2 Samuel 5:24 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then rouse yourself, for then the Lord has gone out before you to strike down the army of the Philistines."

NIV: As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the poplar trees, move quickly, because that will mean the Lord has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army."

NASB: And it shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the baka-shrubs, then you shall act promptly, for then the Lord will have gone out before you to strike the army of the Philistines.'

CSB: When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, act decisively, for then the Lord will have gone out ahead of you to strike down the army of the Philistines."

NLT: When you hear a sound like marching feet in the tops of the poplar trees, be on the alert! That will be the signal that the Lord is moving ahead of you to strike down the Philistine army.'

KJV: And let it be, when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the Lord go out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines.

NKJV: And it shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly. For then the Lord will go out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.”

For the second time, the Philistine armies have met in the Valley of Rephaim, just south and west of Jerusalem. Ideally, they want to kill David and destroy his army so they can't defend the parts of Israel the Philistines are used to controlling. Once again, David asks God for His will.

Instead of simply promising victory over the Philistines, the Lord gives David very specific instructions for how to attack the enemy. He tells David to maneuver his forces to ambush the Philistines opposite a stand of what some translations call balsam trees (2 Samuel 5:23). Some commentators suggest a better translation might be the bush-like terebinth trees.

In any case, David is to hold the attack until he hears what sounds like marching in the tops of the trees. This might have meant a rustling from wind, or even branches shaking as the Philistines passed by. Most commentators see this as a non-natural sound. This may only be a signal to David and his men. Or, it might be that the Lord will create a sound like an army is marching to attack the Philistines from the trees in front of them. Then David and his men will attack from their rear, in effect trapping the Philistines between themselves and the sound of the army marching at them from the opposite direction. The result will be to divide the Philistine forces, while possibly confusing and demoralizing them. The Lord has done this on Israel's behalf before with thunder (1 Samuel 7:10) and an earthquake (1 Samuel 14:14).

The Lord makes it clear to David that He will be the one striking down the Philistine army. This will be another victory for Israel at the Lord's hand.

Second 2 Samuel 5:17–25 explains how David confronts the Philistines as king of Israel. He has been fighting the Philistines since he was a boy (1 Samuel 17), and one of the reasons Israel has accepted him as king is because of his reputation as a military commander (2 Samuel 3:17–19; 5:2). This section is repeated in 1 Chronicles 14:8–17. The battles continue a series of examples of how God is blessing David's new kingship (2 Samuel 5). Second Samuel 5—10 describes David's successes as a man and a king. Second Samuel 11—24 describes his failures and their consequences.

Second Samuel 5 is a series of vignettes describing how God blesses David after his inauguration as king over the nation. David took Jerusalem from the Jebusites and made the city the nation's capital (2 Samuel 5:6–9). His first international ally, Hiram, king of Tyre, built his palace (2 Samuel 5:11). His family grew: exponentially (2 Samuel 5:13–16)! And he soundly beat his enemies (2 Samuel 5:17–25). David did all this because of God's favor, to bless the nation, not through his own skill or because of any good in him (2 Samuel 5:10, 12). First Chronicles 11:1–9 and 14:1–17 also record these events.

Second Samuel 5 is a pivot point for all of Israel's history. After Saul's son Ish-bosheth is killed, no opposition remains to David's kingship (2 Samuel 4:5–6). Convinced by Abner before his death to follow David (2 Samuel 3:17–19), the elders of Israel gather at Hebron to anoint David king over the entire nation. David moves his capital to Jerusalem and defends the nation against the Philistines. Now, he has enough security to bring the ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:1–15). The following chapters seem to collectively describe David's accomplishments (2 Samuel 5:9—10:19) and his mistakes (2 Samuel 11—20).

Second Samuel continues the story of David, who will become king over Judah. The other tribes of Israel are resistant, eventually sparking a civil war. David wins and makes Jerusalem his capital. Early success is followed by moral failure and controversy in David's house. The book of 1 Kings will begin by detailing David's decline and death.