2 Samuel 5:18 — Word Study
WLCוּפְלִשְׁתִּ֖ים בָּ֑אוּ וַיִּנָּטְשׁ֖וּ בְּעֵ֥מֶק רְפָאִֽים׃
BSA◂Now the PhilistinesPᵉlishtîy [a group of non-Semitic people, immigrants from other places] had comebôwʼ■ [approached, entered the area] and spread outnâṭash▸ [went in every direction, dispersed themselves] in the Valleyʻêmeq [a lowland area, a region of conflict] of Rephaimrâphâʼ [a place of giants, named after the Raphaite giants]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וּפְלִשְׁתִּ֖ים | and [the] Philistines | Conjunction, noun gentilic masculine plural absolute |
| בָּ֑אוּ | they came | Verb, Qal, perfect third person common plural |
| וַיִּנָּטְשׁ֖וּ | and they were spread out | Verb, Niphal, sequential imperfect third person masculine plural |
| בְּעֵ֥מֶק | in [the] valley of | Preposition, noun common masculine singular construct |
| רְפָאִֽים׃ | Rephaim | Noun proper masculine |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. |
| KJV | The Philistines also came and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. |
| ASV | Now the Philistines had come and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. |
| YLT | and the Philistines have come, and are spread out in the valley of Rephaim. |
| WEB | Now the Philistines had come and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. |
| BBE | And when the Philistines came, they went in every direction in the valley of Rephaim. |
The translations consistently refer to the Philistines as פְּלִשְׁתִּי — see How Translations Differ.
The sentence is structured with a main clause followed by a verb phrase and a prepositional phrase, clearly indicating the actions and location of the Philistines.
7 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
subjectפְּלִשְׁתִּי
verbבּוֹא
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
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 5:18
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 — The Rise of David as Kinggenerated
2 Samuel 5:18 describes the Philistines' reaction to David's anointing as king over Israel. They gathered in the Valley of Rephaim, indicating their intent to confront David and challenge his rule. This moment highlights the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Philistines, a theme prevalent throughout the narrative of David's kingship.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 Samuel 23:13 | At harvest time, three of the thirty chief men went down to David at the cave of Adullam, while a company of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. |
| 2 | Genesis 14:5 | In the fourteenth year, Chedorlaomer and the kings allied with him went out and defeated the Rephaites in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in Shaveh-kiriathaim, |
| 3 | Joshua 15:8 | From there the border went up the Valley of Hinnom along the southern slope of the Jebusites (that is, Jerusalem) and ascended to the top of the hill that faces the Valley of Hinnom on the west, at the northern end of the Valley of Rephaim. |
| 4 | 1 Chronicles 11:15 | Three of the thirty chief men went down to David, to the rock at the cave of Adullam, while a company of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. |
| 5 | Isaiah 17:5 | as the reaper gathers the standing grain and harvests the ears with his arm, as one gleans heads of grain in the Valley of Rephaim. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 5 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — פְּלִשְׁתִּי, u.fe.lish.Timgenerated
The term פְּלִשְׁתִּי (*pelishtiy*) refers to the Philistines, a non-Semitic people known for their conflicts with the Israelites. They originated from the region of Philistia, which was settled by immigrants from other areas. This word appears frequently in the Hebrew Bible, indicating the Philistines' significant role in the historical narrative.
The parsing shows that it is a noun in the masculine plural form, indicating a group identity. The Philistines were not just individuals but a collective known for their military engagements with Israel.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, which uses the term Philistines.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main verb בָּ֑אוּ, they came, governs the sentence, with two phrases attached: the subject וּפְלִשְׁתִּ֖ים, the Philistines, and a participial phrase וַיִּנָּטְשׁ֖וּ, and they were spread out. This structure emphasizes the actions of the Philistines as a unified group.
The word order places the subject first, highlighting the Philistines as the focus of the sentence, followed by their actions in the valley.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
In the Septuagint, the Philistines are referred to as ἀλλόφυλοι, which means 'foreigners' or 'other peoples.' This choice broadens the understanding of the Philistines as not just a specific ethnic group but as outsiders in relation to Israel.
