2 Samuel 5:24
ESV
And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then rouse yourself, for then the Lord has gone out before you to strike down the army of the Philistines."
NIV
As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the poplar trees, move quickly, because that will mean the Lord has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army."
NASB
And it shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the baka-shrubs, then you shall act promptly, for then the Lord will have gone out before you to strike the army of the Philistines.'
CSB
When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, act decisively, for then the Lord will have gone out ahead of you to strike down the army of the Philistines."
NLT
When you hear a sound like marching feet in the tops of the poplar trees, be on the alert! That will be the signal that the Lord is moving ahead of you to strike down the Philistine army.'
KJV
And let it be, when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the Lord go out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines.
NKJV
And it shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly. For then the Lord will go out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.”
What does 2 Samuel 5:24 mean?
For the second time, the Philistine armies have met in the Valley of Rephaim, just south and west of Jerusalem. Ideally, they want to kill David and destroy his army so they can't defend the parts of Israel the Philistines are used to controlling. Once again, David asks God for His will.Instead of simply promising victory over the Philistines, the Lord gives David very specific instructions for how to attack the enemy. He tells David to maneuver his forces to ambush the Philistines opposite a stand of what some translations call balsam trees (2 Samuel 5:23). Some commentators suggest a better translation might be the bush-like terebinth trees.
In any case, David is to hold the attack until he hears what sounds like marching in the tops of the trees. This might have meant a rustling from wind, or even branches shaking as the Philistines passed by. Most commentators see this as a non-natural sound. This may only be a signal to David and his men. Or, it might be that the Lord will create a sound like an army is marching to attack the Philistines from the trees in front of them. Then David and his men will attack from their rear, in effect trapping the Philistines between themselves and the sound of the army marching at them from the opposite direction. The result will be to divide the Philistine forces, while possibly confusing and demoralizing them. The Lord has done this on Israel's behalf before with thunder (1 Samuel 7:10) and an earthquake (1 Samuel 14:14).
The Lord makes it clear to David that He will be the one striking down the Philistine army. This will be another victory for Israel at the Lord's hand.
