The Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.
Parallel translations
- KJV And the Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.
- BSB Once again the Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim.
- NKJV Then the Philistines went up once again and deployed themselves in the Valley of Rephaim.
- NASB Now the Philistines came up once again and overran the Valley of Rephaim.
- NLT But after a while the Philistines returned and again spread out across 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 return and again spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. A second assault tests David's continued dependence on God.
Overview
Undeterred by their first defeat, the Philistines mount a second campaign in the same valley. The renewed threat gives David another occasion to seek the Lord rather than presume on his prior success. The repetition underscores that each victory must be sought afresh from God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- 2 Sam 5:18Now the Philistines had come and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.
- 1 Kgs 20:22The prophet came near to the king of Israel, and said to him, “Go, strengthen yourself, and mark, and see what you do; for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against you.”
- 1 Chr 14:13The Philistines made a another raid in the valley.
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
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 5:22 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.