How does the Lord’s instruction change when the Philistines return to Raphaim?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

At first the Lord tells David to go up against them. When they return, he tells David to go behind them and join battle at the sound in the pear-tree tops. David follows the command.

Chapter breakdown

All Israel’s tribes come to David in Hebron and say they are his bone and flesh. They recall that yesterday and the day before, when Saul was king, David led Israel out and brought it in. They also recall the Lord’s words that David will feed his people Israel and be their prince. Israel’s elders come to the king in Hebron. David makes a league with them there before the Lord, and they anoint him king over Israel. David is thirty when he begins to reign, and his reign lasts forty years. He reigns over Juda in Hebron for seven years and six months, and over all Israel and Juda in Jerusalem for thirty-three years.

David and all the men with him go to Jerusalem, to the Jebusites who inhabit the land. The Jebusites tell him he cannot enter unless he removes the blind and lame who say David will not come in. David takes the castle of Sion, the city of David. That day he has offered a reward to whoever strikes the Jebusites, gets up to the gutters at the tops of the houses and removes the blind and lame who hate his soul. The passage connects this with the proverb that the blind and lame shall not come into the temple. David lives in the castle and calls it the city of David. He builds around it from Mello inward. He continues to prosper and grow, and the Lord God of hosts is with him.

Hiram king of Tyre sends David messengers, cedar trees, carpenters and masons for walls. They build David a house. David knows the Lord has confirmed him king over Israel and exalted his kingdom over his people Israel. After coming from Hebron, David takes more concubines and wives in Jerusalem, and more sons and daughters are born to him.

Challoner’s separate note says these were not harlots but wives of an inferior condition, for such women are called concubines in Scripture.

The passage names those born to David in Jerusalem: Samua, Sobab, Nathan, Solomon, Jebahar, Elisua, Nepheg, Japhia, Elisama, Elioda and Eliphaleth.

When the Philistines hear that David has been anointed king over Israel, they all come to seek him. David hears and goes down to a stronghold. The Philistines spread out in the valley of Raphaim. David asks the Lord whether he should go up against them and whether the Lord will deliver them into his hand. The Lord tells him to go up and promises to deliver them. David comes to Baal Pharisim and defeats them there. He says the Lord has divided his enemies before him as waters are divided, and the place is therefore called Baal Pharisim. The Philistines leave their idols there, and David and his men take them away.

The Philistines come again and spread out in Raphaim’s valley. David again asks the Lord whether to go up against them and whether he will deliver them into his hands. This time the Lord tells him not to go up against them, but to circle behind them and come upon them opposite the pear trees. When David hears the sound of one going in the pear-tree tops, he is to join battle, because the Lord will then go before him to strike the Philistine army. David does as commanded and strikes the Philistines from Gabaa to Gezer.

The story inside

The two encounters begin in the same valley, but David receives different instructions. In the first, he asks whether to go up and whether the Philistines will be delivered into his hand. The Lord tells him to go, and the defeat at Baal Pharisim follows. When the Philistines return to Raphaim, David asks again. The new answer includes both a route behind them and a signal in the pear-tree tops before joining battle. The chapter then explicitly states that David acts as commanded and strikes them from Gabaa to Gezer. This pattern explains the two victories through the two recorded consultations and responses. It does not state that the second victory ends all danger at the borders.

Lessons worth keeping

1
Keep the reign figures tied to their places. The passage gives thirty years at the beginning, forty years of rule, seven years and six months in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem. Preserving each statement avoids turning the later anointing by all Israel into a new age-thirty event.
2
Read the actual note before attributing a judgment to Challoner. His note explains the term concubines as wives of an inferior condition. It does not contain the baseline’s added verdict on marriage law, so that verdict must not be presented as his words.
3
The second instruction includes timing as well as direction. David must go behind the Philistines and join battle when he hears the sound in the trees. Keeping both parts explains the stated obedience more fully than simply saying he won another battle.

Test your recall

How do the route and signal in the second consultation differ from the first instruction to David?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 32127–32148
2 Kings Chapter 5 David is anointed king of all Israel. He taketh Jerusalem, and dwelleth there. He defeateth the Philistines. 5:1. Then all the tribes of Israel came to David in Hebron, saying: Behold we are thy bone and thy flesh. 5:2. Moreover yesterday also and the day before, when Saul was king over us, thou wast he that did lead out and bring in Israel: and the Lord said to thee: Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be prince over Israel. 5:3. The ancients also of Israel came to the king of Hebron, and king David made a league with them in Hebron before the Lord: and they anointed David to be king over Israel. 5:4. David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. 5:5. In Hebron he reigned over Juda seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned three and thirty years over all Israel and Juda.
Lines 32150–32167
5:6. And the king and all the men that were with him went to Jerusalem to the Jebusites the inhabitants of the land: and they said to David: Thou shalt not come in hither unless thou take away the blind and the lame that say: David shall not come in hither. 5:7. But David took the castle of Sion, the same is the city of David. 5:8. For David had offered that day a reward to whosoever should strike the Jebusites and get up to the gutters of the tops of the houses, and take away the blind and the lame that hated the soul of David: therefore it is said in the proverb: The blind and the lame shall not come into the temple. 5:9. And David dwelt in the castle, and called it, The city of David: and built round about from Mello and inwards. 5:10. And he went on prospering and growing up, and the Lord God of hosts was with him.
Lines 32169–32178
5:11. And Hiram the king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, and carpenters, and masons for walls: and they built a house for David. 5:12. And David knew that the Lord had confirmed him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom over his people Israel. 5:13. And David took more concubines and wives of Jerusalem, after he was come from Hebron: and there were born to David other sons also and daughters:
Lines 32180–32182
David took more concubines and wives of Jerusalem.... Not harlots, but wives of an inferior condition; for such, in scripture, are styled concubines.
Lines 32184–32189
5:14. And these are the names of them, that were born to him in Jerusalem, Samua, and Sobab, and Nathan, and Solomon, 5:15. And Jebahar, and Elisua, and Nepheg, 5:16. And Japhia, and Elisama, and Elioda, and Eliphaleth.
Lines 32191–32208
5:17. And the Philistines heard that they had anointed David to be king over Israel: and they all came to seek David: and when David heard of it, he went down to a strong hold. 5:18. And the Philistines coming spread themselves in the valley of Raphaim. 5:19. And David consulted the Lord, saying: Shall I go up to the Philistines? and wilt thou deliver them into my hand? And the Lord said to David: Go up, for I will surely deliver the Philistines into thy hand. 5:20. And David came to Baal Pharisim: and defeated them there, and he said, The Lord hath divided my enemies before me, as waters are divided. Therefore the name of the place was called Baal Pharisim. 5:21. And they left there their idols: which David and his men took away.
Lines 32210–32225
5:22. And the Philistines came up again and spread themselves into the valley of Raphaim. 5:23. And David consulted the Lord: Shall I go up against the Philistines, and wilt thou deliver them into my hands? He answered: Go not up against them but fetch a compass behind them, and thou shalt come upon them over against the pear trees. 5:24. And when thou shalt hear the sound of one going in the tops of the pear trees, then shalt thou join battle: for then will the Lord go out before thy face to strike the army of the Philistines. 5:25. And David did as the Lord had commanded him, and he smote the Philistines from Gabaa until thou come to Gezer.