side-by side comparison of versionsA

1Chr20 LXX

2Sam21
LXX

Brenton (Vaticanus)

DRB

(Vulgate)

KJV

NAW

2Sa21
MT

1Chr20
MT


15 Καὶ ἐγενήθη ἔτι πόλεμος τοῖς ἀλλοφύλοις μετὰ Ισραηλ. καὶ κατέβη Δαυιδ καὶ οἱ παῖδες αὐτοῦ μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐπολέμη­σαν μετὰ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων, καὶ ἐξελύθη Δαυιδ.

15 And there was yet war between the Philistines and Israel: and David went down and his ser­vants with him, and they fought with the Philis­tines, and David went.

15 And the Philistines made war again against Israel, and David went down, and his servants with him, and fought against the Philis­tines. And David grow­ing faint,

15 Moreover the Philistines had yet war again with Israel; and David went down, and his servants with him, and fought against the Philis­tines: and David waxed faint.

15 Presently Israel was again at war against the Philistines, so David went down (and his servants with him), but when they fought with the Philis­tines, David became weary,

15 וַתְּהִי עוֹד מִלְחָמָה לַפְּלִשְׁתִּים אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֵּרֶד דָּוִד וַעֲבָדָיו עִמּוֹ וַיִּלָּחֲמוּ אֶת פְּלִשְׁתִּים וַיָּעַףB דָּוִד.



16 καὶ Ιεσβι, ὃς ἦν ἐν τοῖς ἐκγόνοις τοῦ Ραφα καὶ ὁ σταθμὸς τοῦ δόρατος αὐ­τοῦ τριακοσ­ίων [σίκλων] ὁλκὴ χαλκοῦ καὶ αὐτὸς περιεζωσ­μένος κορύ­νην, καὶ διενοεῖτο πατάξαι τὸν Δαυιδ.

16 And Jesbi, who was of the progeny of Rapha, and the head of whose spear was three hundred [shekelsC] of brass in weight, who also was girt with a club, even he thought to smite David.

16 Jesbi­benob, who was of the race of Arapha, the iron of whose spear weighed three hundred ounces, X X X X being girded with a new [sword], attempted to kill David.

16 And Ishbi­benob, which was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear weighed three hund­red shekels of brass in weight, X he being girded with a new sword, thought to have slain David.

16 and when Ishb{i}-benov, who was among those born of the Raphah (and the weight of his spear was 300 bronze units in weight, and he had brand-new-gear strapped on), said that he would strike David down,

16 וְיִשְׁבּוֹD בְּנֹב אֲשֶׁר בִּילִידֵי הָרָפָהE וּמִשְׁקַל קֵינוֹ שְׁלֹשׁ מֵאוֹת מִשְׁקַל נְחֹשֶׁתF וְהוּא חָגוּרG חֲדָשָׁה וַיֹּאמֶר לְהַכּוֹת אֶת דָּוִד.



17 καὶ ἐβοή­θησεν αὐτῷ Αβεσσα υἱὸς Σαρουιας καὶ ἐπάταξεν τὸν ἀλλόφυλον καὶ ἐθανάτω­σεν αὐτόν. τότε ὤμοσαν οἱ ἄνδρες Δαυιδ X X λέγοντες Οὐκ ἐξελεύσῃ ἔτι μεθ᾿ ἡμῶν εἰς πόλεμον καὶ οὐ μὴ σβέσῃς τὸν λύχνον Ισραηλ. --

17 And Abessa the son of Saruia helped him and smote the Philistine, and slew him. Then the men of David swore, X X saying, Thou shalt not any longer go out with us to battle, and thou shalt not quench the lamp of Israel.

17 And Abisai the son of Sarvia rescued X him, and striking the Philistine killed him. Then David's men swore unto him saying: Thou shalt go no more out with us to battle, lest thou put out the lamp of Israel.

17 But Abi­shai the son of Zeruiah succoured X him, and smote the Philistine, and killed him. Then the men of David sware unto him, saying, Thou shalt go no more out with us to battle, that thou quench not the light of Israel.

17 then Abishai son of Tseruiah came to his aid, and he struck down the Philistine and put him to death. Then David’s men made an oath {} saying, “You may not go out any more with us to war so that you don’t extinguish the lamp of Israel,”

17 וַיַּעֲזָר לוֹ אֲבִישַׁי בֶּן צְרוּיָה וַיַּךְ אֶת הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי וַיְמִיתֵהוּ אָז נִשְׁבְּעוּ אַנְשֵׁי דָוִד לוֹH לֵאמֹר לֹא תֵצֵא עוֹד אִתָּנוּ לַמִּלְחָמָה וְלֹא תְכַבֶּהI אֶת נֵר יִשְׂרָאֵלJ.


