Bible Strands
2 Samuel 5:21
There the Philistines abandoned their idols, and David and his men carried them away.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrative records events immediately following David’s defeat of the Philistines at Baal-perazim and preceding their renewed campaign in the Valley of Rephaim.
The words — The Hebrew verbs וַיַּעַזְבוּ (va-ya'azvu, they abandoned) and וַיִּשָּׂאֵם (va-yissa'em, he carried them off) frame the Philistines' flight and David's forces seizing the captured religious objects.
The thread — This event mirrors the parallel battle record in 1 Chronicles 14:12 and aligns with the Deuteronomic mandate to destroy foreign cultic images in Deuteronomy 7:5 and Deuteronomy 7:25.
Why it lands — The text reports the physical removal of captured idols before drawing theological conclusions about divine judgment or covenant obedience.
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
And there they left their images, and David and his men burned them.
Cross-references
- 1 Chronicles 14:11 So David and his men went up to Baal-perazim, where he defeated the Philistines and said, “Like a bursting flood, God has burst out against my enemies by my hand.” So they called that place Baal-perazim.
- Deuteronomy 7:5 Instead, this is what you are to do to them: tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, cut down their Asherah poles, and burn their idols in the fire.
- Deuteronomy 7:25 You must burn up the images of their gods; do not covet the silver and gold that is on them or take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it; for it is detestable to the LORD your God.
- 1 Samuel 5:2 carried it into the temple of Dagon, and set it beside his statue.
- Isaiah 37:19 They have cast their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods, but only wood and stone—the work of human hands.
- Isaiah 46:1 Bel crouches; Nebo cowers. Their idols weigh down beasts and cattle. The images you carry are burdensome, a load to the weary animal.
- Jeremiah 43:12 I will kindle a fire in the temples of the gods of Egypt, and Nebuchadnezzar will burn those temples and take their gods as captives. So he will wrap himself with the land of Egypt as a shepherd wraps himself in his garment, and he will depart from there unscathed.