2 Samuel 5:25
ESV
And David did as the Lord commanded him, and struck down the Philistines from Geba to Gezer.
NIV
So David did as the Lord commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.
NASB
Then David did so, just as the Lord had commanded him; he struck and killed the Philistines from Geba as far as Gezer.
CSB
So David did exactly as the Lord commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Geba to Gezer.
NLT
So David did what the Lord commanded, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.
KJV
And David did so, as the Lord had commanded him; and smote the Philistines from Geba until thou come to Gazer.
NKJV
And David did so, as the Lord commanded him; and he drove back the Philistines from Geba as far as Gezer.
What does 2 Samuel 5:25 mean?
David has spent his entire adult life fighting. When he served King Saul, he mostly battled the Philistines. Now that David is king of Israel, the Philistines are concerned. Before, the nation wasn't truly united, and the Philistines were able to attack the northern tribes regularly. If they don't defeat David, their territory is at risk.They tried fighting him before, in the Valley of Rephaim, southwest of Jerusalem. David's men beat them so thoroughly that the survivors fled without their idols. David had them collected and burned (2 Samuel 5:17–21).
Now, the Philistines return. As before, David asks for God's direction. This time, the Lord provides a very specific battle plan. David is to attack the enemy from the rear. But he must wait until he hears what sounds like marching coming from the trees. If this sound came from the Philistines' front, they think they're being attacked from two directions (2 Samuel 5:23–24). The sound may also have been a reassuring signal to the Israelites that God's army was with them.
David does exactly as the Lord tells him to and once again defeats the Philistines in an overwhelming victory. This time, David drives the surviving Philistines from Geba, north of Jerusalem, back to Gezer, to their own territory to the west. He effectively chases them out of central Israel in a decisive and lasting victory.
The next segments of 2 Samuel aren't given in a strict chronology. From chapter 5 through chapter 10, the text tells stories of David's greatness and God's blessing. In chapter 11, David sins against Bathsheba and Uriah. The rest of the book, until his death, recount the tragedies that result from his sin.