4 ... μετὰ ταῦτα καὶ ἐγένετο ἔτι πόλεμος ἐν ΓαζερK μετὰ τῶν ἀλλο­φύλων τότε ἐπάταξεν ΣοβοχαιΟυσαθι τὸν Σαφου ἀπὸ τῶν υἱῶν τῶν γιγάντων καὶ ἐταπείνωσεν αὐτόνL

18 καὶ ἐγενήθη μετὰ ταῦτα ἔτι X πόλεμος ἐν Γεθ μετὰ
τῶν ἀλλο­φύλων. τότε ἐπάταξεν Σεβοχα ὁ Αστατωθι τὸν Σεφ τὸν ἐν τοῖς ἐκγόνοις τοῦ Ραφα. --

18 And X after this X there was a battle again with the Philistines in Geth: then Sebocha the Astato­thite slew Seph X of the progeny of Rapha.

18 X X X X There was also a second battle in Gob against the Philistines: then Sobo­chai of Husathi slew Saph X of the race of Arapha [of the family of the giants].

18 And it came to pass after this, that there was again a battle with the Philis­tines at Gob: then Sibbe­chai the Hushathite slew Saph, which was of the sons of the giant.

18 so that’s the way it was afterwards. Presently there was war again with the Philistines at Gob. That’s when Sibbecai the Hushathite struck down Saph, who was among those born of the Raphah.

18 וַיְהִי אַחֲרֵי כֵן וַתְּהִי עוֹד הַמִּלְחָמָה בְּגוֹבM עִם פְּלִשְׁתִּים אָז הִכָּה סִבְּכַיN הַחֻשָׁתִי אֶת סַף אֲשֶׁר בִּילִדֵי הָרָפָה.

4 וַיְהִי אַחֲרֵיכֵן וַתַּעֲמֹד XXמִלְחָמָה בְּגֶזֶר עִם־ פְּלִשְׁתִּים
אָז הִכָּה סִבְּכַי הַחֻשָׁתִי אֶת־ סִפַּי X מִילִדֵי הָרְפָאִים וַיִּכָּנֵעוּO׃

5 καὶ ἐγένετο ἔτι πόλεμος X X μετὰ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων καὶ ἐπάταξεν Ελλαναν υἱὸς ΙαϊρX τὸν XΛεεμι ἀδελφὸν Γολιαθ τοῦ Γεθθαίου καὶ ξύλον δόρατος αὐτοῦ ὡς ἀντίον ὑφαινόντων

19 καὶ ἐγένετο X πόλεμος ἐν Γοβ μετὰ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων. καὶ ἐπάταξεν Ελεαναν υἱὸς Αριωργιμ ὁ Βαιθλεεμίτης τὸν Γολιαθ τὸν Γεθ­θαῖον, καὶ τὸ ξύλον τοῦ δόρατος αὐτοῦ ὡς ἀντίον ὑφαι­νόντων. --

19 And there was X a battle in RomP with the Philis­tines; and Eleanan son of Ariorgim the Beth­leemite slew Goliath the Gittite; and the staff of his spear was as a weaver's beam.

19 And there was a third battle in Gob against the Philistines, in which Adeodatus the son of the Forrest an embroidererQ of Bethlehem slew Goliath the Gethite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.

19 And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhan­an the son of Jaareoregim, a Bethlehem­ite, slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.

19 And there was war again with the Philistines at Gob, and Elkhanan, son of Jaarei-oregim the Bethlehemite, struck down Goliath the Gittite (and the wood of his spear was furrowed like weavings).

19 וַתְּהִי עוֹד הַמִּלְחָמָה בְּגוֹבR עִם פְּלִשְׁתִּים וַיַּךְ אֶלְחָנָן בֶּן יַעְרֵי אֹרְגִים בֵּית הַלַּחְמִי אֵתS גָּלְיָת הַגִּתִּי וְעֵץ חֲנִיתוֹ כִּמְנוֹר אֹרְגִיםT.

5 וַתְּהִי־ עוֹד Xמִלְחָמָה XX אֶת־ פְּלִשְׁתִּים וַיַּךְ אֶלְחָנָן בֶּן־יָעוּרU
X
אֶת־ xלַחְמִי אֲחִי גָּלְיָת הַגִּתִּי וְעֵץ חֲנִיתוֹ כִּמְנוֹר אֹרְגִים׃

6 καὶ ἐγένετο ἔτι πόλεμος ἐν Γεθ καὶ ἦν ἀνὴρ ὑπερ­μεγέθης καὶ δάκτυλοι
X
αὐτοῦ X
X
X
X
ἓξ καὶ
ἕξ εἴκοσι τέσσαρες
X καὶ
X οὗτος
ἦν ἀπόγονος X γιγάντων

20 καὶ ἐγένετο ἔτι πόλεμος ἐν Γεθ. καὶ ἦν ἀνὴρ μαδων, καὶ [οἱ] δάκτυλοι [τῶν] χειρῶν αὐτοῦ καὶ [οἱ] δάκτυλοι [τῶν] ποδῶν αὐτοῦ ἓξ καὶ ἕξ, εἴκοσι τέσσαρες ἀριθμῷ, καί γε αὐτὸς ἐτέχθη τῷ Ραφα.

20 And there was yet a battle in Geth: and there was a man of statureV, and the fingers of his hands and the toes of his feet were six on each, four and twenty in number: and he also was born to Rapha.

20 A fourth battle was in GethW: where there was a man of great stature, that had six fingers on each hand, and six toes on each foot, four and twenty in all, and he was of the race of Arapha.

20 And there was yet a battle in Gath, where was a man of great stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant.

20 Then there was war again at Gath, in which there was a certain contentious man: now the fingers of his hands (and the toes of his feet) were six and six – 24 total, and he had also been born of the Raphah.

20 וַתְּהִי עוֹד מִלְחָמָה בְּגַת וַיְהִי אִישׁ מדיןX וְאֶצְבְּעֹת יָדָיו וְאֶצְבְּעֹת רַגְלָיו שֵׁשׁ וָשֵׁשׁ עֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבַּע מִסְפָּר וְגַם הוּא יֻלַּד לְהָרָפָה.

6 וַתְּהִי־ עוֹד מִלְחָמָה בְּגַת וַיְהִי אִישׁ מִדָּה וְאֶצְבְּעֹתָיxו xx
xx
שֵׁשׁ־ וָשֵׁשׁ עֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבַּע xx וְגַם־הוּא נוֹלַדY לְהָרָפָאZ׃

7 καὶ ὠνείδισεν τὸν Ισραηλ καὶ ἐπάταξεν αὐτὸν Ιωναθαν υἱὸς Σαμαα ἀδελφοῦ Δαυιδ

21 καὶ ὠνείδισεν τὸν Ισραηλ, καὶ ἐπάταξεν αὐτὸν Ιωναθαν υἱὸς Σεμεϊ ἀδελφοῦ Δαυιδ. --

21 And he defied Israel, and Jonathan son of Semei brother of David, smote him.

21 And he reproached Israel: and Jonathan the son of Samae the brother of David slew him.

21 And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea the brother of David slew him.

21 And he insulted Israel, so Jonathan, son of David’s brother Shime{a}, struck him down.

21 וַיְחָרֵף אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּכֵּהוּ יְהוֹנָתָןAA בֶּן ‎ שִׁמְעִיAB אֲחִי דָוִד.

7 וַיְחָרֵף אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּכֵּהוּ יְהוֹנָתָן בֶּן־ שִׁמְעָא
אֲחִי דָוִיד׃

8
οὗτοι ἐγένοντο
X X X Ραφα ἐν Γεθ
πάντες ἦσαν τέσσαρες X γίγαντες X καὶ ἔπεσον ἐν χειρὶ Δαυιδ καὶ ἐν χειρὶ παίδων αὐτοῦ

22 οἱ τέσ­σαρες οὗτοι ἐτέχθησαν [ἀπόγονοι τῶν γιγάν­των] ἐν Γεθ τῷ Ραφα [οἶκος], καὶ ἔπεσαν ἐν χειρὶ Δαυιδ καὶ ἐν χειρὶ τῶν δούλων αὐτοῦ.

22 These four were born [descendants of the giantsAC] in Geth, the [family] of Rapha; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.

22 These four were born of Arapha in Geth, and they fell by the hand of David, and of his servants.

22 These four were born to the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.

22 It was these four who were born to the Raphah in Gath, but they fell by the agency of David and by the agency of his servants.

