1 Chronicles 14
David gets famous and feared
David builds a palace
2 Samuel 5:11-16 1King Hiram of Tyre sent David workers who could build him a palace. Hiram sent ambassadors along with carpenters and masons, supplied with cedar trees. 2David took that as a sign that the LORD had, in fact, given him the job of king over Israel and had lifted his status for Israel’s sake. [1]
3After David moved to Jerusalem, he took more women into his harem—concubines [2] and wives. They gave him more sons and daughters.
4The names of David’s 11 children born in Jerusalem include: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, 5Ibhar, Elishua, and Elpelet 6Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, 7Elishama, Beeliada, [3] and Eliphelet. Philistines put a bullseye on David
2 Samuel 5:17-25 8When Philistines heard David became king of Israel, they targeted him. And they came up from the coast to hunt him. David got news about that, and he led his army to meet the Philistines. [4]
9Philistines invaded the Valley of Rephaim. [5] 10David asked the LORD, [6] “Should I attack the Philistines? Will you let me defeat them?” The LORD said, “Go on up after them. I’ll give them to you.”
11So David went to a place called The Unstoppable Lord. [7] He beat the Philistines and gave the credit to God. He said, “The LORD plowed through my enemies like a flash flood.” That’s why the place is called The Unstoppable Lord.
12Philistines ran away, leaving their idols behind. David and his men burned the idols. Philistines invade Israel again
13Philistines invaded Rephaim Valley again.
14Once again David asked the LORD what to do. The LORD told David, “Don’t go charging into their front line. Secretly circle behind them and wait at the balsam trees. 15When you hear marching in the treetops, [8] that’s your signal. The LORD is already attacking the Philistines.”
16David did what the LORD said. He defeated the Philistines and chased them from Gibeon to Gezer.
17David grew famous and feared because of what the LORD did for him. Nations throughout the region heard about him and didn’t want to face him in battle. 
Footnotes
114:2A greater king meant a greater Israel.
214:3Concubines were women who lived with a man in a legally binding relationship as secondary wives, but who had less social status and fewer perks than a wife (1 Kings 11:3).
314:7Beeliada is another version “Eliada,” which appears in the same story, as reported in 2 Samuel 5:16.
414:8The parallel story in 2 Samuel 5 says the opposite. It says he retreated to his hideout. Perhaps he did both: retreat to create a strategy, then attack.
514:9Rephaim Valley descends southwest of Jerusalem, toward the Mediterranean coast in the west and to an ancient trail between the coast and the Judean Hills.
614:10One of the common ways to ask the LORD for something was to ask the high priest. For an answer, David could use two objects that Israelites called the Urim and Thummim. The two words mean “lights” and “perfection.” These were two objects the high priest used to answer questions with a “yes” or “no” or “wait.” Bible writers never describe them. But they might have been stones, marked or colored in different ways. It might have worked a bit like tossing two coins in the air and seeing how they land. Two heads for “yes.” Two tails for “no.” One of each for “wait.” It might seem foolish to make an important decision that way, such as whether to go to war. But the people of Israel seemed to believe that God controlled the objects the priests used. That doesn’t mean the Bible endorses making decisions that way today. As in, two heads up for a four-wheeler or two tails up for retirement savings.
714:11“The Unstoppable Lord” is Baal-perazim in the original Hebrew. “Baal” can refer to the Canaanite god by that name or gods or lords (human). Perazim is a word that describes something that breaks through whatever stands in its way, like a flashflood would or an overwhelming military force. The name may have originally been the name of the local god. But after David arrived, the name seemed to best describe the power of God.
814:15The sound in the treetops may have been wind rustling the leaves. Bible writers often associate God’s arrival with the sound of wind. Perhaps the most famous example is on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended on the followers of Jesus after his death and ascension. “It sounded like a violent blast of wind” (Acts 2:2).
Discussion Questions
- Sorry, there are currently no questions for this chapter.
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David takes JerusalemVideos
3After David moved to Jerusalem, he took more women into his harem—concubines [2] and wives. They gave him more sons and daughters.
4The names of David’s 11 children born in Jerusalem include: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, 5Ibhar, Elishua, and Elpelet 6Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, 7Elishama, Beeliada, [3] and Eliphelet.
Philistines put a bullseye on David
2 Samuel 5:17-25 8When Philistines heard David became king of Israel, they targeted him. And they came up from the coast to hunt him. David got news about that, and he led his army to meet the Philistines. [4]
9Philistines invaded the Valley of Rephaim. [5] 10David asked the LORD, [6] “Should I attack the Philistines? Will you let me defeat them?” The LORD said, “Go on up after them. I’ll give them to you.”
11So David went to a place called The Unstoppable Lord. [7] He beat the Philistines and gave the credit to God. He said, “The LORD plowed through my enemies like a flash flood.” That’s why the place is called The Unstoppable Lord.
12Philistines ran away, leaving their idols behind. David and his men burned the idols. Philistines invade Israel again
13Philistines invaded Rephaim Valley again.
14Once again David asked the LORD what to do. The LORD told David, “Don’t go charging into their front line. Secretly circle behind them and wait at the balsam trees. 15When you hear marching in the treetops, [8] that’s your signal. The LORD is already attacking the Philistines.”
