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2 Samuel 5:22 — Word Study

Depth

WLCוַיֹּסִ֥פוּ ע֛וֹד פְּלִשְׁתִּ֖ים לַֽעֲל֑וֹת וַיִּנָּֽטְשׁ֖וּ בְּעֵ֥מֶק רְפָאִֽים׃

BSAOnce againyâçaph [a second time, still] the PhilistinesPᵉlishtîy [a group of non-Semitic people, immigrants from other places] came upʻâlâh [to ascend, went up] and spread outnâṭash [scattered, dispersed themselves] in the Valleyʻêmeq [lowland area, plain] of Rephaimrâphâʼ [a group of giants, the Raphaite]

Word
Listen & take away2 Samuel 5
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 22 is in this chapter.
Hebrew ↓ Download MP3 The Masoretic text of this chapter, read aloud. Read by Abraham Shmuelof, courtesy of Audio Scriptures International. Chapter divisions by the Academy of Ancient Languages..
Say the word Each Hebrew word carries its transliteration (re.fa.'Im) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
2 Samuel 5:22quick helps
In a sentenceThe Philistines came up again, spreading out in the Valley of Rephaim.
Who is speakingThe narrator recounts the events during David's reign.
Where we areThe context is a military encounter between David and the Philistines.
The hard wordרְפָאִֽים
Take awayThe Philistines are persistent adversaries in David's story.
6 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause subjectפְּלִשְׁתִּי verbיָסַף The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the Old Testament

Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.

Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.

Deep Study — 2 Samuel 5:22

Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.

Context — David's Encounters with the Philistinesgenerated

21There the Philistines abandoned their idols, and David and his men carried them away.
22Once again the Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim.
23So David inquired of the LORD, who answered, “Do not march straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the balsam trees.
24As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move quickly, because this will mean that the LORD has marched out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.”

2 Samuel 5:22 describes a moment when the Philistines, having previously abandoned their idols, regrouped to confront David again. This highlights their ongoing conflict with Israel and sets the stage for David's reliance on God for guidance in battle, as seen in the following verses.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
11 Kings 20:22Afterward, the prophet approached the king of Israel and said, “Go and strengthen your position, and take note what you must do, for in the spring the king of Aram will come up against you.”
21 Chronicles 14:13Once again the Philistines raided the valley.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 2 references, hung on the phrase they belong to


The Key Word יָסַף, vai.yo.Si.fugenerated

The verb יָסַף (yasaf) means 'to add' or 'to increase'. In this context, it indicates that the Philistines repeated their actions, coming up once more to challenge David. The parsing as a Hiphil form suggests they are causing the action of coming up to happen again.

This word emphasizes the idea of repetition and persistence, indicating that the Philistines were not deterred by previous defeats and were determined to confront David once more.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

The verse is rendered in the Berean Standard Bible as 'Once again the Philistines came up,' which is consistent across translations like the KJV and ASV, all using 'again' to convey the repetition of the Philistine's actions.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The verse contains one main verb, יָסַף, they repeated, governing the action of the Philistines. This is followed by a prepositional phrase describing where they spread out, and a subsequent verb indicating their action of scattering.

The structure highlights the sequential nature of the events, with the Philistines' actions being presented in a straightforward manner that emphasizes their persistence.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates יָסַף as προσέθεντο, which means 'they added'. This choice reflects a similar notion of repetition but may carry a slightly different nuance regarding their approach to battle.

This translation choice shows a continuity in the narrative, aligning with the Hebrew sense of the Philistines returning to challenge David.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

2 Samuel 5:22 tells us that the Philistines came back to fight David again, spreading out in the Valley of Rephaim. This shows their determination to confront him, following their earlier defeat.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

Why did the Philistines come up again?

The Philistines were persistent enemies of Israel, and after their previous defeat, they regrouped to challenge David once more.

What is the significance of the Valley of Rephaim?

The Valley of Rephaim is known as a location of conflict between the Philistines and the Israelites, symbolizing the ongoing struggles during David's reign.

How did David respond to the Philistines' return?

David sought guidance from the LORD on how to approach the battle, demonstrating his reliance on divine direction.

What can we learn from the Philistines' persistence?

The Philistines' determination serves as a reminder of the ongoing challenges faced in life and the need for vigilance and reliance on God.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. What challenges have I faced repeatedly in my life, and how have I responded to them?
  2. In what ways can I seek God's guidance when confronted with persistent difficulties?
  3. How does the story of David and the Philistines encourage me to stand firm in my faith?
  4. What lessons can I learn about resilience from the Philistines' actions in this verse?

Commentators on this verse — 6 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on 2 Samuel 5:22 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And the Philistines came up yet again,.... And, as Josephus says (z), with an army three times larger than the former: and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim; in the same place where they were before, 2 Samuel 5:20.

Read John Gill on 2 Samuel 5 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

And the Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. The Philistines came up yet again.

Read Robert Jamieson on 2 Samuel 5 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

The Philistines came up again, doubtless with greater force, as those that saw their all lay at stake.

Read Matthew Poole on 2 Samuel 5 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

2 Samuel 5:22 And the Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.Ver. 22. And the Philistines came up yet again.] They will have the other bout, though to their bane. No warning will serve obdurate hearts Cimon the Athenian triumphed over the Persians twice in one day. David shall do little less over these foolhardy Philistines.

Read John Trapp on 2 Samuel 5 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(22) Came up yet again.—As David had not followed up his victory (probably because he was not yet in condition to do so) the Philistines repeated their attack in the same place.

Read Charles John Ellicott on 2 Samuel 5 →
Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

22. Came up yet again — Probably soon after the defeat just recorded. They were chagrined at the loss of their gods, and probably David had not followed up his victory.

Read Daniel Denison Whedon on 2 Samuel 5 →

The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company

Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.

Modern formal

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

Once again the Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

The Philistines came up yet again and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

Once again the Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim.

NETBNew English Translation2006

The Philistines again came up and spread out in the valley of Rephaim.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

¶ And the Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

And the Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.

RVARevised Version, American1894

And the Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

And the Philistines came yet again, and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

Againe the Philistims came vp, and spred themselues in the valley of Rephaim.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

And the Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

And the Philistines add again to come up, and are spread out in the valley of Rephaim,

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

And the Philistines add again to come up, and are spread out in the Valley of Rephaim,

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

And the Philistines came up once again, and spread themselves out in the valley of Rephaim.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

Then the Philistines came up again and spread out once more in the Valley of Rephaim.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

And the Philistines came up again and spread themselves in the valley of Raphaim.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

A while later the Philistines came again and spread out across the Valley of Rephaim.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

And the Philistines came up again, and went in every direction in the valley of Rephaim.

Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.


The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank

This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.

וַandclauseverbיֹּסִ֥פוּthey.repeatedadverbialע֛וֹדagainsubjectפְּלִשְׁתִּ֖ים[the].Philistinesprepositional phrase · prepositionalלַֽtoclauseverbעֲל֑וֹתcome.upוַandclauseverbיִּנָּֽטְשׁ֖וּthey.had.spread.outprepositional phrase · prepositionalבְּinnoun phraseעֵ֥מֶקthe.valleyרְפָאִֽיםof.Rephaim

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran

The Masoretic Text states, "וַיֹּסִ֥פוּ ע֛וֹד פְּלִשְׁתִּ֖ים לַֽעֲל֑וֹת וַיִּנָּֽטְשׁ֖וּ בְּעֵ֥מֶק רְפָאִֽים׃" which translates to, "Once again the Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim." The Septuagint agrees with the Masoretic Text, as all seven words match in a word-by-word correspondence, though the word order may differ. There are no significant differences noted in the Samaritan Pentateuch or the Dead Sea Scrolls for this verse, indicating a strong consistency across these ancient witnesses.

Masoretic TextLeningrad Codex, c. AD 1008 — the text this page is built on

וַיֹּסִ֥פוּ ע֛וֹד פְּלִשְׁתִּ֖ים לַֽעֲל֑וֹת וַיִּנָּֽטְשׁ֖וּ בְּעֵ֥מֶק רְפָאִֽים׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
וַיֹּסִ֥פוּπροσέθεντοע֛וֹדἔτιפְּלִשְׁתִּ֖יםἀλλόφυλοιלַֽעֲל֑וֹתἀναβῆναιוַיִּנָּֽטְשׁ֖וּσυνέπεσανבְּעֵ֥מֶקἐνרְפָאִֽים׃τιτάνων

7 of the 7 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.

Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.


The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with

This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.

2 Samuel 5:22יָסַףand they reand they repeatיָסַףעוֹדagainagainעוֹדפְּלִשְׁתִּי[the] Phili[the] Philistinפְּלִשְׁתִּיעָלָהto go upto go upעָלָהנָטַשׁand they weand they were sנָטַשׁעֵ֫מֶקin [the] vain [the] valleyעֵ֫מֶקרָפָהRephaimRephaimרָפָהעוּדto upholdto upholdעוּדפְּלֶ֫שֶׁתPhilistiaPhilistiaפְּלֶ֫שֶׁתעָמֹקbe deepbe deepעָמֹקרָפָאto healto healרָפָאחֲמִישִׁיfifthfifthחֲמִישִׁיעֹלyokeyokeעֹליָסַףto addto addיָסַףאֶ֫פֶסendendאֶ֫פֶססֶ֫רֶןlordlordסֶ֫רֶןנָכָהto smiteto smiteנָכָהעֹלָהburnt offeburnt offeringעֹלָהיְאֹרstreamstreamיְאֹרשְׁבִיעִיseventhseventhשְׁבִיעִיעָזַבForsakenForsakenעָזַבעָכוֹר(Valley of(Valley of) AchעָכוֹררָפָהRaphaRaphaרָפָהיָלִידbornbornיָלִידעֵ֫מֶקvalleyvalleyעֵ֫מֶק
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in 2 Samuel 5:22

One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.

Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.

and they repeated again [the] Philistines to go up and they were spread out in [the] valley of Rephaim
וַיֹּסִ֥פוּvai.yo.Si.fu and they repeated H3254 Verb · Hiphil · sequential imperfect third person masculine plural
212× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To add means to increase or do something again, like adding more of something or continuing an action. This word is used in the Bible to describe growth or repetition.
Amplified meaning
a second time, still
Tyndale gloss
to add
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

יָסַף (yacaph) is a Hebrew verb meaning to add or increase. It can denote actions like joining oneself to something or continuing to do a task. The entries indicate its use in various forms, including Qal, Niphal, and Hiphil, with nuances of doing something again or augmenting an amount.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יָסַף 214 vb. add

Qal add

Niph.

join (intr.), join oneself to

be joined, added to

Hiph.

add

sq. inf. add to do = do again or more

sq. Impf.

sq. Impf. asynd.

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3254 יָסַף add . add

. . join (intr.), join oneself to

. be joined, added to

. . add

. . sq. inf. add to do = do again or more

. sq. Impf.

. sq. Impf. asynd.

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3254 yacaph yaw-saf'

a primitive root; to add or augment (often adverbial, to

continue to do a thing):--add, X again, X any more, X cease, X

come more, + conceive again, continue, exceed, X further, X

gather together, get more, give more-over, X henceforth,

increase (more and more), join, X longer (bring, do, make,

much, put), X (the, much, yet) more (and more), proceed

(further), prolong, put, be (strong-) er, X yet, yield.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יָסַף (ya.saph) — to add: again.

: again/continue/more[instances]

1) to add, increase, do again

1a) (Qal) to add, increase, do again

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to join, join oneself to

1b2) to be joined, be added to

1c) (Hiphil)

1c1) to cause to add, increase

1c2) to do more, do again

יָסַף (ya.saph) — to add.

: add/more[amount]

1) to add, increase, do again

1a) (Qal) to add, increase, do again

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to join, join oneself to

1b2) to be joined, be added to

1c) (Hiphil)

1c1) to cause to add, increase

1c2) to do more, do again

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | V-Hiphil-ConsecImperf-3mp — Verb · Hiphil · sequential imperfect third person masculine plural
Hc/Vhw3mp
and they repeated again [the] Philistines to go up and they were spread out in [the] valley of Rephaim
ע֛וֹדod again H5750
490× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The word 'still' means something continues or happens again, like in Genesis 29:26 and Isaiah 2:11. It can also mean 'more' or 'additionally'.
Tyndale gloss
still
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

עוֹד (owd) primarily denotes a sense of iteration or continuance, functioning mostly as an adverb meaning 'still,' 'yet,' or 'again.' It can also imply addition or repetition, as in 'more' or 'besides.' The word appears in various contexts throughout the Old Testament, emphasizing persistence or continuation.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

עוֹד and (14 t.) עֹד subst. a going round, continuance, but used mostly as adv. acc. still, yet, again, besides

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5750 עוֹד and (14 t.) עֹד subst. a going round, continuance, but used mostly as adv. acc. still, yet, again, besides

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

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).

see HEBREW for 05749

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

עוֹד (od) — still.

subst

1) a going round, continuance

adv

2) still, yet, again, besides

2a) still, yet (of continuance or persistence)

2b) still, yet, more (of addition or repetition)

2c) again

2d) still, moreover, besides

Aramaic equivalent: od (עוֹד "still" H5751)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HAcmsa
HAcmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

a-gen': Advb. denoting repetition; in New Testament, generally for palin, "back," "once more." Occasionally, it has the force of a connective, synonymous with "moreover," as in Ro 15:10 ff; 1Co 3:20, etc. The expression "born again" of the King James Version, Joh 3:3,7; 1Pe 1:23, translating the Greek "anothen" and "ana" in composition, becomes in the Revised Version (British and American) "anew," i.e. "over again." As these particles mean "from above" and "up," their use as indicating repetition is sometimes disputed, but without further foundation than that "again" does not exhaust the meaning.

and they repeated again [the] Philistines to go up and they were spread out in [the] valley of Rephaim
פְּלִשְׁתִּ֖יםpe.lish.Tim [the] Philistines H6430 Noun gentilic · masculine plural absolute
288× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
A Philistine is a person from the region of Philistia, which was inhabited by immigrants from other places. The Philistines were known for their conflicts with the Israelites, as recorded in the Bible. They were a distinct ethnic group.
Amplified meaning
a group of non-Semitic people, immigrants from other places
Tyndale gloss
(Sea of the) Philistines
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word פְּלִשְׁתִּי (*pelishtiy*) means 'Philistine' and refers to an inhabitant of Philistia, with roots indicating they are descendants of Mizraim who immigrated from Caphtor. It is derived from the lemma for Philistia, פְּלֶ֫שֶׁת (*peleshet*), and is first mentioned in Genesis 10:14.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

פְּלִשְׁתִּי 288 adj.gent. Philistine

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H6430 פְּלִשְׁתִּי Philistine

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

6430 Plishtiy pel-ish-tee'

patrial from 6429; a Pelishtite or inhabitant of

Pelesheth:--Philistine.

see HEBREW for 06429

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

פְּלִשְׁתִּי (pe.lish.ti) — Philistine.

Philistine = "immigrants"

an inhabitant of Philistia; descendants of Mizraim who immigrated from Caphtor (Crete?) to the western seacoast of Canaan

Another spelling of pe.le.shet (פְּלֶ֫שֶׁת "Philistia" H6429)

פְּלִשְׁתִּי (pe.lish.ti) — Philistine.

A Philistine living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.10.14;

son of: Casluhim (H3695)

§ Philistine = "immigrants"

an inhabitant of Philistia; descendants of Mizraim who immigrated from Caphtor (Crete?) to the western seacoast of Canaan

פְּלִשְׁתִּי (pe.lish.ti) — (Sea of the) Philistines.