22 אֶת אַרְבַּעַת אֵלֶּה יֻלְּדוּ לְהָרָפָהAD בְּגַת וַיִּפְּלוּ בְיַד דָּוִד וּבְיַד עֲבָדָיו.

X 8

X
אֵל נוּלְּדוּ לְהָרָפָא בְּגַת וַיִּפְּלוּ בְיַד־דָּוִיד וּבְיַד־עֲבָדָיו׃ פ


12 Sam. 3:18 “...Yahweh has spoken to David saying, 'It is by the hand of my servant David that {I will} save my people Israel from the control of the Philistines, and from the control of all their enemies.'" (NAW)

2Recorded in Louis Ginzberg’s The Legends of the Jews

3Deut. 2:10 “The Emim, a great and numerous people as tall as the Anakim, had previously lived there. 11 They were also regarded as Rephaim, like the Anakim, though the Moabites called them Emim. 12 The Horites had previously lived in Seir, but the descendants of Esau drove them out, destroying them completely and settling in their place, just as Israel did in the land of its possession the Lord gave them… 20 This too used to be regarded as the land of the Rephaim. The Rephaim lived there previously, though the Ammonites called them Zamzummim, 21 a great and numerous people, tall as the Anakim. The Lord destroyed the Rephaim at the advance of the Ammonites, so that they drove them out and settled in their place.”

4Anak doesn’t appear in the Bible before Numbers 13.

5Num. 11:21 “At that time Joshua proceeded to exterminate the Anakim from the hill country—Hebron, Debir, Anab—all the hill country of Judah and of Israel. Joshua completely destroyed them with their cities. 22 No Anakim were left in the land of the Israelites, except for some remaining in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod.” Josh. 15:14 “Caleb drove out the three sons of Anak from there [Hebron]: Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak.”

61 Kings 11:36 “And to his son I will give one tribe, that My servant David may always have a lamp [ניר] before Me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen for Myself, to put My name there.” cf. 1 Kings 15:4, 2 Kings 8:19, 2 Chron. 21:7 “Yet the LORD would not destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that He had made with David, and since He had promised to give a lamp [ניר] to him and to his sons forever.”

7Tsumura cited approvingly the claim of Na’aman that the recently-excavated Khirbet Qeiyafa on the northern side of the valley of Elah is the Biblical Gob.

8Cited by 18th century commentator John Gill

9“The eighth captain for the eighth month was Sibbechai the Hushathite, of the Zarhites; in his division were twenty-four thousand.” (NKJV)

10In the late 20th century, the Olympics also mandated a change in center of gravity in javelins which makes them fall sooner, also making it more difficult to exceed the length of standard fields.

11These passages, however, call his father “Dodo” (“his beloved one”), whereas the passages in 2 Sam. 21 and 1 Chron. 20 call his father Jair (“forest”) + oregim (“weavers”), so it might not be the same guy (K&D asserted it was not), although it is not impossible for one man to have more than one name.

12Namely, the Greek Septuagint, The Syriac Peshitta, the Aramaic Targums, and the Latin Vulgate

13(Willett, Henry, Gill, K&D)

14Goldman (Soncino), Tsumura (NICOT)

15In the Hebrew, “Lahmi” could just be the tail of the place-name “Bethlehem” (Gill) or it could be a man’s name (Willett).

16“traced by Albright and others back to the non-Semitic Anatolian name Walwatta… cf. Hittite walliwalli… It is possible that the name and its variants became a common name used by the Israelites to refer to a Philistine giant.”

17Viz. Kimchi and the Targums traditions

18NICOT also takes this position. Keil & Delitzsch suggested that madin was simply “an archaic plural” for madah, which would give the two accounts the same basic meaning.

19v.3 in all the manuscripts except the DSS and the Lucian Rescription of the LXX which name him “Jonathan.” See Endnotes for commentary on variants of David’s brother’s name.

20Matthew Henry had a curious theory that the subject of “and he struck down the Philistine [Ishbi-benov]” in v.17 was David, thus giving David one of the four victories, but no English version interprets it that way, because the Hebrew grammar indicates that the subject was “Abishai” and that the previous verb was military “help,” not medical refreshment. However, David did have a personal hand early on in the fight with Ishbi-benov.

