Shmuel Alef 17:1

1 7 Now the Pelishtim gathered together their machanot (camps, military forces), for milchamah and were gathered together at Shochoh, which belongeth to Yehudah, and encamped between Shochoh and Azekah, in Ephes Dammim.

Shmuel Alef 17:1 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 17:1

Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle,
&c.] Josephus ^F19 says this was not long after the things related in the preceding chapter were transacted; and very probably they had heard of the melancholy and distraction of Saul, and thought it a proper opportunity of avenging themselves on Israel for their last slaughter of them, and for that purpose gathered together their dispersed troops:

and were gathered together at Shochoh,
which belongeth to Judah; a city of the tribe of Judah, ( Joshua 15:35 ) , which shows that, notwithstanding their last defeat, they had great footing in the land of Israel, or however had penetrated far into it in this march of theirs:

and pitched between Shochoh and Azekah;
which were both in the same tribe, and near one another, of which (See Gill on Joshua 10:10), (See Gill on Joshua 15:35).

in Ephesdammim;
which, by an apocope of the first letter, is called Pasdammim, ( 1 Chronicles 11:13 ) which the Jews ^F20 say had this name because there blood ceased.

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FOOTNOTES:

F19 Antiqu. l. 6. c. 9. sect. 1.
F20 Midrash Ruth, fol. 48. 2. Kimchi in loc.

Shmuel Alef 17:1 In-Context

1 7 Now the Pelishtim gathered together their machanot (camps, military forces), for milchamah and were gathered together at Shochoh, which belongeth to Yehudah, and encamped between Shochoh and Azekah, in Ephes Dammim.

2 And Sha’ul and the Ish Yisroel were gathered together, and encamped by the Emek (valley) of Elah, and drew up in battle array against the Pelishtim (Philistines).

3 And the Pelishtim stood on the har on the one side, and Yisroel stood on the har on the other side; and there was a gey between them.

4 And there went out an Ish HaBenayim [i.e., a middleman champion whose single combat saves the day and decides the victor] out of the machanot of the Pelishtim, shmo Golyat (Goliath), of Gat, whose height was shesh cubits and a span.

5 And he had a kova (helmet) of nechoshet upon his rosh, and he was wearing a coat of mail armor; and the weight of the coat of armor was five thousand shekels of nechoshet.