This translation indicates a possible interpretation of the Philistines as a collective threat to Israel, emphasizing their role as adversaries rather than merely a localized group.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
2 Samuel 5:18 tells us that the Philistines came and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. This event occurs as David becomes king, showing the Philistines' intent to confront him. The valley is significant as a location of conflict, highlighting the ongoing struggles between Israel and the Philistines.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
The Philistines were a group of non-Semitic people from the region of Philistia, known for their conflicts with the Israelites throughout the biblical narrative.
The Valley of Rephaim is a lowland area associated with giants and conflict, serving as a battleground in the history of Israel.
The Philistines came to confront David after he was anointed king, indicating their desire to challenge his authority and control over Israel.
The phrase 'they were spread out' suggests that the Philistines were preparing for battle, indicating their military strategy and intent to engage with Israel.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What can we learn about the Philistines' approach to conflict from this verse?
- How does the setting of the Valley of Rephaim contribute to the narrative of David's kingship?
- In what ways do the Philistines represent challenges that we face today?
- How can we prepare ourselves for challenges, as David did, when confronted by adversaries?
Commentators on this verse — 7 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on 2 Samuel 5:18 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleThe Philistines also came and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.
Read John Gill on 2 Samuel 5 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryThe Philistines also came and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.
Read Robert Jamieson on 2 Samuel 5 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleOr, of the giants; which lay westward from Jerusalem, and so was the ready way to Jerusalem, which it seems they designed to take.
Read Matthew Poole on 2 Samuel 5 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments2 Samuel 5:18 The Philistines also came and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.Ver. 18. In the valley of Rephaim.] Of the Titans or giants, as the Septuagint rendereth it; or, "Of the dead." God had against these Philistine Theomachi; was "preparing for them the instruments of death," and would ere long lay them in that slimy valley where were many already like them. and more should come after them.
Read John Trapp on 2 Samuel 5 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(18) Rephaim.—Translated in Joshua 15:8, the valley of the giants. It was a fruitful valley, stretching some three miles S. and S.W. from Jerusalem, and only separated from the valley of Hinnom by a narrow ridge. It gave ample room for a large encampment, and its situation is an additional proof that the capture of Jerusalem had already been made, since the Philistines came here “to seek David.” They had, however, encamped in the same place at earlier times also (see 2 Samuel 23:13).
Read Charles John Ellicott on 2 Samuel 5 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges18. The Philistines also came] But the Philistines came. Taking a different route, perhaps by the Wady-es-Surâr and Beth-shemesh (see note on 1 Samuel 6:9), so as to avoid David and his army, they came up and occupied “the valley of Rephaim,” an open plain or upland valley, stretching in a S.W. direction from the neighbourhood of Jerusalem towards Bethlehem. Cp. Joshua 15:8; Joshua 18:16 (E. V. the valley of the giants). It was famous for its fertile corn-fields (Isaiah 17:5). The name preserves a trace of the ancient gigantic race of the Rephaim, to which Og the king of Bashan belonged (Deuteronomy 3:11. Cp. Genesis 14:5; Joshua 17:15).
Read Cambridge on 2 Samuel 5 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible18. Valley of Rephaim — An upland plain a little southwest of Jerusalem, hemmed in on all sides by low hills, so that it is properly called a valley.See on Joshua 15:18, where it is translated
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
Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim.
Now the Philistines had come and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.
Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim.
Now the Philistines had arrived and spread out in the valley of Rephaim.
Tyndale line
The Philistines also came and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.
Now the Philistines had come and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.
Now the Philistines had come and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.
The Philistines also came and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.
But the Philistims came, and spred themselues in the valley of Rephaim.
Strictly literal
And the Philistines came and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.
and the Philistines have come, and are spread out in the valley of Rephaim.
and the Philistines have come, and are spread out in the Valley of Rephaim.
The Philistines also came and spread themselves out in the valley of Rephaim.
Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim.
From the Latin
And the Philistines coming spread themselves in the valley of Raphaim.
Simplified
The Philistines came and spread out across the Valley of Rephaim.
And when the Philistines came, they 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.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint largely agree in their wording for this verse, with the Septuagint providing a slightly different structure. The Dead Sea Scrolls contain a partial reading that matches the Masoretic Text but includes editorial restorations.
וּפְלִשְׁתִּ֖ים בָּ֑אוּ וַיִּנָּטְשׁ֖וּ בְּעֵ֥מֶק רְפָאִֽים׃
4 of the 5 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.
