2 Samuel 21:19

2 Samuel 21:19

And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim, a Bethlehemite, slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.

a. NLT: During another battle at Gob, Elhanan son of Jair from Bethlehem killed the brother of Goliath of Gath. The handle of his spear was as thick as a weaver’s beam!

1). 1). Note in NLT under 2 Samuel 21:19: As in a parallel text at 1 Chronicles 20:5; Hebrew reads killed Goliath of Gath.

b. NIV: And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim, a Bethlehemite, slew Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.

1). Note in NIV for 1 Samuel 21:19 See 1 Chron. 20:5; Hebrew does not have the brother of.

c. YLT: And the battle is again in Gob with the Philistines, and Elhanan son of Jaare-Oregim, the Beth-Lehemite, smiteth a brother of Goliath the Gittite, and the wood of his spear is like a beam of weavers.

d. Amplified Bible Classic: There was again war at Gob with the Philistines, and Elhanan son of Jaare-oregim, a Bethlehemite, slew Goliath the Gittite, whose spear shaft was like a weaver’s beam.

1). There is no note in the Amplified Bible about this.

e. Septuagint: And there was a battle in Rom with the Philistines; and Eleanan son of Ariorgim the Bethleemite slew Goliath the Gittite; and the staff of his spear was as a weaver’s beam.

1). There is no note in the edition of the Septuagint translation that I researched.

f. Stone Edition Torah/Prophets/Writings: There was another war with the Philistines in Gob, and Elhanan son of Jaare-oregim the Bethlehemite struck down the [brother of] Goliath of Gath, who had a spear with a shaft like a weaver’s beam.

1. “And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines…”

a. [And] there was [Strong: 1961 hayah haw-yaw a primitive root (Compare 1933); to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary):--beacon, X altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, + follow, happen, X have, last, pertain, quit (one-)self, require, X use.]

b. again [Strong: 5750 `owd ode or rod {ode}; from 5749; properly, iteration or continuance; used only adverbially (with or without preposition), again, repeatedly, still, more:--again, X all life long, at all, besides, but, else, further(-more), henceforth, (any) longer, (any) more(-over), X once, since, (be) still, when, (good, the) while (having being), (as, because, whether, while) yet (within).]

c. [a] battle [Strong: 4421 [Strong: 4421 milchâmâh, mil-khaw-maw'; from H3898 (in the sense of fighting); a battle (i.e. the engagement); generally, war (i.e. war-fare):—battle, fight(-ing), war(-rior).] [The KJV translates Strong's H4421 in the following manner: war (158x), battle (151x), fight (5x), warriors (with H6213) (2x), fighting (with H6213) (1x), war (with H376) (1x), wars (with H376) (1x).]

b. [in] Gob [Strong: 1359 Gôb, gobe; or (fully) גּוֹב Gôwb; from H1461; pit; Gob, a place in Palestine:—Gob.] [The KJV translates Strong's H1359 in the following manner: Gob (2x).] [[Condensed Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon: a cistern, also a place which was the scene of two encounters between David's warriors and the Philistines (also '"Gezer')]

c. with [Strong: 5973 `im eem from 6004; adverb or preposition, with (i.e. in conjunction with), in varied applications; specifically, equally with; often with prepositional prefix (and then usually unrepresented in English):--accompanying, against, and, as (X long as), before, beside, by (reason of), for all, from (among, between), in, like, more than, of, (un-)to, with(-al).]

d. [the] Philistines [Strong: 6430 Pᵉlishtîy, pel-ish-tee'; patrial from H6429; a Pelishtite or inhabitant of Pelesheth:—Philistine.] [The KJV translates Strong's H6430 in the following manner: Philistine (287x), Philistim (1x).]

2. “…where Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim, a Bethlehemite…”

a. [where] Elhanan [Strong: 445  ʼElchânân, el-khaw-nawn'; from H410 and H2603; God (is) gracious; Elchanan, an Israelite:—Elkanan.] [The KJV translates Strong's H445 in the following manner: Elhanan (4x).]

b. [the] son [Strong: 1121 bên, bane; from H1129; a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.):—afflicted, age, (Ahoh-) (Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-) ite, (anoint-) ed one, appointed to, (+) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-) ian, one born, bough, branch, breed, + (young) bullock, + (young) calf, × came up in, child, colt, × common, × corn, daughter, × of first, firstborn, foal, + very fruitful, + postage, × in, + kid, + lamb, (+) man, meet, +mighty, + nephew, old, (+) people, rebel, + robber, × servant born, × soldier, son, +spark, steward, + stranger, × surely, them of, + tumultuous one, valiant(-est), whelp, worthy, young (one), youth.] [The KJV translates Strong's H1121 in the following manner: son (2,978x), children (1,568x), old (135x), first (51x), man (20x), young (18x), young (with H1241) (17x), child (10x), stranger (10x), people (5x), miscellaneous (92x).]

c. [of] Jaareoregim [Strong: 3296 Yaʻărêy ʼÔrᵉgîym, yah-ar-ay' o-reg-eem'; from the plural of H3293 and the masculine plural active participle of H707; woods of weavers; Jaare-Oregim, an Israelite:—Jaare-oregim.] [The KJV translates Strong's H3296 in the following manner: Jaareoregim (1x).]

d. Bethlehemite [Strong: 1022 Bêyth hal-Lachmîy, bayth hal-lakh-mee'; patrial from H1035 with the article inserted; a Beth-lechemite, or native of Bethlechem:—Bethlehemite.] [The KJV translates Strong's H1022 in the following manner: Bethlehemite (4x).]

