And the Philistines came up yet again ,.... And, as Josephus says F26 Antiqu. l. 7. c. 4. sect. 1. , 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 more
And when David inquired of the Lord ,.... For though he had success before, and got the victory, he would not engage again with them without having the mind and will of God, on whom he knew victory alone depended: he said, thou shalt not go up ; that is, directly, and in a straight line: but fetch a compass behind them ; and get to the rear of them, instead of falling upon them in the front: and come upon them over against the mulberry trees : which grew in the valley of... read more
And let it be, when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees ,.... Of a going of the wind on the tops of these trees, making a rustling upon them, and that in such a manner as to resemble the going of men, or march of armies, as if they were moving in the air over the tops of the mulberry trees; which Jarchi and R. Isaiah interpret of angels being sent of God, and moving at that time to help David, and destroy the Philistines; so the Targum on 1 Chronicles 14:15 ... read more
And David did so as the Lord commanded him ,.... In all things he was obedient to the command of God; Saul was not: he got behind the army of the Philistines, as he was directed; and when he heard the sound in the mulberry trees, he arose and fell upon his enemies: and smote the Philistines from Geba until thou come to Gazer ; or from Gibeon, as in 1 Chronicles 14:16 ; a city in the tribe of Benjamin, near to which this battle was fought, and where the pursuit began, which was carried... read more
Fetch a compass behind them - When they may be had, God will not work without using human means. By this he taught David caution, prudence, and dependence on the Divine strength. read more
When thou hearest the sound of a going - If there had not been an evident supernatural interference, David might have thought that the sleight or ruse de guerre which he had used was the cause of his victory. By the going in the tops of the mulberry trees probably only a rustling among the leaves is intended. The Targum says, a noise; the Arabic has it, the noise of horses' hoofs. read more
And David did so - He punctually obeyed the directions of the Lord, and then every thing succeeded to his wish. How is it that such supernatural directions and assistances are not communicated now? Because they are not asked for; and they are not asked for because they are not expected; and they are not expected because men have not faith; and they have not faith because they are under a refined spirit of atheism, and have no spiritual intercourse with their Maker. Who believes that... read more
The facts are: 1 . The King of Tyre, being friendly with David, supplies him with means of building his house on Mount Zion. 2 . David regards the varied successes of his enterprises as confirmation of his belief that he was indeed appointed by God to reign over Israel. 3 . He establishes a court on a larger scale, after Oriental style. 4 . The Philistines, hearing of his accession to the throne, prepare for an attack upon him, whereupon he seeks guidance of God, defeats them... read more
The Philistines came up yet again. Their first defeat had probably not been accompanied by much slaughter; for David's men were few in number, though brave as lions. Retreating then to some distance, the Philistines called in their garrisons, and waited also for reinforcements from home, and then advanced again to the same spot. And as David was prepared to attack them in front, he also must now have gathered round him the chivalry of Israel. read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 2 Samuel 5:17-25
The particular service for which David was raised up was to save Israel out of the hand of the Philistines, 2 Sam. 3:18. This therefore divine Providence, in the first place, gives him an opportunity of accomplishing. Two great victories obtained over the Philistines we have here an account of, by which David not only balanced the disgrace and retrieved the loss Israel had sustained in the battle wherein Saul was slain, but went far towards the total subduing of those vexatious neighbours, the... read more