1 Samuel 17:2
in 1 Samuel 17Saul and the men of Israel assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah, arraying themselves for battle against the Philistines.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and encamped in the vale of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines.
KJV
And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched by the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines.
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This verse in 1 Samuel 17
Commentary
7 notes on this verseThe valley of Elah - Some translate this the turpentine valley, or the valley of the terebinth trees; and others, the valley of oaks. The situation of this valley is well known.
This site's exposition
they camped between Socoh and Azekah in Ephes-dammim
on 1 Samuel 17:1-2
The Philistines have pushed twelve miles into Judah's hill country, and their camp ground, Ephes-dammim, means boundary of blood. Israel answers from the Valley of Elah, the terebinth valley, ground a visitor can still walk. Goliath's city was one of those Joshua 11:22 names where the Anakim remained, Gaza, Gath and Ashdod, so the war is fought inside the tribe his city was left to trouble.
This site's exposition
camped in the Valley of Elah
Adam Clarke gives the name of the valley three ways: the turpentine tree, the terebinth, or the oak, and he calls its site well known. The two armies face each other here for most of the chapter. The battle cry comes when David arrives.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together,....
Business is a good antidote against melancholy. Let the mind have something without to fasten on and employ itself about, and it will be the less in danger of preying upon itself. God, in mercy to Israel, suspended the judgment for a while; for how distracted must the affairs of the public have been if at this juncture the prince had been distracted!
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
valley of Elah--that is, "the Terebinth," now Wady Er-Sumt [ROBINSON]. Another valley somewhat to the north, now called Wady Beit Hanina, has been fixed on by the tradition of ages.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
The valley of Elah - i. e., of the terebinth, now called Wady es Sunt, from the acacias which are scattered in it.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
At Ephes Damim. This was the name of the place. 1 It literally means ‘no more blood’ because it was there that the bloodshed between the Bnei Yisroel and the Philistines ceased.—Radak
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. 3 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
11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְשָׁא֤וּל | veshaul | and Saul | H7586 → | 402 times |
| וְאִֽישׁ־ | veish- | and [the] man of | H376 → | 1663 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| נֶאֶסְפ֔וּ | neesfu | they were gathered | H622 → | 200 times |
| וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ | vaiyachanu | and they encamped | H2583 → | 143 times |
| בְּעֵ֣מֶק | beemek | in [the] valley of | H6010 → | 69 times |
| הָאֵלָ֑ה | haelah | <the> Elah | H425 → | 16 times |
| וַיַּעַרְכ֥וּ | vaiyaarkhu | and they deployed | H6186 → | 74 times |
| מִלְחָמָ֖ה | milchamah | battle | H4421 → | 320 times |
| לִקְרַ֥את | likrat | to meet | H7122 → | 139 times |
| פְּלִשְׁתִּֽים׃ | pelishtim | [the] Philistines | H6430 → | 287 times |
וְשָׁא֤וּלand Saul
veshaulH7586 →402 times
וְאִֽישׁ־and [the] man of
veish-H376 →1663 times
יִשְׂרָאֵל֙Israel
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
נֶאֶסְפ֔וּthey were gathered
neesfuH622 →200 times
וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּand they encamped
vaiyachanuH2583 →143 times
בְּעֵ֣מֶקin [the] valley of
beemekH6010 →69 times
הָאֵלָ֑ה<the> Elah
haelahH425 →16 times
וַיַּעַרְכ֥וּand they deployed
vaiyaarkhuH6186 →74 times
מִלְחָמָ֖הbattle
milchamahH4421 →320 times
לִקְרַ֥אתto meet
likratH7122 →139 times
פְּלִשְׁתִּֽים׃[the] Philistines
pelishtimH6430 →287 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
3 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 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 31:10
They put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths and hung his body on the wall of Beth-shan.
- 1 Samuel 17:50–54
Thus David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.
- Exodus 28:6–14
They are to make the ephod of finely spun linen embroidered with gold, and with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn.
- 1 Samuel 31:10
Where this verse is studied
About 1 Samuel
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and W. G. Blaikie, The First Book of Samuel (Expositor's Bible).