2 Samuel 21:16

16 Ishbi-benob was a descendant of the giants ; his bronze spearhead weighed more than seven pounds, and he was armed with a new sword. He had cornered David and was about to kill him.

2 Samuel 21:16 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 21:16

And Ishbibenob, which [was] of the sons of the giant
Of Goliath, or of a giant, of the race of them:

the weight of whose spear [weighed] three hundred [shekels] of brass in
weight;
which must be understood either of the wood of it, or of the head of it, the flaming point of it, as many interpret it; and if so, it was but half the weight of Goliath's spear, unless there was any difference of the weight of iron and of brass, see ( 1 Samuel 17:7 ) ;

he being girded with a new [sword];
or rather with a new girdle, as the Targum; and so Jarchi, which might be given him as a mark of honour, or as a token of his having a commission in the army:

thought to have slain David;
his aim was at him, and perceiving him faint and feeble, thought to take the advantage of it, and dispatch him.

2 Samuel 21:16 In-Context

14 Then the king ordered that they bury the bones in the tomb of Kish, Saul’s father, at the town of Zela in the land of Benjamin. After that, God ended the famine in the land.

15 Once again the Philistines were at war with Israel. And when David and his men were in the thick of battle, David became weak and exhausted.

16 Ishbi-benob was a descendant of the giants ; his bronze spearhead weighed more than seven pounds, and he was armed with a new sword. He had cornered David and was about to kill him.

17 But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to David’s rescue and killed the Philistine. Then David’s men declared, “You are not going out to battle with us again! Why risk snuffing out the light of Israel?”

18 After this, there was another battle against the Philistines at Gob. As they fought, Sibbecai from Hushah killed Saph, another descendant of the giants.

Footnotes

• [a]. Or a descendant of the Rapha; also in 21:18, 20, 22 .
• [b]. Hebrew 300 [shekels] [3.4 kilograms].