21“It is folly for the strong man to glory in his strength. David's servants were no bigger nor stronger than other men; yet thus, by divine assistance, they mastered one giant after another. God chooses by the weak things to confound the mighty.” ~Matthew Henry

AMy original chart includes the NASB, NIV, and ESV, but their copyright restrictions have forced me to remove them from the publicly-available edition of this chart. (NAW is my translation.) When a translation adds words not in the Hebrew text, but does not indicate it has done so by the use of italics or greyed-out text, I put the added words in [square brackets]. When one version chooses a wording which is different from all the other translations, I underline it. When a version chooses a translation which, in my opinion, either departs too far from the root meaning of the Hebrew word or departs too far from the grammar form of the original text, I use strikeout. And when a version omits a word which is in the original text, I insert an X. (I also place an X at the end of a word if the original word is plural but the English translation is singular.) I occasionally use colors to help the reader see correlations between the various editions and versions when there are more than two different translations of a given word. The only known Dead Sea Scrolls containing 2 Samuel 21 are 4Q51 Samuela (containing parts of verses 1-17 and dated between 50-25 BC) and 1Q7 (containing parts of verses 16-19 and dated c. 150 BC). No DSS of Chronicles has been discovered. Where the DSS is legible and in agreement with the MT, the MT is colored purple (or magenta). Where the DSS supports the LXX (or Vulgate) with omissions or text not in the MT, I have highlighted with yellow the LXX and its translation into English, and where I have accepted that into my NAW translation, I have marked it with {pointed brackets}.
In the parallel Greek and Hebrew readings from 1 Chronicles, I have colored orange words that are spelled differently and colored grey words that are not in the 2 Sam text.

BThis Hebrew verb is found only four other places: Jdg. 4:21; 1 Sam. 14:28; 2 Sam. 21:15; Jer. 4:31, and most notably 1 Samuel 14:31 “Nevertheless, the people that day struck against the Philistines from Mikmash to Ajalon, even though they were very weary.” (NAW)

CIn keeping with the LXX translation tradition a doubtful word is transliterated (“shekel”) and also translated (“weight”).

DThe MT reads “Ishbo,” but the Targums, Syriac, Septuagint, and Vulgate all read Ishbi. The LXX omits “Benov,” but spelling variation is normal in translations across multiple languages like this. According to Louis Ginzberg’s The Legends of the Jews, Ishbibenov was son of Orpah, and brother of Goliath. When he came upon David, he desired to avenge his brother's death and seized David and cast him into a wine-press. The king would have surely died had not the earth beneath him miraculously began to sink.

EThis name Rapha only appears in this one chapter in the Bible, although there are other names which have been associated with it in other passages, such as the Nephilim in Genesis and Numbers, the Anakim and Rephaim in Genesis, Deuteronomy and Joshua, and the Zuzzim in Deuteronomy. Rephaim are also mentioned in Josh 13:2 as a classification for Og, King of Bashan, and there is a Valley of Rephaim mentioned several times in the History books, which some think was a pre-Canaanite people group’s habitation. If there are any associations among these mysterious names, they are not very clear or explicit. Here the name appears to refer to a particular woman, for only a woman “gives birth” (YLDIM). Talmudists suggested she was descended from Ruth’s sister-in-law Orpah, and Abarbinel called her “a woman of the daughters of the giants.” Goliath, one of the four sons of hers mentioned here, was described in 1 Samuel as unusually large and strong, and a second one of the four is also described here as being of “great stature” and having 6-digit hands, but the Bible doesn’t say whether the other two of their brothers had polydigitism or giantism. As a root word, רפה (RPH) means to “sink down” and, according to TWOT, is used to describe those who are weak or discouraged or dead.
Genesis 6:4 There were Nephilim in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
Numbers 13:32 “The land we passed through to explore is one that devours its inhabitants, and all the people we saw in it are men of great size. 33 We even saw the Nephilim there—the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim! To ourselves we seemed like grasshoppers, and we must have seemed the same to them.”
Deut. 2:10 The Emim, a great and numerous people as tall as the Anakim, had previously lived there. 11 They were also regarded as Rephaim, like the Anakim, though the Moabites called them Emim. 12 The Horites had previously lived in Seir, but the descendants of Esau drove them out, destroying them completely and settling in their place, just as Israel did in the land of its possession the Lord gave them… 20 This too used to be regarded as the land of the Rephaim. The Repha­im lived there previously, though the Ammonites called them Zamzummim, 21 a great and numerous people, tall as the Anakim. The Lord destroyed the Rephaim at the advance of the Ammonites, so that they drove them out and settled in their place.”
Deuteronomy 9:1 “Listen, Israel: Today you are about to cross the Jordan to enter and drive out nations greater and stronger than you, with large cities fortified to the heavens. 2 The people are strong and tall, the descendants of the Anakim. You know about them and you have heard it said about them, ‘Who can stand up to the sons of Anak?’ 3 But understand that today the Lord your God will cross over ahead of you as a consuming fire; he will devastate and subdue them before you. You will drive them out and destroy them swiftly, as the Lord has told you.”
Joshua 11:21 At that time Joshua proceeded to exterminate the Anakim from the hill country—Hebron, Debir, Anab—all the hill country of Judah and of Israel. Joshua completely destroyed them with their cities. 22 No Anakim were left in the land of the Israelites, except for some remaining in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod.