ופלשתיים [באו] [ויפשטו] [בעמק] [רפאים]
1 word on the leather — 4 supplied entire by an editor.
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.
Lexicons — every word in 2 Samuel 5:18
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.
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.
פְּלִשְׁתִּי 288 adj.gent. Philistine
base
H6430 פְּלִשְׁתִּי Philistine
6430 Plishtiy pel-ish-tee'
patrial from 6429; a Pelishtite or inhabitant of
Pelesheth:--Philistine.
see HEBREW for 06429
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)
Conj | Ngmpa — Conjunction · noun gentilic masculine plural absoluteHC/Ngmpa
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…
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…
(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…
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.
בּוֹא (bo) is a Hebrew verb meaning to come or go in, with a wide range of applications including entering, arriving, and bringing in. It can refer to both physical movement and abstract concepts like events coming to pass. The verb appears in various forms, such as Qal (to come), Hiphil (to cause to come), and Hophal (to be brought). There is no significant disagreement among lexicons regarding its meanings.
בּוֹא 2569 vb. come in, come, go in, go
Qal
come in
come (approach, arrive)
go, i.e. walk, associate with
go from speaker, but with limit of motion given
Hiph.
cause to come in, bring in (conduct, lead, obj. persons and animals)
cause to come, bring, bring near, etc. (animate obj.)
Hoph.
be brought in (of pers. and things)
be brought
be introduced, put
base
H935 בּוֹא come in, come, go in, go .. come in
. come (approach, arrive)
. go, i.e. walk, associate with
. go from speaker, but with limit of motion given
. . cause to come in, bring in (conduct, lead, obj. persons and animals)
. cause to come, bring, bring near, etc. (animate obj.)
. . be brought in (of pers. and things)
. be brought
. be introduced, put
935 bow' bo
a primitive root; to go or come (in a wide variety of
applications):--abide, apply, attain, X be, befall, +
besiege, bring (forth, in, into, to pass), call, carry, X
certainly, (cause, let, thing for) to come (against, in, out,
upon, to pass), depart, X doubtless again, + eat, + employ,
(cause to) enter (in, into, -tering, -trance, -try), be
fallen, fetch, + follow, get, give, go (down, in, to war),
grant, + have, X indeed, (in-)vade, lead, lift (up), mention,
pull in, put, resort, run (down), send, set, X (well) stricken
(in age), X surely, take (in), way.
בּוֹא (bo) — to come (in): come.
: come/go_in
1) to go in, enter, come, go, come in
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to enter, come in
1a2) to come
1a2a) to come with
1a2b) to come upon, fall or light upon, attack (enemy)
1a2c) to come to pass
1a3) to attain to
1a4) to be enumerated
1a5) to go
1b) (Hiphil)
1b1) to lead in
1b2) to carry in
1b3) to bring in, cause to come in, gather, cause to come, bring near, bring against, bring upon
1b4) to bring to pass
1c) (Hophal)
1c1) to be brought, brought in
1c2) to be introduced, be put
לְב֥וֹא (bo) — Lebo-(Hamath).
This name means to go in, enter
Combined with cha.mat (חֲמָת "Hamath" H2574)
בּוֹא (bo) — to come (in): towards.
: towards/entrance
1) to go in, enter, come, go, come in
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to enter, come in
1a2) to come
1a2a) to come with
1a2b) to come upon, fall or light upon, attack (enemy)
1a2c) to come to pass
1a3) to attain to
1a4) to be enumerated
V-Qal-Perf-3cp — Verb · Qal · perfect third person common pluralHVqp3cp
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.
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
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
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.
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
Conj | V-Niphal-ConsecImperf-3mp — Verb · Niphal · sequential imperfect third person masculine pluralHc/VNw3mp
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.
עֵ֫מֶק 70 n.m. vale (prop. deepening, depth)
base
H6010 עֵ֫מֶק vale (prop. deepening, depth)
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
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)
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular constructHR/Ncmsc
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.
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…
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.
רָפָה, רָפָא as n.pr.m. Hā-Rāphā
base
רְפָאִים n.pr.gent. old race of giants
base
H7497a רָפָה, רָפָא Hā-Rāphā H7497b רְפָאִים n. pr. gent. old race of giants
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
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";
N-proper — Noun proper masculineHNpm
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…
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.)
[GIANTS]
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…