2 Samuel 21:17 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
2 Samuel 21:17
But Abishai the son of Zeruiah succoured him, and smote the Philistine, and killed him. Then the men of David sware unto him, saying, Thou shalt go no more out with us to battle, that thou quench not the light of Israel.
a son (as a builder of the family name) · noun, common masculine singular construct
Zeruiah
צְרוּיָ֔הtze.ru.Yah
H6870
Tserujah · proper noun, a woman's name
succoured
וַיַּֽעֲזָרvai.ya.'a.zor-
H5826
to surround · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
smote
וַיַּ֥ךְvai.Yakh
H5221
to strike (lightly or severely · conjunction + verb, hiphil sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
Philistine
הַפְּלִשְׁתִּ֖יha.pe.lish.Ti
H6430
a Pelishtite or inhabitant of Pelesheth · definite article + noun, gentilic masculine singular absolute
killed
וַיְמִיתֵ֑הוּvay.mi.Te.hu
H4191
to die (literally or figuratively) · conjunction + verb, hiphil sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
men
אַנְשֵׁי'an.shei-
H582
a man in general (singly or collectively) · noun, common masculine plural construct
David
דָוִ֨דda.Vid
H1732
David · proper noun, a man's name
sware
נִשְׁבְּעוּ֩nish.be.'U
H7650
to seven oneself · verb, niphal perfect, 3rd person common plural
saying
לֵאמֹ֗רle.Mor
H559
to say (used with great latitude) · preposition + verb, qal infinitive construct
go
תֵצֵ֨אte.Tze'
H3318
to go (causatively · verb, qal imperfect, 2nd person masculine singular
battle
לַמִּלְחָמָ֔הla.mil.cha.Mah
H4421
a battle (i.e. the engagement) · preposition with the article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
quench
תְכַבֶּ֖הte.kha.Beh
H3518
to expire or (causatively) to extinguish (fire · verb, piel imperfect, 2nd person masculine singular
light
נֵ֥רner
H5216
a lamp (i.e. the burner) or light (literally or figurat… · noun, common masculine singular construct
Israel
יִשְׂרָאֵֽלYis.ra.'El
H3478
Jisrael · proper noun, a place name
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
1 Kings 11:36 And unto his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a light alway before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me…
2 Samuel 18:3 But the people answered, Thou shalt not go forth: for if we flee away, they will not care for us; neither if half of us die, will they care…
1 Kings 15:4 Nevertheless for David’s sake did the LORD his God give him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him, and to establish Jerusalem:
Psalms 132:17 There will I make the horn of David to bud: I have ordained a lamp for mine anointed.
2 Samuel 14:7 And, behold, the whole family is risen against thine handmaid, and they said, Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may kill him, for…
2 Samuel 20:6-10 And David said to Abishai, Now shall Sheba the son of Bichri do us more harm than did Absalom: take thou thy lord’s servants, and pursue aft…
2 Samuel 22:19 They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.
2 Samuel 22:29 For thou art my lamp, O LORD: and the LORD will lighten my darkness.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on 2 Samuel 21:15–end
We have here the story of some conflicts with the Philistines, which happened, as it should seem, in the latter end of David's reign. Though he had so subdued them that they could not bring any great numbers into the field, yet as long as they had any giants among them to be their champions, they would never be quiet, but took all occasions to disturb the peace of Israel, to challenge them, or make incursions upon them.
I. David himself was engaged with one of the giants. The Philistines began the war yet again, Sa2 21:15. The enemies of God's Israel are restless in their attempts against them. David, though old, desired not a writ of ease from the public service, but he went down in person…
Moreover the Philistines had yet war again with Israel--Although the Philistines had completely succumbed to the army of David, yet the appearance of any gigantic champions among them revived their courage and stirred them up to renewed inroads on the Hebrew territory. Four successive contests they provoked during the latter period of David's reign, in the first of which the king ran so imminent a risk of his life that he was no longer allowed to encounter the perils of the battlefield.
The song contained in this chapter is the same as the eighteenth Psalm, where the full commentary will be given [see on Psa 18:1, &c.]. It may be sufficient simply to remark that Jewish writers have noticed…
That thou quench not the light of Israel - David is here considered as the lamp by which all Israel was guided, and without whom all the nation must be involved in darkness. The lamp is the emblem of direction and support. Light is used in this sense by Homer: -
Ουδε τι Πατροκλῳ γενομην φαος, αυδ' ἑταροισι
Τοις αλλοις, οἱ δη πολεες δαμεν Ἑκτορι διῳ.
Iliad, lib. xviii. ver. 102.
"I have neither been a Light to Patroclus nor to his companions, who have been slain by the noble Hector."
