And the Philistines came and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.
Parallel translations
- WEB Now the Philistines had come and made a raid in the valley of Rephaim.
- BSB Now the Philistines had come and raided the Valley of Rephaim.
- NKJV Then the Philistines went and made a raid on the Valley of Rephaim.
- NASB Now the Philistines had come and carried out a raid in the Valley of Rephaim.
- NLT The Philistines arrived and made a raid in the valley of Rephaim.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The Philistines raided the Valley of Rephaim near Jerusalem. They positioned themselves to threaten David's new capital.
Overview
The Philistine raid into the Valley of Rephaim, just southwest of Jerusalem, posed a direct threat to David's seat of power. The Chronicler sets the scene for the test of David's reliance on God. Where Saul had repeatedly faltered before the Philistines, David's response will demonstrate the difference that seeking God makes.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- 1 Chr 11:15Now three of the thirty captains went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam; and the host of the Philistines encamped in the valley of Rephaim.
- 1 Chr 14:13And the Philistines yet again spread themselves abroad in the valley.
- 2 Sam 5:18The Philistines also came and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.
- 2 Sam 23:13And three of the thirty chief went down, and came to David in the harvest time unto the cave of Adullam: and the troop of the Philistines pitched in the valley of Rephaim.
- Isa 17:5And it shall be as when the harvestman gathereth the corn, and reapeth the ears with his arm; and it shall be as he that gathereth ears in the valley of Rephaim.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The genealogies and the everlasting covenant with David trace the single thread of promise running through the generations straight to the Christ in whom the line reaches its goal.
How 1 Chronicles 14:9 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.