2 Samuel 23:21

2 Samuel 23:21

And he slew an Egyptian, a goodly man: and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand; but he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and slew him with his own spear.

a. NLT: Once, armed only with a club, he killed a great Egyptian warrior who was armed with a spear. Benaiah wrenched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with it.

b. NIV: And he struck down a huge Egyptian. Although the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear.

c. YLT: And he hath smitten the Egyptian man, a man of appearance, and in the hand of the Egyptian is a spear, and he goeth down unto him with a rod, and taketh violently away the spear out of the hand of the Egyptian, and slayeth him with his own spear.

d. Amplified Bible Classic: And he slew an Egyptian, a handsome man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but Benaiah went down to him with a staff, snatched the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and slew the man with his own spear.

e. Septuagint: He smote an Egyptian, a wonderful man, and in the hand of the Egyptian [was] a spear as the side of a ladder; and he went down to him with a staff, and snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand, and slew him with his own spear.

f. Stone Edition Torah/Prophets/Writings: He also struck down an Egyptian man, a man of imposing appearance; in the hand of the Egyptian was a spear. And he came down upon him with a stick, and stole the spear from the hand of the Egyptian, an killed him with his own spear.   

1. “And he slew an Egyptian, a goodly man…”

a. [And] he [Strong: 1931 huw' hoo of which the feminine (beyond the Pentateuch) is hiyw {he}; a primitive word, the third person pronoun singular, he (she or it); only expressed when emphatic or without a verb; also (intensively) self, or (especially with the article) the same; sometimes (as demonstrative) this or that; occasionally (instead of copula) as or are:--he, as for her, him(-self), it, the same, she (herself), such, that (...it), these, they, this, those, which (is), who.]

b. slew [Strong: 2026 harag haw-rag' a primitive root; to smite with deadly intent:--destroy, out of hand, kill, murder(-er), put to (death), make (slaughter), slay(-er), X surely.]

c. [an] Egyptian [Strong: 4713 Mitsriy mits-ree' from 4714; a Mitsrite, or inhabitant of Mitsrajim:--Egyptian, of Egypt.]

d. a goodly [Strong: 4758 mar'eh mar-eh' from 7200; a view (the act of seeing); also an appearance (the thing seen), whether (real) a shape (especially if handsome, comeliness; often plural the looks), or (mental) a vision:--X apparently, appearance(-reth), X as soon as beautiful(-ly), countenance, fair, favoured, form, goodly, to look (up) on (to), look(-eth), pattern, to see, seem, sight, visage, vision.]

e. man [Strong: 376 'iysh eesh contracted for 582 (or perhaps rather from an unused root meaning to be extant); a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation):--also, another, any (man), a certain, + champion, consent, each, every (one), fellow, (foot-, husband-)man, (good-, great, mighty) man, he, high (degree), him (that is), husband, man(-kind), + none, one, people, person, + steward, what (man) soever, whoso(-ever), worthy.]

1). The comparative verse in 1 Chronicles says nothing of his handsome looks, but mentions he was five cubits tall (1 cubit = 18 inches; 7 and a half feet tall). In reality, nothing would be outstanding killing a handsome man, but a man 7 and 1/2 feet tall would be, so I favor the heighth verses the looks.

a). 1 Chronicles 11:23 And he slew an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits high; and in the Egyptian's hand was a spear like a weaver's beam; and he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and slew him with his own spear.

2. “…and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand…”   

a. and the Egyptian [Strong: 4713 Mitsriy mits-ree' from 4714; a Mitsrite, or inhabitant of Mitsrajim:--Egyptian, of Egypt.]

b. had a spear [Strong: 2595 chaniyth khan-eeth' from 2583; a lance (for thrusting, like pitching a tent):--javelin, spear.]

