Limitless Word
but Shammah held his ground in the middle of the field and beat back the Philistines. So the Lord brought about a great victory.
2 Samuel 23:12 · New Living Translation
Parallel translations
  • WEB But he stood in the middle of the plot and defended it, and killed the Philistines; and Yahweh worked a great victory.
  • KJV But he stood in the midst of the ground, and defended it, and slew the Philistines: and the LORD wrought a great victory.
  • BSB But Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field, defended it, and struck down the Philistines. So the LORD brought about a great victory.
  • NKJV But he stationed himself in the middle of the field, defended it, and killed the Philistines. So the Lord brought about a great victory.
  • NASB But he took his stand in the midst of the plot, defended it, and struck the Philistines; and the Lord brought about a great victory.

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

Shammah stood in the middle of the field, defended it, struck down the Philistines, and the LORD gave a great victory.

Overview

His lone defense of the lentil field becomes the occasion for a divine deliverance. The repeated phrase "Yahweh worked a great victory" makes clear that the courage of God's servants and the saving power of God work together, all glory belonging to the LORD.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 4

  • 2 Sam 23:10He arose and struck the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand froze to the sword; and Yahweh worked a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to take plunder.
  • Prov 21:31The horse is prepared for the day of battle; but victory is with Yahweh.
  • Ps 44:2You drove out the nations with your hand, but you planted them. You afflicted the peoples, but you spread them abroad.
  • Ps 3:8Salvation belongs to Yahweh. Your blessing be on your people. Selah.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — 2 Samuel videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on 2 Samuel 23:12YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on 2 SamuelMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

God's covenant with David — a son whose throne and kingdom would last forever (7:12–16) — finds its yes in Jesus, the Son of David who reigns without end.

How 2 Samuel 23:12 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.