2 Samuel 5:21
ESV
And the Philistines left their idols there, and David and his men carried them away.
NIV
The Philistines abandoned their idols there, and David and his men carried them off.
NASB
And the Philistines abandoned their idols there, so David and his men carried them away.
CSB
The Philistines abandoned their idols there, and David and his men carried them off.
NLT
The Philistines had abandoned their idols there, so David and his men confiscated them.
KJV
And there they left their images, and David and his men burned them.
NKJV
And they left their images there, and David and his men carried them away.
What does 2 Samuel 5:21 mean?
This is the first battle recorded after David became king of the united tribes of Israel. The Philistines know how dangerous David is, and they don't want him defending so much territory. So, they attack quickly. After checking with God, David leads his army to the Philistine encampment and wins (2 Samuel 5:17–19).David describes the battle, saying, "The Lord has broken through my enemies before me like a breaking flood" (2 Samuel 5:20). The battle is apparently sudden, devastating, and overwhelming. The surviving Philistines are left with no option but to run for their lives, leaving their sacred idols behind them.
Many armies in this era brought idols with them to battle, seeking the favor of their gods. Such idols can be large or small, most were small enough to be carried. Enemy idols captured in battle are sometimes kept in the temple of the victor's gods as evidence that they have defeated the gods of their enemies.
Many years earlier, the Philistines had taken captive the ark of Covenant in this way, only to discover that the ark of the God of Israel was too powerful even to keep within the borders of their nation (1 Samuel 4). David's men now gather up the abandoned idols of the Philistines and, according to 1 Chronicles 14:12, burn them.
To continue the story of how God blesses David, the text describes a second battle against the Philistines in the same place. This time, God seems to give David insight into the divine angel-army fighting alongside the army of His people (2 Samuel 5:22–25).