c. in his hand [Strong: 3027 yad yawd a primitive word; a hand (the open one (indicating power, means, direction, etc.), in distinction from 3709, the closed one); used (as noun, adverb, etc.) in a great variety of applications, both literally and figuratively, both proximate and remote (as follows):--(+ be) able, X about, + armholes, at, axletree, because of, beside, border, X bounty, + broad, (broken-)handed, X by, charge, coast, + consecrate, + creditor, custody, debt, dominion, X enough, + fellowship, force, X from, hand(-staves, -y work), X he, himself, X in, labour, + large, ledge, (left-)handed, means, X mine, ministry, near, X of, X order, ordinance, X our, parts, pain, power, X presumptuously, service, side, sore, state, stay, draw with strength, stroke, + swear, terror, X thee, X by them, X themselves, X thine own, X thou, through, X throwing, + thumb, times, X to, X under, X us, X wait on, (way-)side, where, + wide, X with (him, me, you), work, + yield, X yourselves.]

3. “…but he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian's hand…”

a. but he went down [Strong: 3381 yarad yaw-rad' a primitive root; to descend (literally, to go downwards; or conventionally to a lower region, as the shore, a boundary, the enemy, etc.; or figuratively, to fall); causatively, to bring down (in all the above applications); -X abundantly, bring down, carry down, cast down, (cause to) come(-ing) down, fall (down), get down, go(-ing) down(-ward), hang down, X indeed, let down, light (down), put down (off), (cause to, let) run down, sink, subdue, take down.]

b. unto [him] [Strong: 413 'el ale (but only used in the shortened constructive form sel {el}); a primitive particle; properly, denoting motion towards, but occasionally used of a quiescent position, i.e. near, with or among; often in general, to:--about, according to ,after, against, among, as for, at, because(-fore, -side), both...and, by, concerning, for, from, X hath, in(- to), near, (out) of, over, through, to(-ward), under, unto, upon, whether, with(-in).]

c. [with a ] staff [Strong: 7626 shebet shay'-bet from an unused root probably meaning to branch off; a scion, i.e. (literally) a stick (for punishing, writing, fighting, ruling, walking, etc.) or (figuratively) a clan:--X correction, dart, rod, sceptre, staff, tribe.]

d. and plucked [Strong: 1497 gazal gaw-zal' a primitive root; to pluck off; specifically to flay, strip or rob:--catch, consume, exercise (robbery), pluck (off), rob, spoil, take away (by force, violence), tear.]

e. the spear [Strong: 2595 chaniyth khan-eeth' from 2583; a lance (for thrusting, like pitching a tent):--javelin, spear.]

f. [out of the] Egyptians [Strong: 4713 Mitsriy mits-ree' from 4714; a Mitsrite, or inhabitant of Mitsrajim:--Egyptian, of Egypt.]

g. hand [Strong: 3027 yad yawd a primitive word; a hand (the open one (indicating power, means, direction, etc.), in distinction from 3709, the closed one); used (as noun, adverb, etc.) in a great variety of applications, both literally and figuratively, both proximate and remote (as follows):--(+ be) able, X about, + armholes, at, axletree, because of, beside, border, X bounty, + broad, (broken-)handed, X by, charge, coast, + consecrate, + creditor, custody, debt, dominion, X enough, + fellowship, force, X from, hand(-staves, -y work), X he, himself, X in, labour, + large, ledge, (left-)handed, means, X mine, ministry, near, X of, X order, ordinance, X our, parts, pain, power, X presumptuously, service, side, sore, state, stay, draw with strength, stroke, + swear, terror, X thee, X by them, X themselves, X thine own, X thou, through, X throwing, + thumb, times, X to, X under, X us, X wait on, (way-)side, where, + wide, X with (him, me, you), work, + yield, X yourselves.]

4. “…and slew him with his own spear.”

a. and slew him [Strong: 5221 nakah naw-kaw' a primitive root; to strike (lightly or severely, literally or figuratively):--beat, cast forth, clap, give (wounds), X go forward, X indeed, kill, make (slaughter), murderer, punish, slaughter, slay(-er, -ing), smite(-r, -ing), strike, be stricken, (give) stripes, X surely, wound.]

b. [with his own] spear [Strong: 2595 chaniyth khan-eeth' from 2583; a lance (for thrusting, like pitching a tent):--javelin, spear.]