Add parallel Print Page Options

Battles against Philistine Giants

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[a]; his bronze spearhead weighed more than seven pounds,[b] 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.

19 During another battle at Gob, Elhanan son of Jair[c] from Bethlehem killed the brother of Goliath of Gath.[d] The handle of his spear was as thick as a weaver’s beam!

20 In another battle with the Philistines at Gath, they encountered a huge man[e] with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in all, who was also a descendant of the giants. 21 But when he defied and taunted Israel, he was killed by Jonathan, the son of David’s brother Shimea.[f]

22 These four Philistines were descendants of the giants of Gath, but David and his warriors killed them.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 21:16a Or a descendant of the Rapha; also in 21:18, 20, 22.
  2. 21:16b Hebrew 300 [shekels] [3.4 kilograms].
  3. 21:19a As in parallel text at 1 Chr 20:5; Hebrew reads son of Jaare-oregim.
  4. 21:19b As in parallel text at 1 Chr 20:5; Hebrew reads killed Goliath of Gath.
  5. 21:20 As in parallel text at 1 Chr 20:6; Hebrew reads a Midianite.
  6. 21:21 As in parallel text at 1 Chr 20:7; Hebrew reads Shimei, a variant spelling of Shimea.

Israel Battles Four Giants from Gath(A)

15 Afterwards, war broke out between the Philistines and Israel, so David went down to fight the Philistines. David became weary, 16 and Ishbi-benob, who had been fathered by giants,[a] said he intended to kill David. (His bronze spearhead weighed 300 shekels,[b] and he carried state-of-the-art[c] weaponry.) 17 But Zeruiah’s son Abishai came to David’s aid, attacked the Philistine, and killed him. After this, David’s army told him, “You’re not going out anymore with us to battle, so Israel’s beacon won’t be extinguished!” 18 Sometime later after this incident, there was another battle with the Philistines at Gob. Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, who had been fathered by giants. 19 In yet another battle at Gob, Jaare-oregim the Bethlehemite’s son Elhanan killed Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear resembled that of a weaver’s beam. 20 Later on, there was another battle at Gath, where there was a very tall man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—24 in number—who had also been fathered by giants. 21 When he defied Israel, David’s brother Shimeah’s son Jonathan killed him. 22 These four giants, who had been fathered by a giant in Gath, were killed at the hands of David and his servants.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 21:16 Lit. by the Rapha; and so throughout the chapter
  2. 2 Samuel 21:16 I.e., about seven and a half pounds at 0.4 shekels per ounce
  3. 2 Samuel 21:16 Or newly-issued; lit. newly girded