1 Chronicles 20:5
in 1 Chronicles 20Once again there was a battle with the Philistines, and Elhanan son of Jair killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And there was again war with the Philistines; and Elhanan the son of Jair slew Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.
KJV
And there was war again with the Philistines; and Elhanan the son of Jair slew Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spear staff was like a weaver’s beam.
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This verse in 1 Chronicles 20
Commentary
3 notes on this verseElhanan the son of Jair - See the note on 2Sa 21:19. The Targum says, “David, the son of Jesse, a pious man, who rose at midnight to sing praises to God, slew Lachmi, the brother of Goliath, the same day on which he slew Goliath the Gittite, whose spear-staff was like a weaver’s beam.”
This site's exposition
Elhanan the son of Jair slew Lahmi
Chronicles names what 2 Samuel 21:19 leaves harder to read: there Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim slew the brother of Goliath, with the words the brother of supplied by most translators to close a reading many hold corrupt in the underlying Hebrew, while here Elhanan the son of Jair slew Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, a name and a relation stated outright. Keil and much of the bench take the Chronicles text as preserving the reading Samuel's own copying lost, while others hold that Goliath was a title carried by more than one champion of Gath. Both texts stand as they are written, and this chapter does not resolve the question beyond naming Lahmi as the man Elhanan killed.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
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
And Elhanan the son of Jair smote He was one of David’s mighty men.
2 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
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.
and there was a man of great stature. This is similar to (Num.:32): “big in stature,” and since he was so tall that he had to be measured, he calls him a man of measure.
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
18 Hebrew wordsEvery 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.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַתְּהִי־ | vatehi- | and it was | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| ע֥וֹד | od | again | H5750 → | 490 times |
| מִלְחָמָ֖ה | milchamah | a battle | H4421 → | 320 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | with | H854 → | 929 times |
| פְּלִשְׁתִּ֑ים | pelishtim | [the] Philistines | H6430 → | 287 times |
| וַיַּ֞ךְ | vaiyakh | and he struck down | H5221 → | 499 times |
| אֶלְחָנָ֣ן | ʾelchanan | Elhanan | H445 → | |
| בֶּן־ | ben- | [the] son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| יָעִ֗יר | yaur | Jair | H3265 → | |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| לַחְמִי֙ | lachmi | Lahmi | H3902 → | |
| אֲחִי֙ | ʾachi | [the] brother of | H251 → | 630 times |
| גָּלְיָ֣ת | galyat | Goliath | H1555 → | |
| הַגִּתִּ֔י | hagiti | the Gittite | H1663 → | |
| וְעֵ֣ץ | veetz | and [the] wood of | H6086 → | 328 times |
| חֲנִית֔וֹ | chanito | spear his | H2595 → | 47 times |
| כִּמְנ֖וֹר | kimnor | [was] like a beam of | H4500 → | |
| אֹרְגִֽים׃ | ʾoregim | weavers | H707 → |
וַתְּהִי־and it was
vatehi-H1961 →3559 times
ע֥וֹדagain
odH5750 →490 times
מִלְחָמָ֖הa battle
milchamahH4421 →320 times
אֶת־with
ʾet-H854 →929 times
פְּלִשְׁתִּ֑ים[the] Philistines
pelishtimH6430 →287 times
וַיַּ֞ךְand he struck down
vaiyakhH5221 →499 times
אֶלְחָנָ֣ןElhanan
ʾelchananH445 →
בֶּן־[the] son of
ben-H1121 →4930 times
יָעִ֗ירJair
yaurH3265 →
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
לַחְמִי֙Lahmi
lachmiH3902 →
אֲחִי֙[the] brother of
ʾachiH251 →630 times
גָּלְיָ֣תGoliath
galyatH1555 →
הַגִּתִּ֔יthe Gittite
hagitiH1663 →
וְעֵ֣ץand [the] wood of
veetzH6086 →328 times
חֲנִית֔וֹspear his
chanitoH2595 →47 times
כִּמְנ֖וֹר[was] like a beam of
kimnorH4500 →
אֹרְגִֽים׃weavers
ʾoregimH707 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach 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
1 Samuel 17:4Then a champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out from the Philistine camp. He was six cubits and a span in height,
it leads to
- Joshua 11:22
No Anakim were left in the land of the Israelites; only in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod did any survive.
- 2 Samuel 21:16–22
Then Ishbi-benob, a descendant of Rapha, whose bronze spear weighed three hundred shekels and who was bearing a new sword, resolved to kill David.
- 1 Chronicles 20:4–8
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.
- 1 Samuel 17:23
And as he was speaking with them, suddenly the champion named Goliath, the Philistine from Gath, came forward from the Philistines and shouted his usual words, which David also heard.
- Joshua 11:22
Through
1 Samuel 21:9The priest replied, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here; it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want, you may take…
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 17:2
Saul and the men of Israel assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah, arraying themselves for battle against the Philistines.
- 1 Samuel 17:2
Through
1 Samuel 22:10Ahimelech inquired of the LORD for him and gave him provisions. He also gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”
it leads to
- Numbers 27:21
He shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who will seek counsel for him before the LORD by the judgment of the Urim. At his command, he and all the Israelites with him—the entire congregation—will…
- Numbers 27:21
Through
1 Samuel 17:7The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. In addition, his shield bearer went before him.
it leads to
- 2 Samuel 21:19
Once again there was a battle with the Philistines at Gob, and Elhanan son of Jair the Bethlehemite killed the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s…
- 2 Samuel 21:19
Through
2 Samuel 21:19Once again there was a battle with the Philistines at Gob, and Elhanan son of Jair the Bethlehemite killed the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s…
it leads to
- 1 Chronicles 11:26
Now these were the mighty men: Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem,
- 1 Chronicles 11:26
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About 1 Chronicles
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Keil, The Books of the Chronicles and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.