Philistine = "immigrants"

an inhabitant of Philistia; descendants of Mizraim who immigrated from Caphtor (Crete?) to the western seacoast of Canaan

Another name of ga.dol (גָּדוֹל "Great( Sea)" H1419J)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Ngmpa — Noun gentilic · masculine plural absolute
HNgmpa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

fi-lis'-tinz, fil'-is-tinz, fil'-is-tinz (pelishtim; Phulistieim, allophuloi):

I. OLD TESTAMENT NOTICES

1. Race and Origin

2. Religion

3. Individual Philistines Mentioned

4. Title of Ruler and Circumcision

5. History in the Old Testament to Death of Saul

6. History Continued to Time of Ahaz

7. Later Notices

II. MONUMENTAL NOTICES

1. Palestinian Excavations

2. Egyptian Monuments

3. Assyrian Texts

III. THE CRETAN THEORY

1. Cherethim and Kretes

2. Caphtor and Keft

IV. DAVID'S GUARDS

1. The "Cherethi" and the "Pelethi" Not Mercenaries

2. Meaning of These Terms

3. Native Hebrews

4. Review

LITERATURE

I. Old Testament Notices.

1. Race and Origin:

The Philistines were an uncircumcised people inhabiting the shore plain between Gezer and Gaza in Southwestern Palestine (see PHILISTIA). The name Palestine itself (Hebrew pelesheth) refers to their country. The word means "migrants," and they came from another country. They…

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Philistines

(Gen. 10:14, R.V.; but in A.V., “Philistim”), a tribe allied to the Phoenicians. They were a branch of the primitive race which spread over the whole district of the Lebanon and the valley of the Jordan, and Crete and other Mediterranean islands. Some suppose them to have been a branch of the Rephaim (2 Sam. 21:16-22). In the time of Abraham they inhabited the south-west of Judea, Abimelech of Gerar being their king (Gen. 21:32, 34; 26:1). They are, however, not noticed among the Canaanitish tribes mentioned in the Pentateuch. They are spoken of by Amos (9:7) and Jeremiah (47:4) as from Caphtor, i.e., probably Crete, or, as some think, the Delta of Egypt. In the whole record from Exodus to Samuel they are…

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(immigrants), The origin of the Philistines is nowhere expressly stated in the Bible; but as the prophets describe them as "the Philistines-from Caphtor," (Amos 9:7) and "the remnant of the maritime district of Caphtor" (Jeremiah 47:4) it is prima facie probable that they were the Caphtorim which came out of Caphtor" who expelled the Avim from their territory and occupied it; in their place, (2:23) and that these again were the Caphtorim mentioned in the Mosaic genealogical table among the descendants of Mizraim. (Genesis 10:14) It has been generally assumed that Caphtor represents Crete, and that the Philistines migrated from that island, either directly or through Egypt, into Palestine. But the name Caphtor is more probably…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

A celebrated people, who inhabited the southern seacoast of Canaan, which from them took the name of Philistia, Ps 60:8 108:9, or Palestine. They seem originally to have migrated form Egypt to Caphtor, by which some understand Crete, and others with the ancients Cappadocia, Ge 10:14, and thence to have passed over to Palestine under the name of Caphtorim, where they drove out the Avim, who dwelt from Hazerim to Azzah, that is, Gaza, and swelt in their stead, De 2:23. The country they inhabited lay between the higher land of Judea and the Mediterranean, and was in the main a level and fertile territory. It resembles our own western prairies; and bears splendid crops year after year, though miserably cultivated and never manured.

and they repeated again [the] Philistines to go up and they were spread out in [the] valley of Rephaim
לַֽעֲל֑וֹתla.'a.Lot to go up H5927 Preposition · verb qal infinitive construct common
890× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To ascend means to go up or rise, like the smoke from an altar going up to God, as described in many Bible passages, including Leviticus and Psalms.
Amplified meaning
to ascend, went up
Tyndale gloss
to ascend: rise
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word עָלָה (alah) means 'to ascend' and encompasses a wide range of meanings, including going up, climbing, and rising in various contexts such as personal, natural, and spiritual. It can refer to actions involving people, animals, vegetation, and even thoughts, and includes nuances of being exalted or offering sacrifices. The word is built from a primitive root and appears in various grammatical forms, indicating different aspects of ascent or elevation.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

עָלָה 890 vb. go up, ascend, climb

Qal

of persons, go up, ascend, in local relations

go up, in personal relations

of animals, go or come up

of vegetation, spring up, grow, shoot forth

of natural phenom., go up, rise

of inanimate things, instead of passive construction

of thoughts

come up before God, arrogance

go up, extend, of boundary

excel

Niph.