FKeil & Delitsch: “eight pounds, of brass, half as much as the spear of Goliath” Albert Barnes concurred.
Lange: “Instead of the second מִשְׁקַל (‘weight’) we should probably read שֶׁקֶל (‘shekel’)"

GOld Latin + spata (“broadsword”), Syriac +‎ ספסרא = Targums +‎ אִספָנִיקֵי (“strap/girdle” so Jarchi. Gill postulated it represented a commission in the army), Vulgate + ense (“sword”). Most English versions add the word “sword.” Greek substitutes the next Hebrew word “new” for “club” (κορύνην); DSS instead substitutes חורה (“nobly”?). Keil & Delitsch cite Boettcher approvingly as saying that חֲדָשָׁהthe feminine to be used in a collective sense, so that the noun (‘armour,’ כֵּלָיו) could be dispensed with.

HThis word “to him” is omitted in the oldest-known manuscripts (DSS 1Q7, LXX). If it was not original, it was added early-on for clarification to relate the oath to David, because it is in the Syriac, Vulgate, and Targums.

IThe only previous use of this verb in the piel was 2 Sam. 14:7 “Now, see, the whole family has risen up against your maidservant, and they have said, 'Give up the one who struck down his brother, so we may put him to death concerning the soul of his brother which he murdered, and we will also destroy the heir,' so my coal which is left they will extinguish by there never being a name to put after my husband nor anyone who remains upon the face of the earth." (NAW)

JThis phrase “lamp of Israel” does not occur anywhere else in the Hebrew Bible. The two main places mentioned in the Hebrew Bible where such lamps were placed were in the temple, and in residential homes.

KTargums = Gezer, Syriac = [G]aza, Vulgate = Gazer

LThe MT word without the pointing could conceivably be read “he humiliated him,” but with the Masoretic pointing it reads “they [the Raphaims] were humiliated.”

MThis place name has a lot of variants: Some Hebrew manuscripts render it “Nob” instead of “Gob,” LXX & Syriac read “Gath,” DSS read “Elim,” and in the parallel passage in 1 Chron. 20 it is “Gezer,” and the Syriac of 1 Chr. 20 is “Gaza.” I like Gill’s comment: “either the place had two names, or these two places were near each other; so that the battle may be said to be fought both at the one and at the other, being fought equally near to both.” K&D also suggested that Gob “may possibly have been a small place somewhere near to Gezer.”

NCuriously, the DSS inserts אם (“the mother of”?), but there is no other manuscript that supports this.

OThe pluralization of Raphah in the 1 Chron. account and the insertion of “and they were humiliated” are curious additions.

P“Rom” is the reading of Vaticanus. The standard LXX reading is “Gob,” like the MT.

QThe Vulgate translated rather than transliterated, the Hebrew. Jair means “forest,” and origim means “weavers.”

RThis location also has variants, although not as many as the one in the previous verse. Multiple Hebrew manuscripts read “Nob,” Vaticanus reads “Rom,” Syriac reads “for Israel,” and the parallel passage in 1 Chron. 20 omits the location altogether, but the Targums, LXX, and Vulgate agree with the MT “Gob.”

