2 Samuel 5:21
in 2 Samuel 5There the Philistines abandoned their idols, and David and his men carried them away.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And 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.
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This verse in 2 Samuel 5
Commentary
6 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
And there they left their images - An indication of the precipitancy of their flight, and the suddenness with which the Israelites burst upon them like a “breach of waters.” The King James Version rendering “Burned them,” does not give a translation (compare the margin), but a gloss, warranted by the explanation given in marginal references
This site's exposition
Should I go up against the Philistines?
on 2 Samuel 5:19-21
David inquires, and the answer is as direct as the question: “Go,” with the promise “I will surely deliver the Philistines into your hand”. The Philistines abandon their idols, David's men carry them away, and 1 Chronicles 14:12 adds that they were burned, as Deuteronomy 7:25 commands.
This site's exposition
the Philistines abandoned their idols
Nations carried their idols into battle, and Clarke recalls Israel doing the same with the ark in 1 Samuel 4. Barnes sees a hasty flight in the abandoned idols. The Hebrew says David and his men carried them away, and 1 Chronicles 14:12 adds that they were burned.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Here we have only the heads of their address, containing the grounds they went upon in making David king. Their relation to him was some inducement: " We are thy bone and thy flesh (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens+odd-straight-quotes
And they left their images,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
They left their images - It was the custom of most nations to carry their gods with them to battle: in imitation of this custom the Israelites once took the ark and lost it in the field; see 1Sa 4:10, 1Sa 4:11.
The words behind it
7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיַּעַזְבוּ־ | vaiyaazvu- | and they abandoned | H5800 → | |
| שָׁ֖ם | sham | there | H8033 → | 834 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| עֲצַבֵּיהֶ֑ם | ʾatzabeihem | idols their | H6091 → | |
| וַיִּשָּׂאֵ֥ם | vaiyisaem | and he carried off them | H5375 → | 656 times |
| דָּוִ֖ד | david | David | H1732 → | 999 times |
| וַאֲנָשָֽׁיו׃ פ | vaanashav | and men his | H582 → | 566 times |
וַיַּעַזְבוּ־and they abandoned
vaiyaazvu-H5800 →
שָׁ֖םthere
shamH8033 →834 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
עֲצַבֵּיהֶ֑םidols their
ʾatzabeihemH6091 →
וַיִּשָּׂאֵ֥םand he carried off them
vaiyisaemH5375 →656 times
דָּוִ֖דDavid
davidH1732 →999 times
וַאֲנָשָֽׁיו׃ פand men his
vaanashavH582 →566 times
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
Deuteronomy 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.
it leads to
- Exodus 23:24
You must not bow down to their gods or serve them or follow their practices. Instead, you are to demolish them and smash their sacred stones to pieces.
- Exodus 34:13
Rather, you must tear down their altars, smash their sacred stones, and chop down their Asherah poles.
- Deuteronomy 12:2–3
Destroy completely all the places where the nations you are dispossessing have served their gods—atop the high mountains, on the hills, and under every green tree.
- Exodus 23:24
Through
Jeremiah 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…
it leads to
- Ezekiel 30:13
This is what the Lord GOD says: I will destroy the idols and put an end to the images in Memphis. There will no longer be a prince in Egypt, and I will instill…
- Isaiah 19:1
This is the burden against Egypt: Behold, the LORD rides on a swift cloud; He is coming to Egypt. The idols of Egypt will tremble before Him, and the hearts of the Egyptians will…
- Psalms 109:18–19
The cursing that he wore like a coat, may it soak into his body like water, and into his bones like oil.
- Isaiah 49:18
Lift up your eyes and look around. They all gather together; they come to you. As surely as I live,” declares the LORD, “you will wear them all as jewelry and put them on…
- Jeremiah 48:7
Because you trust in your works and treasures, you too will be captured, and Chemosh will go into exile with his priests and officials.
- Ezekiel 30:13
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About 2 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); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.