16David did what the LORD said. He defeated the Philistines and chased them from Gibeon to Gezer.
17David grew famous and feared because of what the LORD did for him. Nations throughout the region heard about him and didn’t want to face him in battle. Footnotes
114:2A greater king meant a greater Israel.
214:3Concubines were women who lived with a man in a legally binding relationship as secondary wives, but who had less social status and fewer perks than a wife (1 Kings 11:3).
314:7Beeliada is another version “Eliada,” which appears in the same story, as reported in 2 Samuel 5:16.
414:8The parallel story in 2 Samuel 5 says the opposite. It says he retreated to his hideout. Perhaps he did both: retreat to create a strategy, then attack.
514:9Rephaim Valley descends southwest of Jerusalem, toward the Mediterranean coast in the west and to an ancient trail between the coast and the Judean Hills.
614:10One of the common ways to ask the LORD for something was to ask the high priest. For an answer, David could use two objects that Israelites called the Urim and Thummim. The two words mean “lights” and “perfection.” These were two objects the high priest used to answer questions with a “yes” or “no” or “wait.” Bible writers never describe them. But they might have been stones, marked or colored in different ways. It might have worked a bit like tossing two coins in the air and seeing how they land. Two heads for “yes.” Two tails for “no.” One of each for “wait.” It might seem foolish to make an important decision that way, such as whether to go to war. But the people of Israel seemed to believe that God controlled the objects the priests used. That doesn’t mean the Bible endorses making decisions that way today. As in, two heads up for a four-wheeler or two tails up for retirement savings.
714:11“The Unstoppable Lord” is Baal-perazim in the original Hebrew. “Baal” can refer to the Canaanite god by that name or gods or lords (human). Perazim is a word that describes something that breaks through whatever stands in its way, like a flashflood would or an overwhelming military force. The name may have originally been the name of the local god. But after David arrived, the name seemed to best describe the power of God.
814:15The sound in the treetops may have been wind rustling the leaves. Bible writers often associate God’s arrival with the sound of wind. Perhaps the most famous example is on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended on the followers of Jesus after his death and ascension. “It sounded like a violent blast of wind” (Acts 2:2).
Discussion Questions
- Sorry, there are currently no questions for this chapter.
Maps/Guides
David takes JerusalemVideos
9Philistines invaded the Valley of Rephaim. [5] 10David asked the LORD, [6] “Should I attack the Philistines? Will you let me defeat them?” The LORD said, “Go on up after them. I’ll give them to you.”
11So David went to a place called The Unstoppable Lord. [7] He beat the Philistines and gave the credit to God. He said, “The LORD plowed through my enemies like a flash flood.” That’s why the place is called The Unstoppable Lord.
12Philistines ran away, leaving their idols behind. David and his men burned the idols.
Philistines invade Israel again
13Philistines invaded Rephaim Valley again.14Once again David asked the LORD what to do. The LORD told David, “Don’t go charging into their front line. Secretly circle behind them and wait at the balsam trees. 15When you hear marching in the treetops, [8] that’s your signal. The LORD is already attacking the Philistines.”
16David did what the LORD said. He defeated the Philistines and chased them from Gibeon to Gezer.
17David grew famous and feared because of what the LORD did for him. Nations throughout the region heard about him and didn’t want to face him in battle.
Footnotes
A greater king meant a greater Israel.
Concubines were women who lived with a man in a legally binding relationship as secondary wives, but who had less social status and fewer perks than a wife (1 Kings 11:3).
Beeliada is another version “Eliada,” which appears in the same story, as reported in 2 Samuel 5:16.
The parallel story in 2 Samuel 5 says the opposite. It says he retreated to his hideout. Perhaps he did both: retreat to create a strategy, then attack.
Rephaim Valley descends southwest of Jerusalem, toward the Mediterranean coast in the west and to an ancient trail between the coast and the Judean Hills.
One of the common ways to ask the LORD for something was to ask the high priest. For an answer, David could use two objects that Israelites called the Urim and Thummim. The two words mean “lights” and “perfection.” These were two objects the high priest used to answer questions with a “yes” or “no” or “wait.” Bible writers never describe them. But they might have been stones, marked or colored in different ways. It might have worked a bit like tossing two coins in the air and seeing how they land. Two heads for “yes.” Two tails for “no.” One of each for “wait.” It might seem foolish to make an important decision that way, such as whether to go to war. But the people of Israel seemed to believe that God controlled the objects the priests used. That doesn’t mean the Bible endorses making decisions that way today. As in, two heads up for a four-wheeler or two tails up for retirement savings.
“The Unstoppable Lord” is Baal-perazim in the original Hebrew. “Baal” can refer to the Canaanite god by that name or gods or lords (human). Perazim is a word that describes something that breaks through whatever stands in its way, like a flashflood would or an overwhelming military force. The name may have originally been the name of the local god. But after David arrived, the name seemed to best describe the power of God.
The sound in the treetops may have been wind rustling the leaves. Bible writers often associate God’s arrival with the sound of wind. Perhaps the most famous example is on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended on the followers of Jesus after his death and ascension. “It sounded like a violent blast of wind” (Acts 2:2).
Discussion Questions
- Sorry, there are currently no questions for this chapter.
Maps/Guides
Videos