be brought up

be taken up

pass., be taken up, away

reflex., take oneself away from, get up from

reflex.: take oneself away

be exalted, of God

Hiph.

bring up persons

in personal relations

bring up animals

cause to ascend

mentally

offer a present; bring up tithe to

exalt

cause to ascend (in flame), offer sacrifice

Hoph.

be carried away

be taken up into, inserted in

be offered

Hithp. lift oneself

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5927 עָלָה go up, ascend, climb .. of persons, go up, ascend, in local relations

. go up, in personal relations

. of animals, go or come up

. of vegetation, spring up, grow, shoot forth

. of natural phenom., go up, rise

. of inanimate things, instead of passive construction

. of thoughts

. come up before God, arrogance

. go up, extend, of boundary

. excel

. . . be brought up

. be taken up

. . pass., be taken up, away

. reflex., take oneself away from, get up from

. reflex.: take oneself away

. be exalted, of God

. . bring up persons

. in personal relations

. bring up animals

. cause to ascend

. mentally

. offer a present; bring up tithe to

. exalt

. cause to ascend (in flame), offer sacrifice

. . be carried away

. be taken up into, inserted in

. be offered

. lift oneself

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5927 `alah aw-law'

a primitive root; to ascend, intransitively (be high) or

actively (mount); used in a great variety of senses, primary

and secondary, literal and figurative (as follow):--arise

(up), (cause to) ascend up, at once, break (the day) (up),

bring (up), (cause to) burn, carry up, cast up, + shew, climb

(up), (cause to, make to) come (up), cut off, dawn, depart,

exalt, excel, fall, fetch up, get up, (make to) go (away, up);

grow (over) increase, lay, leap, levy, lift (self) up, light,

(make) up, X mention, mount up, offer, make to pay, + perfect,

prefer, put (on), raise, recover, restore, (make to) rise

(up), scale, set (up), shoot forth (up), (begin to) spring

(up), stir up, take away (up), work.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

עָלָה (a.lah) — to ascend: rise.

: rise/go

1) to go up, ascend, climb

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to go up, ascend

1a2) to meet, visit, follow, depart, withdraw, retreat

1a3) to go up, come up (of animals)

1a4) to spring up, grow, shoot forth (of vegetation)

1a5) to go up, go up over, rise (of natural phenomenon)

1a6) to come up (before God)

1a7) to go up, go up over, extend (of boundary)

1a8) to excel, be superior to

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be taken up, be brought up, be taken away

1b2) to take oneself away

1b3) to be exalted

1c) (Hiphil)

1c1) to bring up, cause to ascend or climb, cause to go up

1c2) to bring up, bring against, take away

1c3) to bring up, draw up, train

1c4) to cause to ascend

1c5) to rouse, stir up (mentally)

1c6) to offer, bring up (of gifts)

1c7) to exalt

1c8) to cause to ascend, offer

1d) (Hophal)

1d1) to be carried away, be led up

1d2) to be taken up into, be inserted in

1d3) to be offered

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | V-Qal-Inf-a — Preposition · verb qal infinitive construct common
HR/Vqcc
and they repeated again [the] Philistines to go up and they were spread out in [the] valley of Rephaim
וַיִּנָּֽטְשׁ֖וּvai.yi.na.te.Shu and they were spread out H5203 Verb · Niphal · sequential imperfect third person masculine plural
40× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To leave or forsake something, like God forsaking his people in the book of Isaiah. It can also mean to permit or let something happen. In the Bible, it is often used to describe God's relationship with his people.
Amplified meaning
scattered, dispersed themselves
Tyndale gloss
to leave
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word נָטַשׁ (*natash*) is built from a primitive root meaning to pound or smite, which implies dispersing or thrusting off. It covers a range of meanings including to leave, forsake, permit, and abandon. The word can also refer to being forsaken or loosened, and is used in contexts such as deserted palaces.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

נָטַשׁ vb. leave, forsake, permit

Qal

leave, let alone

usu. forsake, abandon

permit

Niph.

be forsaken

be loosened or loose (prop. be let alone, left to hang down) of ship’s tackle

be let go, spread abroad

Pu. palaces are abandoned, deserted

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5203 נָטַשׁ leave, forsake, permit .. leave, let alone

