2 Samuel 23:12

12 he stood in the midst of the field, and beheld it, for he defended the field; and he smote the Philistines, and the Lord made there [a] great health. (he stood there in the midst of the field, and held it, and he defended that field; and he struck down the Philistines, and the Lord gave a great victory there.)

2 Samuel 23:12 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 23:12

But he stood in the midst of the ground
The field of lentiles:

and defended it;
the field, so that the Philistines could not ravage it, and get food and forage from it:

and slew the Philistines;
made a great slaughter among them, entirely routed them, so that they that escaped his sword were obliged to flee:

and the Lord wrought a great victory;
to whom the glory of it belonged; a similar fact is ascribed to Eleazar before mentioned in ( 1 Chronicles 11:13 1 Chronicles 11:14 ) ; and, indeed, it seems to be the same, and in which they were both concerned; for it is plain from the account that there were more than one engaged in this action, since it is there said, "and they set themselves in the midst of that parcel"; and though that parcel of ground is said there to be full of barley, it may easily be reconciled by observing, that one part of it might be sowed with barley, and the other part with lentiles; so the Targum in ( 1 Chronicles 11:13 ) ; for it was half lentiles and half barley; and Eleazar might be placed to defend the one, and Shammah the other; from whence it appears it was about March when this action was, at the latter end of which barley harvest began.

2 Samuel 23:12 In-Context

10 he/Eleazar stood in battle, when his fellows went aback, and smote the Philistines, till that his hand failed, and was stark with the sword. And the Lord made great health in that day; and the people that fled turned again, to draw away the spoils of [the] slain men. (Eleazar stood his ground in the battle, while his fellows fled, and he struck down the Philistines, until his hand failed, and was fixed, or frozen, to the sword. And the Lord gave great victory that day; and the people who had fled returned to take away the spoils from the dead.)

11 And after him was Shammah, the son of Agee, of Hararites. And Philistines were gathered in the station; and there was a field full of lentils, or vetches; and when the people of Israel [had] fled from the face of Philistines, (And the third member of The Three was Shammah, the son of Agee, of the Hararites. And when the Philistines were gathered at Lehi; and there was a field full of lentils; and the people of Israel had fled from before the Philistines,)

12 he stood in the midst of the field, and beheld it, for he defended the field; and he smote the Philistines, and the Lord made there [a] great health. (he stood there in the midst of the field, and held it, and he defended that field; and he struck down the Philistines, and the Lord gave a great victory there.)

13 Also and three men went down before, that were princes among (the) thirty, and came to David in the time of reap(ing) into the den of Adullam. And the tents of Philistines were set in the valley of giants. (And three of The Thirty came down at the beginning of the harvest to join David at the cave of Adullam. And the Philistines? tents were pitched in the Rephaim Valley.)

14 And David was in a stronghold; and the station of Philistines was then in Bethlehem. (And David was in a stronghold; and a Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem.