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.
The key phrase in the second half of 2 Samuel chapter 21 is “and there was war again.” The phrase occurs five times in these 8 verses – each time in the context of battles with the Philistines.
Now, David and Saul had already fought many battles against the Philistines previously:
We first encounter them in 1 Samuel chapter 4, when the Philistines invaded Israel and captured the ark.
Then the Philistine army invaded again in 1 Samuel 7, while Israel was worshipping God at Mitzpah, but God delivered Israel that time through the prayers of Samuel.
1 Samuel 13 and 14 describe Jonathan and Saul’s desperate defense of Israel which resulted in a surprising turnaround in which they chased the Philistines out of Israel.
Then 1 Samuel 17 describes an invasion attempt that David and Saul stopped at the border in the Valley of Elah, when David famously took down Goliath with a slingshot.
David had more skirmishes with the Philistines in 1 Samuel 18 and 19,
and stopped a Philistine takeover of Keilah in 1 Samuel 23, while Saul was combating another invasion of Philistines elsewhere.
And in the final chapters of 1 Samuel we read of the massive Philistine invasion of Israel from the north that brought the demise of Saul and most of his sons.
When David became king in Jerusalem, he immediately had to defend Israel against a double-header, divide-and-conquer attack from the Philistines in 2 Samuel 5,
and then again in chapter 8, David had more battles with the Philistines.
But the Israelites were never able to wipe out the Philistines in one decisive battle. This was a war over the long-haul; they had to keep fighting and keep on fighting.
Our passage starts with:
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 [faint, exhausted], 16 and when Ishbi-benov, who was among those born of the Rapha (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, 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,” 18 so that’s the way it was afterwards.
There is debate among Bible scholars as to exactly where in the reign of David to place these wars.
In the parallel passage in 1 Chronicles 20, the account of these wars immediately follows the war with the Ammonites mentioned in 2 Samuel chapters 10-12. So some think these Philistine battles happened before Absalom’s revolt (Goldman),
but most seem to think that these wars came after Absalom’s revolt, late in David’s life (Gill).
Remember that it was a significant part of David’s calling to free Israel from the oppression of the Philistines1, so he continued to the end of his days working toward that goal. In this first of David’s final four skirmishes against the Philistines, he runs up against a remarkable Philistine soldier named Ishbi-benov.
Ishbi-benov means “his dwelling is on the height,” so maybe he had a castle on a hilltop somewhere (K&D),
and maybe Ishbi went after David to take revenge on him for killing his brother Goliath, but this is the man that David locked into combat with.
The first-century Jewish historian Josephus claimed that David’s superior fighting put Ishbi on the run, but that, as David chased after Ishbi, he got tired quickly, due to his old age, and then Ishbi turned on David while he was winded and got the advantage over David.
Another Jewish legend2 fills in the story at this point, that “Ishbi-benov seized David and cast him into a wine-press,” and was about to finish David off when a miraculous movement of the earth saved David’s life, and then Abishai swooped in and took Ishbi down.
Now, the original Hebrew doesn’t actually say that Ishbi was a giant, it just says that:
he boasted that he was going to kill David,
also that he had something “new” strapped around his waist – most folks deduce that it was a new “sword,” which means it would have been at the height of its sharpness.
We also read that he had an 8-pound bronze tip on the end of his spear (half the size of Goliath’s, but still remarkably big) – some of these Philistine speartips have been found in archaeological excavations of the ancient town of Gath.
And Ishbi was “among those born of the Rapha” – whatever the Rapha was, we are not told, but the Rapha is definite and singular, not plural here.
This 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 “Zamzummim” in Deuteronomy.
Rephaim are also mentioned in Joshua 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 passages like Deuteronomy 2 describe as a pre-Canaanite people group’s habitation3.
The associations among these mysterious names, are not very clear or explicit, but they are enough to raise a lot of conjectures.
Here the phrase “the Raphah” appears to me to be a title for a particular woman, since it has a feminine ending, and only a woman can “give birth” in the sense of the Hebrew root-word ילד used here (however, there are Hebrew scholars I respect, such as Keil & Delitzsch who thought it referred to a man).
The way the word “Raphah” is spelled here (רפה), the Hebrew root would mean to “sink down” and is used elsewhere in the O.T. to describe those who are physically “weak” or emotionally “discouraged” or even “dead.”
But, the way the name Rapha (רפא) is spelled in the parallel account in 1 Chronicles 20, it sounds the same, but it comes from a different Hebrew root which means “to heal.”
