2 Samuel 21:15-22

Battles With the Philistines. 2 Samuel 21:15-22

15 Moreover the Philistines had yet war again with Israel; and David went down, and his servants with him, and fought against the Philistines: and David waxed faint.
16 And Ishbi-benob, which was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of brass in weight, he being girded with a new sword, thought to have slain David.

17 But Abishai the son of Zeruiah succoured him, and smote the Philistine, and killed him. Then the men of David sware unto him, saying, Thou shalt go no more out with us to battle, that thou quench not the light of Israel.
18 And it came to pass after this, that there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob: then Sibbechai the Hushathite slew Saph, which was of the sons of the giant.

19 And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines where Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim, a Bethlehemite, slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.

20 And there was yet a battle in Gath, where was a man of great stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant.

21 And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea the brother of David slew him.
22 These four were born to the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.

10.

Why did the Philistines attack again? 2 Samuel 21:15

Israel had been weakened by the famine which had followed year after year for three years. The Philistines seized the opportunity to rise and revolt against their neighbors to the east. Although some students of Scripture believe that this account is not in its correct location, chronologically speaking, the statement is made that the Philistines had yet war again with Israel. Such an emphasis on the time of the war, and its repetition point to an effort of the Philistines to defeat Israel after the famine which had come on them because of Saul's sin against the Gibeonites.

11.

Who were the sons of the giant? 2 Samuel 21:16

One of the sons of Goliath is named Ishbi-benob. He is described in language similar to that used to describe his father. He made an effort to avenge the death of his father by slaying David, but Abishai helped David, and Ishbi-benob was killed. A second son was Saph (2 Samuel 21:18). Saph was slain by Sibbechai the Hushathite. The location of Hushath is unknown, and Josephus calls Sibbechai a Hittite (Antiquities VII; xii; 2). A third son was also named Goliath, after the name of his father (2 Samuel 21:19). Elhanan, the son of Jaare-oregim, a Bethlehemite, slew this Goliath. The King James version adds unnecessarily the words found in italics in 2 Samuel 21:19, making the man slain to be the brother of Goliath the Gittite. The text in Chronicles reads, Elhanan the son of Jair slew Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite (1 Chronicles 20:5). If this giant slain by Elhanan is not a son of Goliath, we cannot determine who were the four sons of the giant mentioned later (2 Samuel 21:22). A fourth son is mentioned as one who had a physical imperfection. He had six fingers on every hand and six toes on every foot. The total is given as twenty-four, verifying the facts of his deformity. He was also born to the giant (2 Samuel 21:20); and when he fought against Israel, Jonathan, the son of Shimei, David's brother, killed him. These fourIshbi-benob, Saph, the son slain by Elhanan, and the one with twelve fingers and twelve toeswere born to the Goliath in Gath (2 Samuel 21:22). All of these were killed by David or his men in their various campaigns against the Philistines.

12.

Who was this Goliath? 2 Samuel 21:19

This Goliath was probably a descendant of the Goliath slain by David. They were both from the same country. All of this must have transpired at the time of the war with Gath. Chronicles (see 1 Chronicles 20:1-8) calls Gob Geyer. This place is located on the border of the Philistine plain and is probably the correct location. Radical critics attempt to discredit the Scriptures by saying that Elhanan slew Goliath and tradition attributed the feat to David. They emend the text by dropping the phrase the brother of from 2 Samuel 21:19 and defend their action by showing that there was no Hebrew word for brother at that point. A better emendation of the text would be to put the son of in the text for the italicized words found there in the usual printing. It is essential that it be understood the giant had four sons, and the one slain by Elhanan must have been a son of Goliath, who was killed by David (1 Samuel 17:50).