The Church Fathers
At this point someone may say that the priests of God ought to flee from such threatening dangers in order to save themselves for the service of the church in more peaceful times. It is right for some to do this when others are not lacking to supply the ministry of the church, so that it is not wholly abandoned. This is what Athanasius did, as I said before; for the body of Catholic believers knew how necessary and how profitable it was for the church to retain in the flesh a man who had defended it by words and heart's love against the Arian heretics. But when the danger is common to all and there is more reason to fear that the priest's escape may be attributed to a dread of death rather than an intention of future help, and when he does more harm by the example of his flight than he would do good by his preservation, there is no justifiable reason for doing it. Finally, there was holy David, who did not trust himself to the dangers of battle lest the lamp of Israel, as it is there said, "should be put out"; but he did not take this course himself—he did it because his followers begged him to do it. Otherwise, he would have had many cowardly imitators who would believe that he acted thus at the bidding of his own fear, not for any motive of usefulness to others.
Entreat God—for this cause entreat Him. It is in our behalf indeed that it is done, but it is wholly for your sakes. For we are appointed for your advantage, and for your interests we are concerned.…For violent is the enemy we have. For each of you indeed anxiously thinks of his own interests, but we the concerns of all together. We stand in the part of the battle that is pressed on. The devil is more violently armed against us. For in wars too, he that is on the opposite side endeavors before all others to overthrow the general. For this reason all his fellow-combatants hasten there. For this reason there is much tumult, every one endeavoring to rescue him; they surround him with their shields, wishing to preserve his person. Hear what all the people said to David (I do not say this, as comparing myself to David, for I am not so mad, but because I wish to show the affection of the people for their ruler), "Thou shalt go no more out with us to battle, that thou quench not the lamp of Israel." See how anxious they were to spare the old man. I am greatly in need of your prayers. Let no one, as I have said, from an excessive humility deprive me of this alliance and succor. If our part be well approved, your own also will be more honorable. If our teaching flow abundantly, the riches will redound to you.
Dictionary and topics
Abishai — Father of (i.e., “desirous of”) a gift, the eldest son of Zeruiah, David’s sister. He was the brother of Joab and Asahel (2 Sam. 2:18; 1 Chr. 2:16). Abishai was the only one who accompanied David…
Abishai, Or Abishai — (father of a gift), The eldest of the three sons of Zeruiah, David’s sister, and brother to Joab and Asahel. (1 Chronicles 2:16) Like his two brothers he was the devoted follower of David. He was his…
Anakim — The descendants of Anak (Josh. 11:21; Num. 13:33; Deut. 9:2). They dwelt in the south of Palestine, in the neighbourhood of Hebron (Gen. 23:2; Josh. 15:13). In the days of Abraham (Gen. 14:5, 6) they…
Giants — (1.) Heb. nephilim, meaning “violent” or “causing to fall” (Gen. 6:4). These were the violent tyrants of those days, those who fell upon others. The word may also be derived from a root signifying…
Ishbi-benob — My seat at Nob, one of the Rephaim, whose spear was three hundred shekels in weight. He was slain by Abishai (2 Sam. 21:16, 17).
Ishbibenob — (he that dwells at Nobl), son of Rapha, one of the race of Philistine giants, who attacked David in battle, but was slain by Abishai. (2 Samuel 21:16,17) (B.C. 1018.)
Lamp — (1.) That part of the candle-sticks of the tabernacle and the temple which bore the light (Ex. 25:37; 1 Kings 7:49; 2 Chr. 4:20; 13:11; Zech. 4:2). Their form is not described. Olive oil was…
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…
Abishai · Saves David from being slain by a Philistine — Saves David from being slain by a Philistine
Championship · .Representatives of the Philistines land David’s armies — .Representatives of the Philistines land David’s armies
John Gill on 2 Samuel 21:17
But Abishai the son of Zeruiah succoured him,.... Observing him in danger, made haste to his relief:
and smote the Philistine, and killed him; it seems as if Abishai engaged with the Philistine, and killed him; but inasmuch as it will bear to be interpreted of David, and since the four giants here and hereafter mentioned are said to fall by the hand of David and his servants, 2 Samuel 21:22, it may be thought that this man fell by his hand; seeing it is clear that all the rest fell by the hands of his servants:
then the men of David sware unto him; after they had observed the danger he was exposed unto, and how narrowly he escaped with his life:
saying, thou shalt go no more with us to ba…
Heroic Acts Performed in the Wars with the Philistines. - The brief accounts contained in these verses of different heroic feats were probably taken from a history of David's wars drawn up in the form of chronicles, and are introduced here as practical proofs of the gracious deliverance of David out of the hand of all his foes, for which he praises the Lord his God in the psalm of thanksgiving which follows, so that the enumeration of these feats is to be regarded as supplying a historical basis for the psalm.
Sa2 21:15-16
The Philistines had war with Israel again. עוד (again) refers generally to earlier wars with the Philistines, and has probably been taken without alteration from the chron…
Abishai was an accomplished warrior and fiercely loyal to David, whom he heroically rescued (see “Abishai” Profile). • the light of Israel? Cp. 18:3. Both passages reflect the glowing adoration that David’s men had for him.
Rashi on 2 Samuel 21:17
[Came] to his aid. He helped him with his prayer as is brought in [chapter] Cheilek.23Sanhedrin 95a.
Philistines · David: Often defeated in the course of his reign — David: Often defeated in the course of his reign
Rephaim, Or Giants, The · The last of, destroyed by David and his warriors — The last of, destroyed by David and his warriors
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