However, the Hebrew meanings might be irrelevant if it is actually a Philistine word, which I suspect is the case. With the Hebrew alphabet there was more than one way to spell the sound of this Philistine name.
Jewish rabbinical tradition has suggested that this Rapha was descended from Ruth’s sister-in-law Orpah (perhaps since the two names contain the same consonant sequence of R-P-H), and the famous 15th century Jewish rabbi Abarbinel called her “a woman of the daughters of the giants.”
One of the four sons mentioned in this passage as being born of her is named Goliath, but I think that Goliath was a different person than the giant that David fought.
Only one of the four offspring of Rapha in this chapter is actually described as having “great stature” and having 6-digit hands; the Bible doesn’t say whether the other brothers had polydigitism or giantism, but all of the commentators I read took it for granted that they were all giants.
Now, when we say “giant,” we are prone to think in terms of fantasy writings which describe a separate race of sentient beings (who are not quite as smart as us), but we need to be careful not to project fairy tales on the Bible like that.
There could be perfectly natural explanations for giants in the Bible, since the variation in genetics among humans can naturally make for some really big and tall persons. You can find 12-foot-tall persons, and persons with more than five fingers somewhere in the world at any time in history, and these are not a different race of beings, they are just normal human beings with more-than-ordinary numbers of fingers and greater-than-ordinary size.
There is another theory that the giants in the Bible are actually the offspring of human women who married demons. This is based on a certain interpretation of Genesis 6 and Numbers 13.
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.” Nephelim means “fallen ones” in Hebrew, and some Christians interpret “sons of God” as demons who intermarried with the daughters of men, but Jesus told us in Matthew 22:30 that angels don’t marry, so I am in the camp that interprets “sons of God” as humans who lived in a covenant relationship with God and “daughters of men” as humans who lived in rebellion to God.
I would also like to point out that the report of the 10 faithless spies that Joshua sent into Canaan in Numbers 13:32-33 may not have been gospel truth; it was probably spun and exaggerated a bit to frighten people: “The land we passed through to explore is one that devours its inhabitants (OK, so why were there any inhabitants left?), and all the people we saw in it are men of great size (All of them, really? That doesn’t jive with the Biblical accounts of the conquering of Canaan in the book of Joshua.). We even saw the Nephilim there – the descendants of Anak4 (Wait, the last time Nephilim were mentioned in the Bible was some 2,000 years previously in early Genesis – before the flood, and now suddenly these guys are able to objectively identify Nephilim? That seems a little suspicious.) – we seemed like grasshoppers, and we must have seemed the same to them.” (OK, that’s how you felt subjectively, but that’s kinda slim on objective, scientific observation, so I’m hesitant to build a whole doctrine of half-human half-demon giants based on this.)
The only thing remotely resembling giants that the Hebrews encountered when they actually entered the Promised land was a “tall, strong people” settled around Hebron who were descended from a man named Anak, but, according to the book of Numbers, Joshua and Caleb killed or drove them all out5.
There is, however, an interesting connection in the Bible, between those “tall, strong” Anakim from Hebron and these Philistines of “great stature” in 1 & 2 Samuel: Numbers 11:22 says of Joshua’s earlier war campaigns, “No Anakim were left in the land of the Israelites, except for some remaining in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod.” And it is here, near Gath, a couple hundred years later, that we find Goliath and his brothers.
Now, the book of Numbers says that Caleb was in his 80’s when he conquered those Anakim (Josh. 14:10), and, in our passage in 2 Samuel 21, David is also an old man, but he is still vigilantly fighting giants!
Evil doesn’t disappear when you get older; if anything, the older we get, the more evil we see.
After God dealt with David’s wayward heart in the matter of Bathsheba, David was once again unwilling to sit lazily on his throne in Jerusalem, indulging himself, while his mighty men went out to defend the country; he wanted to be right where the action was, fighting alongside the mighty men.
Now, obviously, as we age, we can’t do everything the young bucks do anymore, and it becomes necessary, as David’s supporters pointed out, to shift toward supporting roles, and away from the intense frontline roles, as we age. This is also an important part of preparing the next generation to be successful once we are gone – giving them leadership opportunities while we coach them.
But let us follow David’s (and Caleb’s) example and not grow lazy, inactive, and passive toward evil as we age but continue active and vigilant against sin!
The Israelite soldiers had to talk David out of going to the frontline in the battles as he aged, and their most compelling argument was that he must “not extinguish the lamp of Israel.”