SThe emendation of את (untranslatable sign that the next word is a direct object) to the very similar-looking אח (“brother”) in the 1 Chronicles 20 parallel passage is very interesting. One has to wonder which way the emendation went, although is generally agreed that 2 Sam. is the older text. The fact however, that the LXX, Syriac, Targums, and Vulgate all saw no reason not to attribute the striking down of Goliath to Elkhanan should give any translator pause. Perhaps he knocked Goliath down at one point but did not kill him, and David finished him off on another occasion, or perhaps Elkhanan was another name for “David” (although it would be odd, since David’s name is rendered “David” 2 verses earlier and 3 verses later), or perhaps Elkhanan killed both Goliath and his brother and there was another named Goliath that David killed, or perhaps Goliath was a title which a succession of champions might have as a name so that after David killed one such champion, Elkhanan killed his successor, and perhaps even the two were brothers such that the Goliath in 2 Sam. 21 was the brother of the Goliath that David killed, such that both accounts could be true: Elkhanan killed a Goliath (2 Sam. 21) and that Goliath was the brother of the Goliath (1 Chron. 20) that David killed. It may not be possible to determine conclusively which was the case, but, but the same token, these possibilities make it impossible to conclusively say that this is an error in the Bible.

TGoliath’s spear was described in this way in 1 Sam. 17:7, as also was the spear of the tall Egyptian that Benaiah killed in 1 Chron. 11:23. Rifling grooves would probably make a spear fly straighter and further. Incidentally, such grooves are not allowed in track and field javelins. I suspect the reason is that javelin-throwers have been pushing the limits of the length of the stadium fields in how far they can throw, so that limitation on rifling is one way they keep the sport competitive within the size of fields available. In the late 20th century, the olympics also mandated a change in center of gravity in javelins which makes them fall sooner, also making it more difficult to exceed the length of standard fields. Perhaps the Hebrews had not encountered this aerodynamic design in spears until they encountered them in the early Iron age in combat with Egyptians and Philistines, so they remarked on it when they saw the design.

UQere = יָעִיר

VStature” is actually borrowed by Brenton from 1 Chron 20. The Greek word here in 2 Sam in both Vaticanus and Rahlf’s edition of the Septuagint is a transliteration of the Hebrew word “madon” which the original septuagint authors must have taken for a place name. Symmachus, however, in his Greek version rendered it prmetroV (“foremost size”).

WThe Vulgate actually reads “Gob,” so “Geth” is a gloss from Douay. The Vulgate reads “Geth” in 1 Chron. 20:6, though.

XQere spelling is מָדוֹן, which is just a spelling difference with no difference in meaning, as both mean “strife.” The LXX (“Madon”) and Syriac of 2 Sam 21 (חד “fierce”? + דמשׁוחתא) seem to support the reading of the MT of 2 Sam 21. Then there’s the 1 Chron 20 parallel passage MT spelling מִדָּה, which means “measurement/size/stature,” supported by the Targums of 2 Sam. 21 and 1 Chr. 20:6, the LXX of 1 Chron. 20 (as well as Symmachus’ Greek version of 2 Sam. 21, in a rare departure from the MT for him), and the Vulgate of 2 Sam. 21 (excelsus “height”) and of 1 Chron. 20 (longissimus “tall”).

YThe 1 Chron. spelling is Niphal, whereas the 2 Sam. spelling is Qal Passive, but both mean the same thing.

ZThe Hebrew root of the 1 Chron. spelling here is (רפא) “heal” whereas the Hebrew root of the 2 Sam. spelling (רפה) is “sink down,” but they would sound the same to the ear, and, since it is a proper name in a foreign language, spelling variations are normal and don’t change the meaning.

AAThe Syriac reads “Jonadab,” which is the name given of Shimeah’s son in 13:3 in all the manuscripts except the DSS and the Lucian Rescription of the LXX which name him “Jonathan.” There could have been two sons, one named Jonathan, and one named Jonadab, or the son could have gone by two names (as men named “Charles” also go by “Chuck,” even though the names have two different endings).

ABThe MT reads “Shimei,” and the LXX supports that, but the Qere and Targums and recommend שִׁמְעָה “Shimeah” (compare with the Vulgate Sammaa and the short form שמה given as David’s third-oldest brother in 1 Sam. 16:9), which would sound the same as the spelling in the parallel passage of 1 Chron 20 “Shimea,” the latter of which seems to be favored by the Syriac of 2 Sam 21 שׁמא, and matches the name of David’s third-oldest brother listed in 1 Chron. 2:13.

AC It appears that, as was their habit, the Septuagint translators rendered these obscure Hebrew words two different ways, both as “begotten of the Rapha” and “offspring of the giants.” They were not adding to scripture; they were offering parenthetical alternative translations, like Phillips did for English-speakers in the 20th Century.

ADSyriac and Targums render this word as גברא (“mighty-man”)

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