3. “…slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite…”

a. slew [Strong: 5221 nâkâh, naw-kaw'; a primitive root; to strike (lightly or severely, literally or figuratively):—beat, cast forth, clap, give (wounds), × go forward, × indeed, kill, make (slaughter), murderer, punish, slaughter, slay(-er, -ing), smite(-r, -ing), strike, be stricken, (give) stripes, × surely, wound.] [The KJV translates Strong's H5221 in the following manner: smite (348x), slay (92x), kill (20x), beat (9x), slaughter (5x), stricken (3x), given (3x), wounded (3x), strike (2x), stripes (2x), miscellaneous (13x).]

b. the brother of [No Hebrew]

c. Goliath [Strong: 1555 Golyath, gol-yath'; perhaps from H1540; exile; Goljath, a Philistine:—Goliath.] [The KJV translates Strong's H1555 in the following manner: Goliath (6x).]

d. the Gittite [Strong: 1663 Gittîy, ghit-tee'; patrial from H1661; a Gittite or inhabitant of Gath:—Gittite.] [The KJV translates Strong's H1663 in the following manner: Gittite (10x).]

1). The reason the KJV is different from some of the other translations is because the words “the brother of” are not in the Hebrew text. The King James translators inserted the words “the brother of” in italics. They did so because the context required it which is easy to see by comparing the parallel passage in 1 Chronicles 20:5.

a). 1 Chronicles 20:5 And there was war again with the Philistines; and Elhanan the son of Jair slew Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spear staff was like a weaver's beam.

b). There are numerous examples in the Bible where the context required the translators to insert words that would make the verse clearer and more faithful in revealing the truth. Even the Rabbinic scholars recognized this not only here but in other examples as well. In the Stone Edition Torah/Prophets/Writings the following note in found under 1 Samuel 21:19. “The reference is to Goliath’s brother, Lahmi, as stated in 1 Chronicles 20:5.” (Kara, Radak).

2). The controversy surrounding this verse is explained in the following excerpt from David Otis Fuller’s book “Which Bible?”. Dr. Fuller was quoting from Benjamin G. Wilkinson’s piece, “Fundamentally, Only Two Different Bibles. “In one of our prominent publications, there appeared in the winter of 1928, an article entitled, “Who Killed Goliath?” and in the Spring of 1929 an article named, “The Dispute About Goliath.” Attention was called to the fact that in the American Revised Version, 2 Samuel 21:19, we read that Elhanan killed Goliath. A special cablegram from the “most learned and devout scholars” of the Church of England said, in substance, that the Revised Version was correct, that Elhanan and not David killed Goliath; that there were many other things in the Bible which were the product of exaggeration, such as the story of Noah and the Ark, Jonah and the whale, of the Garden of Eden, and of the longevity of Methuselah. The first article says that these modern views have been held and taught in practically all American theological seminaries of standing, and that young ministers being graduated from them have rejected the old beliefs about these events whether the public knew it or not. This publication aroused a national interest and its office was “inundated,” as the editor says, with letters as to whether this Revised Version was correct, or whether, as we have always believed, according to the Authorized Version, David killed Goliath.” The Literary Digest, 12/29/1928 and March 9, 1929.

4. “…the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.”

a. [the] staff [Strong: 6086 ʻêts, ates; from H6095; a tree (from its firmness); hence, wood (plural sticks):— carpenter, gallows, helve, pine, plank, staff, stalk, stick, stock, timber, tree, wood.] [The KJV translates Strong's H6086 in the following manner: tree (162x), wood (107x), timber (23x), stick (14x), gallows (8x), staff (4x), stock (4x), carpenter (with H2796) (2x), branches (1x), helve (1x), planks (1x), stalks (1x).]

b. of whose spear [Strong: 2595 chănîyth, khan-eeth'; from H2583; a lance (for thrusting, like pitching a tent):—javelin, spear.] [The KJV translates Strong's H2595 in the following manner: spear (41x), javelin (6x).]

c. [was like a] weaver’s [Strong: 707 ʼârag, aw-rag'; a primitive root; to plait or weave:—weaver(-r).] [The KJV translates Strong's H707 in the following manner: weave (4x), weaver (6x), woven (3x).]

d. beam [Strong: 4500 mânôwr, maw-nore'; from H5214; a yoke (properly, for plowing), i.e. the frame of a loom:—beam.] [The KJV translates Strong's H4500 in the following manner: beam (4x).]