. usu. forsake, abandon

. permit

. . be forsaken

. be loosened or loose (prop. be let alone, left to hang down) of ship’s tackle

. be let go, spread abroad

. palaces are abandoned, deserted

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5203 natash naw-tash'

a primitive root; properly, to pound, i.e. smite; by

implication (as if beating out, and thus expanding) to

disperse; also, to thrust off, down, out or upon (inclusively,

reject, let alone, permit, remit, etc.):--cast off, drawn, let

fall, forsake, join (battle), leave (off), lie still, loose,

spread (self) abroad, stretch out, suffer.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

נָטַשׁ (na.tash) — to leave.

1) to leave, permit, forsake, cast off or away, reject, suffer, join, spread out or abroad, be loosed, cease, abandon, quit, hang loose, cast down, make a raid, lie fallow, let fall, forgo, draw

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to leave, let alone, lie fallow, entrust to

1a2) to forsake, abandon

1a3) to permit

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be forsaken

1b2) to be loosened, be loose

1b3) to be let go, spread abroad

1c) (Pual) to be abandoned, be deserted

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | V-Niphal-ConsecImperf-3mp — Verb · Niphal · sequential imperfect third person masculine plural
Hc/VNw3mp
and they repeated again [the] Philistines to go up and they were spread out in [the] valley of Rephaim
בְּעֵ֥מֶקbe.'E.mek in [the] valley of H6010 Preposition · noun common masculine singular construct
69× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Describes a valley or lowland area, like the Valley of Elah where David fought Goliath.
Amplified meaning
lowland area, plain
Tyndale gloss
valley
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word עֵ֫מֶק (*'emeq*) means 'vale' or 'valley,' indicating a broad depression in the landscape. It is derived from the root meaning 'deepening' or 'depth.' This term is often used in proper names, such as the Valley of Achor and the Valley of Elah, and covers a range of valleys and lowlands mentioned in the Old Testament.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

עֵ֫מֶק 70 n.m. vale (prop. deepening, depth)

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H6010 עֵ֫מֶק vale (prop. deepening, depth)

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

6010 `emeq ay'-mek

from 6009; a vale (i.e. broad depression):--dale, vale,

valley (often used as a part of proper names). See also 1025.

see HEBREW for 06009

see HEBREW for 01025

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

עֵ֫מֶק (e.meq) — Valley (of Achor).

Combined with a.khor (עָכוֹר " of Achor" H5911)

§ valley, vale, lowland, open country

עֵ֫מֶק (e.meq) — Valley (of Beracah).

Combined with be.ra.khah (בְּרָכָה " of Beracah" H1294H)

§ valley, vale, lowland, open country

עֵ֫מֶק (e.meq) — Valley (of Elah).

Combined with e.lah (אֵלָה "Elah" H0425L)

§ valley, vale, lowland, open country

עֵ֫מֶק (e.meq) — Emek.

§ valley, vale, lowland, open country

עֵ֫מֶק (e.meq) — Valley (of Hebron).

Combined with chev.ron (חֶבְרוֹן " of Hebron" H2275H)

§ valley, vale, lowland, open country

עֵ֫מֶק (e.meq) — Valley (of Topheth).

valley, vale, lowland, open country

Another name of to.phet (תֹּ֫פֶת "Topheth" H8612)

עֵ֫מֶק (e.meq) — Valley (of Jezreel).

Combined with yiz.re.el (יִזְרְעֶאל " of Jezreel" H3157L)

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular construct
HR/Ncmsc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ov:

(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.

English usagewhat the translators’ English meant
Webster's Dictionary (1828), Webster's Unabridged (1913), Webster's Dictionary (1806)

OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]

1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.

I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.

For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.

Lamentations 3:1.

The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.

Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.

That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.

Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…

and they repeated again [the] Philistines to go up and they were spread out in [the] valley of Rephaim
רְפָאִֽים׃re.fa.'Im Rephaim H7497 Noun proper masculine
25× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Raphaite were a group of giants, including Goliath, mentioned in 2 Samuel 21:16, who lived during the time of King David.
Amplified meaning
a group of giants, the Raphaite
Tyndale gloss
Rapha
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

רָפָה (rapha') refers to a giant, specifically associated with the Rephaim, an ancient race of giants mentioned in the Old Testament. The term encompasses both the individual Rapha and the collective Rephaim, who are described as descendants of Rapha. The entries highlight the connection to invigorating or healing, but primarily focus on the notion of giants.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

רָפָה, רָפָא as n.pr.m. Hā-Rāphā

base

רְפָאִים n.pr.gent. old race of giants

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H7497a רָפָה, רָפָא Hā-Rāphā H7497b רְפָאִים n. pr. gent. old race of giants

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

7497 rapha' raw-faw'

or raphah {raw-faw'}; from 7495 in the sense of invigorating;

a giant:--giant, Rapha, Rephaim(-s). See also 1051.

see HEBREW for 07495

see HEBREW for 01051

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

רָפָה (ra.pah) — Rapha.

A man living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 2Sa.21.16;

father of: Goliath (H1555), Ishbi-benob (H3430), Saph (H5593), Lahmi (H3902), huge_man (H4060A); also translated "giant";

Also named: re.pha.im (רְפָאִים "Raphaite" H7497H)

§ giant, Rephah

רְפָאִים (re.pha.im) — Rephaim.

1) giants, Rephaim

1a) old tribe of giants

2) People descended from Repha(?), first mentioned at Gen.14.5

Also named: zam.zom (זַמְזֻמִּים "Zamzummin" H2157)

רְפָאִים (re.pha.im) — (Valley of) Rephaim.

Combined with e.meq (עֵ֫מֶק " Valley" H6010P)

This name means giants,

רְפָאִים (re.pha.im) — Raphaite.

Descendants from Rapha, who lived at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 2Sa.21.16;

father of: Goliath (H1555), Ishbi-benob (H3430), Saph (H5593), Lahmi (H3902), huge_man (H4060A); also translated "giant";

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-proper — Noun proper masculine
HNpm
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ref'-a-im, re-fa'-im (repha'-im, from rapha', "a terrible one "hence "giant," in 1Ch 20:4, yelidhe ha-rapha', "sons of the giant"; the King James Version, Rephaims): A race of aboriginal or early inhabitants East of the Jordan in Ashterothkarnaim (Ge 14:5) and in the valley of Rephaim Southwest of Jerusalem (Jos 15:8). They associated with other giant races, as the Emim and Anakim (De 2:10,11) and the Zamzummim (De 2:20). It is probable that they were all of the same stock, being given different names by the different tribes who came in contact with them. The same Hebrew word is rendered "the dead," or "the shades" in…

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Rephaim

Lofty men; giants, (Gen. 14:5; 2 Sam. 21:16, 18, marg. A.V., Rapha, marg. R.V., Raphah; Deut. 3:13, R.V.; A.V., “giants”). The aborigines of Palestine, afterwards conquered and dispossessed by the Canaanite tribes, are classed under this general title. They were known to the Moabites as Emim, i.e., “fearful”, (Deut. 2:11), and to the Ammonites as Zamzummim. Some of them found refuge among the Philistines, and were still existing in the days of David. We know nothing of their origin. They were not necessarily connected with the “giants” (R.V., “Nephilim”) of Gen. 6:4. (See GIANTS.)

Smith's Bible Dictionary

[GIANTS]

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

The Hebrew word is used in two distinct significations.

1. REPHAIM is used to comprehend all the gigantic races of the Canaanites, of whom there were several families. There were Rephaim beyond Jordan, at Ashtaroth Karnaim, in the time of Abraham, Ge 14:5; also some in the time of Moses. Og king of Bashan was of the Rephaim. In the time of Joshua, some of their descendants dwelt in the land of Canaan, Jos 12:4 17:15, and we hear of them in David’s time, in the city of Gath, 1Ch 20:4-6. The giant Goliath and others were the remains of the Rephaim, or of the kindred family of Anakim. Their magnitude and strength are often spoken of in Scripture. They appear to have excelled in violence and crime, and hence are monuments of divine…

Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

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