This phrase “lamp of Israel” does not occur anywhere else in the Hebrew Bible, but there is a synonymous word for “lamp” in Hebrew which occurs several times in prophecies concerning the succession of David’s descendants as kings. God said in 1 Kings 11:36 “[I want] my servant David always to have a lamp before me in Jerusalem”6
There is something about having a wise leader who loves God that brightens whole organizations – even whole nations, and David’s followers did not want to lose that blessing.
Those of you who have some age on you, you are also a “lamp” to the next generation. Is that a role you can own?
As a lamp, you have experience and wisdom to share with those who are younger. Will you build relationships with others and share what God had taught you?
For those of us who like to write, writing is another way we can be a “lamp” to the church.
I am truly indebted to Augustine and to Calvin and to John Piper for writing down what they studied in the Bible,
and I am equally indebted to the anonymous parishioners of John Chrysostom and John Owen who wrote down their pastors’ sermons (and students like James Martin who translated Keil & Delitzsch’s commentaries into English), so that I could read them and follow them like guiding lights.
As we age and lose abilities we once had, and experience pain more-and-more systematically, and lose more and more loved ones to the grave, we may long to leave this life and be with Jesus, where there is no more bodily limitation or pain or death, but we need to take care of ourselves, even in our old age, so that we may be a light on this earth for as long as God can use us.
“Presently there was war again with the Philistines”
In the parallel passage in 1 Chronicles 20 verse 4, it is called a “standing war,” it just keeps going on and on!
This time the battle was at a place called “Gob.”
In the parallel passage in 1 Chronicles 20, the location is “Gezer,”
but the general consensus among the commentaries I read is that Gob was a small town near Gezer at the border between Israelite and Philistine territory7, and of the five major Philistine cities, it was closest to Ekron.
So, once again, the Philistines were trying to invade Israel, and this was one of the times David and his army were able to stop them at the border.
The main thing noted in this account, is that this battle was “when Sibbecai the Hushathite struck down Saph, who was among those born of the Raphah.”
There is a Jewish tradition8 that Sibbechai was as tall a door, and so he had to duck to go through doorways.
Whether or not that’s true, we know from 1 Chronicles 11:29 that Sibbechai was one of David’s mighty-men,
and from 1 Chronicles 27:11 that Sibbechai was one of the 12 top-ranking army captains with 24,000 troops under him9.
And here he is, diligently defending the borders of his country from a group of people that God had specifically told the Israelites to eliminate from the Promised Land.
At this second mention of those “born of the Raphah,” the parallel verse in 1 Chronicles 20 reads “Raphaim” (plural) instead of “the Rapha,”
and it is here that the ancient Greek Septuagint translation introduces the word gigantwn, from which we get the word “giants.”
But the war ain’t over yet!
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).
It is curious that what was most impressive about this Goliath was his spear.
The Goliath that David slew in 1 Samuel 17:7 also had a spear that was described with the exact same words, and furthermore, in 1 Chronicles 11:23, the same description is also given of the spear of the tall Egyptian that Benaiah killed.
The traditional interpretation is that the “shaft was like a weaver’s beam.”
A “weaver’s beam” is the horizontal shaft that the ends of all the lateral threads are tied onto before the perpendicular threads are woven in to make it into cloth.
According to Reference.com, a weaver’s beam was about 2 ½ inches in diameter in the early Iron Age, and, as best I can tell, that’s about twice the diameter (or more) of your average throwing-spear,
so, according to this traditional interpretation, we should be impressed at how big his spear was, and therefore at what a giant-of-a-man God enabled Elkhanan to defend himself against.
I would like to offer an alternate interpretation, however, that the words traditionally interpreted “weaver’s beam” are actually describing rifling grooves which would make a spear fly straighter and further.
Incidentally, such grooves are not allowed in Track and Field javelins. The reason, I read, is that athletes have been able to throw their javelins so far that traditional athletic fields are almost not long enough, so that limitation on rifling is one way that officials have been able to keep the sport competitive within the size of fields available.10
Perhaps the Hebrews had not encountered this aerodynamic design in spears until they encountered them in combat with Egyptians and Philistines at this time in history, so they remarked on it when they saw the design.
Anyway, the Israelite warrior who felled this giant is called Elkhanan here – presumably the same Elkhanan mentioned in 2 Samuel 23:24 and 1 Chronicles 11:26, who was one of David’s top-30 mighty men of war11.
Now, the parallel passage in 1 Chronicles says that Elkhanan killed – not Goliath, but – the BROTHER of Goliath.
The difference in Hebrew between those two statements is merely the presence or absence of one little line on one side of one letter (את vs. אח).
The fact however, that all the ancient translators of all the ancient versions of the Bible12 all saw no reason not to attribute the striking down of Goliath to Elkhanan here in 2 Samuel, should give any modern translator pause before re-writing the text.
But how else could this difference between 1 Chronicles and 2 Samuel be reconciled? Did Elkhanan kill Goliath or did he kill Goliath’s brother? Is this an error in the Bible?
Well, this account is so brief, and it leaves so many possibilities open that it can’t be proved that the accounts of 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles are actually contradictory.
Many Jewish Rabbi’s have suggested, for instance, that Elkhanan was just another name for “David.” However it would seem odd to call him “David” in verse 17, then “Elkhanan” in v. 19, and then “David” again in v.21.
Some of the older commentaries I read13 suggested that the word “brother” was just assumed, and didn’t need to be inserted into the Hebrew wording of 2 Samuel, although perhaps we need it there in English today.
Thus the KJV, NET Bible and New Living Translation inserted “brother of” into the text of 2 Samuel 21:19.
But then again, if it was assumed, why would it be inserted in the 1 Chronicles account, but not the 2 Samuel one?
Some of the more-recent commentaries I read14 suggested that perhaps there was more than one man named Goliath,
so 2 Samuel 21 could be describing Elkhanan killing one of them,
and 1 Chronicles 20 could be describing him killing that Goliath’s brother (whom 1 Chronicles 20 calls “Lahmi”15),
and then the earlier account in 1 Samuel 17 could be describing an earlier occasion where David killed another giant who also happened to be named “Goliath.”
Or, what makes most sense to me, is that perhaps “Goliath” might not have been a name but rather a title which a succession of champions might have held, such that after David killed one champion, the title got passed down to another Philistine, whom Elkhanan killed.
And perhaps the two champions were brothers, such that the Goliath in 2 Samuel 21 could have been the brother of the Goliath that David killed, and that would correlate the two parallel passages: Elkhanan killed a Goliath (2 Sam. 21) and that Goliath was the brother of the Goliath (1 Chron. 20) that David killed, so when he killed his Goliath, he was also killing the brother of David’s Goliath.
A pot has been found during recent archaeological excavations of Tel es Safi – the ancient city of Gath – with the name “Goliath” scratched on it. This might not be such a fabulous coincidence if “Goliath” were a title which was held by more than one person.
In the New International Commentary on the Old Testament, Dr. David Tsumura noted that the word “Goliath” in Hebrew traces back to a Gentile word which means “powerful one.” He suggested that “Goliath” might have been a generic name used among the Hebrews to denote any Philistine champion, kind-of like Northern soldiers in the 19th century Civil War in America called all the Confederate soldiers “Johnny Reb,” whether or not their name was actually John.16
It may not be possible to determine conclusively which of these possible explanations was actually the case, but, by the same token, these possibilities make it impossible to conclusively say that the Bible has an error here.
The point, however, is that Godly men were steadfastly defending God’s people from being overrun by deadly and persistent enemies of God’s people, even though those enemies had impressive weaponry.
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 – twenty-four total, and he had also been born of the Raphah. 21 And he insulted Israel, so Jonathan, son of David’s brother Shime{a}, struck him down. 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.
In this fourth battle, another remarkable character is introduced. The first description in Hebrew is that he was madin. Now, there are basically two schools of thought on how to translate madin:
One school of thought follows the root meaning of the Hebrew word madin or madon, which means “strife/contention.”
The ancient Greek and Syriac versions of the Bible support this meaning,
and 18th century commentators Matthew Henry and John Gill called him a man of “unparalleled insolence,” and “a man of strife,”
The parallel passage in 1 Chronicles 20, however, spells the ending of the Hebrew word slightly differently, rendering מִדָּה, which means “measurement/size,”
Of course, since this six-fingered man’s “great stature” is stated in 1 Chronicles, it is infallibly true, because 1 Chronicles is part of the inspired Scriptures, but if we follow the original languages in their wording, we can see that he was not only “big” but also “quarrelsome.” Now, we don’t kill people for being big, but we do have to bring consequences to troublemakers.
And insolence is the one thing that this giant is recorded as actually doing; he “insulted/taunted/defied” Israel, much like the Goliath of 1 Samuel 17:10 did, who said, “‘As for me, I insult the ranks of Israel this day! Give me a man and let's engage in combat together.’ [Which is why]… 26 David spoke to the men standing with him, saying, ‘What is going to be done... to turn away insult from upon Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should insult the ranks of the Living God?’” (NAW)
So this big, bad Philistine was killed by David’s nephew Jonathan.
