2 Samuel 21:15-22

Four Battles against the Philistines

15 Once again the Philistines waged war against Israel, and David and his servants went down and fought against the Philistines. But David became exhausted. ¹

16 Then Ishbi-benob, a descendant of Rapha, ^[a] whose bronze spear weighed three hundred shekels ^[b] and who was bearing a new sword, resolved to kill David.

17 But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to his aid, struck the Philistine, and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, “You must never again go out with us to battle, so that the lamp of Israel may not be extinguished.”

18 Some time later at Gob, there was another battle with the Philistines. At that time Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, ^[c] a descendant of Rapha.

19 Once again there was a battle with the Philistines at Gob, and Elhanan son of Jair ^[d] the Bethlehemite killed the brother of Goliath ^[e] the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.

20 And there was also a battle at Gath, where there was a man of great stature with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—twenty-four in all. He too was descended from Rapha,

21 and when he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of David’s brother Shimei ^[f] killed him.

22 So these four descendants of Rapha in Gath fell at the hands of David and his servants.

2 Samuel 21:15-22 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO SECOND SAMUEL 21

A famine being in the land three years, the Lord was inquired of, to know the reason of it; and it being answered, that it was on account of Saul's slaughter of the Gibeonites, they were summoned by David to know what satisfaction they required for the cruel usage of them, 2Sa 21:1-3; to which they replied, that they only desired seven of Saul's sons to be delivered up to them, to be hanged by them, which was granted, 2Sa 21:4-9; whose bones, with those of Saul and Jonathan, David buried in the sepulchre of their fathers, 2Sa 21:10-14; and the chapter is closed with an account of the various battles fought with the Philistines, in which four of their generals were slain, 2Sa 21:15-22.

Cross References

• 1. (1 Chronicles 20:4–8)

Footnotes

• [a] Or the giant; also in verses 18, 20, and 22
• [b] 300 shekels is approximately 7.5 pounds or 3.4 kilograms.
• [c] Saph is a variant of Sippai; see 1 Chronicles 20:4.
• [d] See 1 Chronicles 20:5; Hebrew Jaare-oregim
• [e] See 1 Chronicles 20:5; Hebrew does not include the brother of.
• [f] Shimei is a variant of Shammah, Shimeah, and Shimea; see 1 Samuel 16:9, 2 Samuel 13:3, and 1 Chronicles 2:13.