2 Samuel 23:21

21 He killed an Egyptian, a goodly man: and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand; but he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and killed him with his own spear

2 Samuel 23:21 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 23:21

And he slew an Egyptian, a goodly man
A person of good countenance and shape, very large and tall; in ( 1 Chronicles 11:28 ) , he is said to be a man of great stature, and five cubits high, and so wanted a cubit and a span of the height of Goliath, ( 1 Samuel 17:4 ) ;

and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand;
as large as Goliath's; for in ( 1 Chronicles 11:23 ) , it is said to be like a weaver's beam, as Goliath's was, (See Gill on 1 Samuel 17:7):

and he went down to him with a staff;
with a walking staff only, having no other weapon:

and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian's hand;
and therefore must be a man very nimble and dexterous, as well as bold and courageous:

and slew him with his own spear;
as David cut off Goliath's head with his own sword. This is supposed ^F12 to be Shimei, the son of Gera, ( 1 Kings 2:46 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F12 Hieron. Trad. Heb. ut supra. (in. 2 Reg. fol. 80. C.)

2 Samuel 23:21 In-Context

19 Wasn't he most honorable of the three? therefore he was made their captain: however he didn't attain to the [first] three

20 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done mighty deeds, he killed the two [sons of] Ariel of Moab: he went down also and killed a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow.

21 He killed an Egyptian, a goodly man: and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand; but he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and killed him with his own spear

22 These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and had a name among the three mighty men.

23 He was more honorable than the thirty, but he didn't attain to the [first] three. David set him over his guard.