2 Samuel 5:22
ESV
And the Philistines came up yet again and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim.
NIV
Once more the Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim;
NASB
Now the Philistines came up once again and overran the Valley of Rephaim.
CSB
The Philistines came up again and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim.
NLT
But after a while the Philistines returned and again spread out across the valley of Rephaim.
KJV
And the Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.
NKJV
Then the Philistines went up once again and deployed themselves in the Valley of Rephaim.
What does 2 Samuel 5:22 mean?
When the Philistines heard David was king of all Israel, they amassed troops to wipe out his army, likely hoping to stop David before he could grow strong enough to defend Israel against their domination. With God's approval, David and his men met them and destroyed them. The surviving Philistines fled so quickly they abandoned their idols behind for Israel's army to burn (2 Samuel 5:17–21; 1 Chronicles 14:12).The Philistines should have known better. David has been fighting Philistines since he was a shepherd boy (1 Samuel 17) and quickly became one of King Saul's most successful military commanders. Even when David swore to fight the Israelites under Achish, king of Gath, the other Philistine kings refused his help (1 Samuel 29). But they're desperate. A united Israel, protected by David, is a threat to their occupation of the northern tribes, and possibly their existence.
Now, they've come again, to the same Valley of Rephaim, to try one more time to get the situation under control. This time, David drives them all the way to their city of Gezer. But David has a different experience. It seems God allows him to hear the army of angels who fight with him (2 Samuel 5:23–25).
The Valley of Rephaim is south and slightly west of Jerusalem, between Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
