Then three of the thirty chief men went down at harvest time and came to David at the cave of Adullam. And the troop of Philistines encamped in the Valley of Rephaim.
Parallel translations
- WEB Three of the thirty chief men went down, and came to David in the harvest time to the cave of Adullam; and the troop of the Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim.
- KJV And 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.
- BSB At harvest time, three of the thirty chief men went down to David at the cave of Adullam, while a company of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim.
- NASB Then three of the thirty chief men went down and came to David at harvest time to the cave of Adullam, while the army of the Philistines was camping in the Valley of Rephaim.
- NLT Once during the harvest, when David was at the cave of Adullam, the Philistine army was camped in the valley of Rephaim. The Three (who were among the Thirty—an elite group among David’s fighting men) went down to meet him there.
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
Three of the thirty chief men came to David at the cave of Adullam while the Philistines camped in the Valley of Rephaim.
Overview
This sets the scene for the famous account of the well of Bethlehem. David's vulnerability in the stronghold, surrounded by enemies, frames the loyalty and sacrifice of his men, and recalls his early days as a hunted fugitive trusting God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- 2 Sam 5:18Now the Philistines had come and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.
- 1 Sam 22:1David therefore departed from there, and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him.
- 2 Sam 5:22The Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.
- Mic 1:15I will yet bring to you, inhabitant of Mareshah. He who is the glory of Israel will come to Adullam.
- 1 Chr 11:15–19Three of the thirty chief men went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam; and the army of the Philistines were encamped in the valley of Rephaim.
- Isa 17:5It will be like when the harvester gathers the wheat, and his arm reaps the grain. Yes, it will be like when one gleans grain in the valley of Rephaim.
- Josh 15:35Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah,
- 1 Chr 14:9Now the Philistines had come and made a raid in the valley of Rephaim.
- Josh 12:15the king of Libnah, one; the king of Adullam, one;
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 23:13 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
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