There the Philistines abandoned their idols, and David and his men carried them away.
Parallel translations
- WEB They left their images there; and David and his men took them away.
- KJV And there they left their images, and David and his men burned them.
- NKJV And they left their images there, and David and his men carried them away.
- NASB And the Philistines abandoned their idols there, so David and his men carried them away.
- NLT The Philistines had abandoned their idols there, so David and his men confiscated them.
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 abandon their idols, which David and his men carry off. The defeated gods are shown powerless before the Lord.
Overview
In their flight the Philistines leave behind their idols, which David's men remove (and, per 1 Chronicles 14:12, burn). The captured images demonstrate the impotence of false gods against the living Lord of hosts. The scene reverses the earlier capture of the ark and vindicates the supremacy of Israel's God over the nations' idols.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- 1 Chr 14:11–12So David and his men went up to Baal-perazim, where he defeated the Philistines and said, “Like a bursting flood, God has burst out against my enemies by my hand.” So they called that place Baal-perazim.
- Deut 7:5Instead, this is what you are to do to them: tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, cut down their Asherah poles, and burn their idols in the fire.
- Isa 46:1–2Bel crouches; Nebo cowers. Their idols weigh down beasts and cattle. The images you carry are burdensome, a load to the weary animal.
- 1 Sam 5:2–6carried it into the temple of Dagon, and set it beside his statue.
- Jer 43:12I will kindle a fire in the temples of the gods of Egypt, and Nebuchadnezzar will burn those temples and take their gods as captives. So he will wrap himself with the land of Egypt as a shepherd wraps himself in his garment, and he will depart from there unscathed.
- Deut 7:25You must burn up the images of their gods; do not covet the silver and gold that is on them or take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it; for it is detestable to the LORD your God.
- Isa 37:19They have cast their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods, but only wood and stone—the work of human hands.
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 5:21 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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