“Jonadab” is the name given of Shimeah’s son back in chapter 1319. But Shimeah could have had two sons, one named Jonathan, and one named Jonadab. (Henry, Gill)
Jonathan was righteously courageous here,
whereas Jonadab in chapter 13 was known for being “crafty” and inciting wickedness with Amnon.
Alternately, Jonadab and Jonathan could have been one-and-the-same son going by two names (like men named “Charles” might also go by “Chuck,” even though the names have two different endings), and the meanings of the two names are very close: Jonathan means “Yahweh gave,” and Jonadab means “Yahweh gave willingly.” (K&D, Goldman, Tsumura)
Again, these possible explanations mean nobody can assume an error in the Bible here.
And again, the main point is that the men in David’s kingdom kept on fighting to defend the honor of God and the integrity of God’s people. The last verse in the chapter summarizes their war exploits by saying that “these four” giants were felled by King David and by those who served him.
Literally the Hebrew says “by [their] hand” (singular), but I think that a figurative interpretation such as, “by the agency of,” is warranted here, otherwise literally it would have to mean that these men fought using only one hand.
So the victories of Abishai, Sibbechai, Elkhanan, and Jonathan were accomplished under David’s administration as their king, and were assisted in their success by David’s command and logistical support, so David also got recognition for his part in these victories20.
As we consider how this passage applies to us, we recognize that, although God hasn’t called many of us to take up arms to defend our country, the military is a legitimate calling. But there is a war God has called every one of us to fight in, and that is the spiritual war against all that stands opposed to Jesus Christ.
1 Tim. 1:18-19 “...war a good warfare; Holding faith, and a good conscience... 6:11 ... and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called…” (KJV)
2 Cor. 10:4-5 “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (KJV)
Colossians 3:5 “[Put to death] therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry”
Our battles against sin, like David’s battles against the Philistines, are going to have to be fought our whole life long. Let us, like David (and Caleb before him) never grow lazy, inactive, and passive toward evil as we age but continue active and vigilant against sin!
One thing I have found especially helpful in staying vigilant is reading classic books on the Christian life, like John Owen’s books: The Mortification of Sin and The Power of Indwelling Sin In Believers, and Searching Our Hearts In Difficult Times, which I’ve currently been reading.
We can also learn from David that it is not wise to go giant-fighting alone.
When you fight giants, you want a commander-in-chief like David who has experience in conquering giants and who can set you up for success,
and you also want buddies like Abishai who can watch your back and come to your aid when needed.
Do you have successful veterans as well as loyal buddies helping you in your battles against sin in your life?
And are you being a “lamp” to younger generations to help them learn from your experience how to find success in this spiritual war?
Let us rely upon the power of our Lord rather than our puny flesh to give us victories over giant sins21.
Ephesians 6:10-18 “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God [truth, righteousness, gospel, faith, salvation, the Bible, and prayer], that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” (KJV)
1Chr20 LXX |
2Sam21 |
Brenton (Vaticanus) |
DRB (Vulgate) |
KJV |
NAW |
2Sa21
|
1Chr20 |
|
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
|
15
And the Philistines |
15
Moreover the Philistines had |
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 |
16
And Jesbi,
who was of
the
progeny
of Rapha, and the |
16
Jesbibenob,
who was of
the
race
of Arapha, the |
16
And Ishbibenob,
which was
of
the
|
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 Σοβοχαι ὁ Ουσαθι τὸν Σαφου ἀπὸ τῶν υἱῶν τῶν γιγάντων καὶ ἐταπείνωσεν αὐτόνL |
18
καὶ ἐγενήθη
μετὰ ταῦτα ἔτι
X
πόλεμος ἐν
|
18
And X after
this X there
was |
18
X X X X There
was also |
18
And it came to pass after this, that there was again |
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 |
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 ὁ 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 |
19
And there was |
19
And there was
again |
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 |
6
καὶ ἐγένετο
ἔτι
πόλεμος
ἐν Γεθ καὶ ἦν
ἀνὴρ ὑπερμεγέθης
καὶ δάκτυλοι
|
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 |
20
A |
20
And there was yet
a battle
in Gath, where was a man of great
|
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
|
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 |
8
|
22
οἱ τέσσαρες
οὗτοι ἐτέχθησαν
[ἀπόγονοι
τῶν γιγάντ |
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 |
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 חֲדָשָׁה “the 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
V“Stature” 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 prόmetroV (“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”)