Bible Strands
1 Samuel 23:5
Then David and his men went to Keilah, fought against the Philistines, and carried off their livestock, striking them with a mighty blow. So David saved the people of Keilah.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator describes David’s actions immediately after the LORD’s command in 1 Samuel 23:4 and before Abiathar’s arrival in 1 Samuel 23:6. This moment captures David executing the divine directive at the fortified town of Keilah.
The words — וַ/יִּלָּ֣חֶם (va/i.yi.La.chem) = and he fought, and וַ/יִּנְהַג֙ (va/i.yin.Hag) = and he drove away. These verbs track the physical execution of the campaign against the Philistines and the seizure of their livestock.
The thread — The narrative tracks the fulfillment of the LORD’s promise in 1 Samuel 23:4 to deliver the Philistines into David’s hand. The same pattern of divine command followed by immediate military execution recurs in 1 Samuel 30:17 and 2 Samuel 8:1-14.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that obedience to a specific command produces concrete rescue for a threatened community. It requires the reader to note the direct link between the prior divine instruction and the subsequent tactical outcome.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
So David and his men went to Keilah, and fought with the Philistines, and brought away their cattle, and smote them with a great slaughter. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.