2 Samuel 5:17
in 2 Samuel 5When 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.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to seek David; and David heard of it, and went down to the stronghold.
KJV
But when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines came up to seek David; and David heard of it, and went down to the hold.
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This verse in 2 Samuel 5
Commentary
7 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
The hold - Not the same place which is so named in 2Sa 5:7, 2Sa 5:9, but probably the cave (or hold) of Adullam 2Sa 23:13. The invasion most probably took place before David had completed his buildings in the city of David; and is probably referred to in 2Sa 23:8-17.
This site's exposition
went down to the hold
on 2 Samuel 5:17-18
News of an anointed king over all Israel draws every Philistine army up at once, and David withdraws to the hold rather than meeting them in the open, the same caution that marks the enquiries to come. Verse 18 names the ground they camp on, the valley of Rephaim, the valley of the giants, the same word that names the four kinsmen of the giant killed at Gath in the next book's roster and the champion David himself once faced there. The map still carries the name a generation after Goliath fell.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
The kingdom of the Messiah, as soon as ever it was set up in the world, was thus vigorously attacked by the powers of darkness, who, with the combined force both of Jews and Gentiles, made head against it. The heathen raged, and the kings of the earth set themselves to oppose it; but all in vain, Ps. ii. The destruction will turn, as this did, upon Satan's own kingdom.
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
But when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel--During the civil war between the house of Saul and David, those restless neighbors had remained quiet spectators of the contest. But now, jealous of David, they resolved to attack him before his government was fully established.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
The Philistines came up to seek David - Ever since the defeat of the Israelites and the fall of Saul and his sons, the Philistines seem to have been in undisturbed possession of the principal places in the land of Israel; now, finding that David was chosen king by the whole nation, they thought best to attack him before his army got too numerous, and the affairs of the kingdom were properly settled.
The words behind it
20 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּשְׁמְע֣וּ | vaiyishmeu | and they heard | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| פְלִשְׁתִּ֗ים | felishtim | [the] Philistines | H6430 → | 287 times |
| כִּי־ | ki- | that | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| מָשְׁח֨וּ | mashechu | people had anointed | H4886 → | 70 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| דָּוִ֤ד | david | David | H1732 → | 999 times |
| לְמֶ֙לֶךְ֙ | lemelekh | to king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | over | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| וַיַּעֲל֥וּ | vaiyaalu | and they went up | H5927 → | 890 times |
| כָל־ | khol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| פְּלִשְׁתִּ֖ים | pelishtim | [the] Philistines | H6430 → | 287 times |
| לְבַקֵּ֣שׁ | levakesh | to seek | H1245 → | 225 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| דָּוִ֑ד | david | David | H1732 → | 999 times |
| וַיִּשְׁמַ֣ע | vaiyishma' | and he heard | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| דָּוִ֔ד | david | David | H1732 → | 999 times |
| וַיֵּ֖רֶד | vaiyered | and he went down | H3381 → | 381 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| הַמְּצוּדָֽה׃ | hametzudah | the stronghold | H4686 → | 21 times |
וַיִּשְׁמְע֣וּand they heard
vaiyishmeuH8085 →1159 times
פְלִשְׁתִּ֗ים[the] Philistines
felishtimH6430 →287 times
כִּי־that
ki-H3588 →4482 times
מָשְׁח֨וּpeople had anointed
mashechuH4886 →70 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
דָּוִ֤דDavid
davidH1732 →999 times
לְמֶ֙לֶךְ֙to king
lemelekhH4428 →2525 times
עַל־over
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
וַיַּעֲל֥וּand they went up
vaiyaaluH5927 →890 times
כָל־all
khol-H3605 →5413 times
פְּלִשְׁתִּ֖ים[the] Philistines
pelishtimH6430 →287 times
לְבַקֵּ֣שׁto seek
levakeshH1245 →225 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
דָּוִ֑דDavid
davidH1732 →999 times
וַיִּשְׁמַ֣עand he heard
vaiyishma'H8085 →1159 times
דָּוִ֔דDavid
davidH1732 →999 times
וַיֵּ֖רֶדand he went down
vaiyeredH3381 →381 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
הַמְּצוּדָֽה׃the stronghold
hametzudahH4686 →21 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
7 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 Chronicles 11:16At that time David was in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was at Bethlehem.
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 13:23
And a garrison of the Philistines had gone out to the pass at Michmash.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 1 Samuel 13:4
And all Israel heard the news: “Saul has attacked an outpost of the Philistines, and now Israel has become a stench to the Philistines!” Then the people were summoned to join Saul at Gilgal.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 1 Samuel 10:5
After that you will come to Gibeah of God, where the Philistines have an outpost. As you approach the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place, preceded…
- 1 Samuel 23:25
and Saul and his men went to seek him. When David was told about it, he went down to the rock and stayed in the Wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard of this,…
- 1 Samuel 13:23
Through
2 Samuel 23:14At that time David was in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was at Bethlehem.
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 22:4–5
So he left them in the care of the king of Moab, and they stayed with him the whole time David was in the stronghold.
- 1 Samuel 22:1
So David left Gath and took refuge in the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and the rest of his father’s household heard about it, they went down to him there.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 1 Samuel 14:6
Jonathan said to the young man bearing his armor, “Come, let us cross over to the outpost of these uncircumcised men. Perhaps the LORD will work on our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD…
- 1 Samuel 22:4–5
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); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Books of Samuel and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.