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1 Chronicles 20:4

in 1 Chronicles 20

Some time later, war broke out with the Philistines at Gezer. At that time Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Sippai, a descendant of the Rephaim, and the Philistines were subdued.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And it came to pass after this, that there arose war at Gezer with the Philistines: then Sibbecai the Hushathite slew Sippai, of the sons of the giant; and they were subdued.

KJV

And it came to pass after this, that there arose war at Gezer with the Philistines; at which time Sibbechai the Hushathite slew Sippai, that was of the children of the giant: and they were subdued.

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This verse in 1 Chronicles 20

Commentary

2 notes on this verse

This site's exposition

there arose war at Gezer

Samuel places this same fight at Gob (2 Samuel 21:18); Chronicles names the place Gezer, and the bench reads the two as either a second name for one field or a copying variant, without settling which. Sippai answers to Saph in the Samuel text, one of the children of the giant, the Rapha clan of Gath that runs through the rest of this chapter. Sibbechai the Hushathite already stands among David's mighty men at 1 Chronicles 11:29, so the victory is not left to an anonymous soldier.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

And David and all the people returned to Jerusalem. How the army of the Ammonites and their allies was routed in the field we read in the foregoing chapters. Here we have the destruction of Rabbah, the metropolis of their kingdom (

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How the passage was read

What the Jewish commentators add

Now it came to pass after this that a war arose in Gezer That which is missing here is written in Samuel (II:15): “And the Philistines waged war again with Israel, and David went down with his servants and they fought against the Philistines.
Rashi: France, 1040–1105 · Rashi on I Chronicles 20:4:1, via Sefaria, The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg
2 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
And Elhanan the son of Jair smote He was one of David’s mighty men.
Rashi: France, 1040–1105 · Rashi on I Chronicles 20:5:1, via Sefaria, The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg
Vayyasar with a saw. [David] crushed [the people of Rabbah] with a saw.
Radak: Provence, 1160–1235 · Radak on I Chronicles 20:3:1, via Sefaria, The Commentary of Radak to Chronicles: A Translation with Introduction and Supercommentary, by Yitzhak Berger, Brown University, 2007

This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.

Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 2 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.

The words behind it

16 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • וַיְהִי֙and it was

    vayhiH1961 →3559 times

  • אַחֲרֵיכֵ֔ןafter this

    ʾachareikhenH310 →H3651 →715 times

  • וַתַּעֲמֹ֧דand it arose

    vataamodH5975 →521 times

  • מִלְחָמָ֛הa battle

    milchamahH4421 →320 times

  • בְּגֶ֖זֶרat Gezer

    begezerH1507 →15 times

  • עִם־with

    ʾim-H5973 →1050 times

  • פְּלִשְׁתִּ֑ים[the] Philistines

    pelishtimH6430 →287 times

  • אָ֣זthen

    ʾazH227 →141 times

  • הִכָּ֞הhe struck down

    hikahH5221 →499 times

  • סִבְּכַ֣יSibbecai

    sibekhaiH5444 →4 times

  • הַחֻֽשָׁתִ֗יthe Hushathite

    hachushatiH2843 →5 times

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • סִפַּ֛יSippai

    sipaiH5598 →

  • מִילִדֵ֥יone of those born of

    milideiH3211 →

  • הָרְפָאִ֖יםthe Rephaites

    harefaimH7497 →25 times

  • וַיִּכָּנֵֽעוּ׃and they were subdued

    vaiyikaneuH3665 →36 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

7 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

2 Samuel 21:18–22Some time later at Gob, there was another battle with the Philistines. At that time Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, one of the descendants of Rapha.4 worksJoshua 12:12the king of Eglon, one; the king of Gezer, one;2 worksJoshua 16:3Then it descended westward to the border of the Japhletites as far as the border of Lower Beth-horon and on to Gezer, and it ended at the Sea.2 works2 Samuel 21:15Once again the Philistines waged war against Israel, and David and his servants went down and fought against the Philistines; but David became exhausted.2 works1 Chronicles 11:29Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite,2 works1 Kings 9:15This is the account of the forced labor that King Solomon imposed to build the house of the LORD, his own palace, the supporting terraces, and the wall of Jerusalem, as well as Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.2 works
The other 1 cross-references, with their words ▾
Joshua 10:33At that time Horam king of Gezer went to help Lachish, but Joshua struck him down along with his people, leaving no survivors.2 works

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Joshua 12:12

    the king of Eglon, one; the king of Gezer, one;

    it leads to

    • Joshua 10:33

      At that time Horam king of Gezer went to help Lachish, but Joshua struck him down along with his people, leaving no survivors.

      Reached by 2 separate paths from here.

  • Through

    2 Samuel 21:15

    Once again the Philistines waged war against Israel, and David and his servants went down and fought against the Philistines; but David became exhausted.

    it leads to

    • Joshua 14:10–11

      Now behold, as the LORD promised, He has kept me alive these forty-five years since He spoke this word to Moses, while Israel wandered in the wilderness. So here I am today, eighty-five years…

    • 2 Samuel 5:22

      Once again the Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim.

    • 2 Samuel 5:17

      When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they all went in search of him; but David learned of this and went down to the stronghold.

    • Psalms 71:9

      Do not discard me in my old age; do not forsake me when my strength fails.

    • Ecclesiastes 12:3

      on the day the keepers of the house tremble and the strong men stoop, when those grinding cease because they are few and those watching through windows see dimly,

  • Through

    Joshua 16:3

    Then it descended westward to the border of the Japhletites as far as the border of Lower Beth-horon and on to Gezer, and it ended at the Sea.

    it leads to

    • 2 Chronicles 8:5

      He rebuilt Upper and Lower Beth-horon as fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars,

    • Joshua 18:13

      From there the border crossed over to the southern slope of Luz (that is, Bethel) and went down to Ataroth-addar on the hill south of Lower Beth-horon.

Where this verse is studied

About 1 Chronicles

Cedars Are Cut Down for the Jerusalem Temple, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Cedars Are Cut Down for the Jerusalem Temple, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
1 Chronicles: the study guide →Read 1 Chronicles 20 →

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Keil, The Books of the Chronicles and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in 1 Chronicles 20 →