Bible Strands
2 Samuel 5:23
So David inquired of the LORD, who answered, “Do not march straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the balsam trees.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — David inquires of the LORD after the Philistines again spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. The LORD responds with a specific tactical command regarding how to engage the enemy forces.
The words — The Hebrew verb הָסֵב (ha.Sev) literally means "go around," directing a flanking maneuver rather than a direct assault. The phrase תַעֲלֶ֑ה (ta.'a.Leh) translates to "you must go up," which the LORD negates with לֹא (lo'), explicitly forbidding a straight advance.
The thread — This tactical instruction repeats in 1 Chronicles 14:14, where David again inquires of God and receives the identical command to circle around and strike from the rear.
Why it lands — The text demands obedience to a non-intuitive military strategy that prioritizes divine timing over conventional tactics. A reader must recognize that success depends on following specific commands rather than relying on standard approaches.
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 when David enquired of the Lord, he said, Thou shalt not go up; but fetch a compass behind them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees.
Cross-references
- 1 Chronicles 14:14 So David again inquired of God, who answered him, “Do not march up after them, but circle around them and attack them in front of the balsam trees.
- Matthew 8:23 When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him.
- Matthew 9:29 Then He touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith will it be done to you.”
- John 9:6 When Jesus had said this, He spit on the ground, made some mud, and applied it to the man’s eyes.
- Joshua 8:2 And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set up an ambush behind the city.”
- Joshua 8:7 you are to rise from the ambush and seize the city, for the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand.