Lectionary Calendar
Wednesday, August 20th, 2025
the Week of Proper 15 / Ordinary 20
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Read the Bible

Young's Literal Translation

1 Samuel 17:2

and Saul and the men of Israel have been gathered, and encamp by the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array to meet the Philistines.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Elah;   Thompson Chain Reference - Bible Stories for Children;   Children;   Home;   Pleasant Sunday Afternoons;   Religion;   Saul, King of Israel;   Stories for Children;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Armies;   Valleys;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Elah;   Goliath;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Palestine;   Philistia, philistines;   War;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Prayer;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Adullam;   Elah;   Teil Tree;   Valley;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Elah, Valley of;   Vale;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Elah;   Samuel, Books of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - David;   Giant;   Oak;   Samuel, Books of;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Elah, Valley of;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Goliath;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Elah;   Goliath;   Smith Bible Dictionary - E'lah, the Valley of;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Elah, Vale of;   Oak;   Philistines;   Plain;   Terebinth;   Vale;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Elah, the Valley of;   Oak and Terebinth;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Saul and the men of Israel gathered and camped in the Valley of Elah; then they lined up in battle formation to face the Philistines.
Hebrew Names Version
Sha'ul and the men of Yisra'el were gathered together, and encamped in the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Pelishtim.
King James Version
And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched by the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines.
Lexham English Bible
Then Saul and the men of Israel were gathered and encamped in the valley of Elah, and they formed ranks for the battle to meet the Philistines.
English Standard Version
And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered, and encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in line of battle against the Philistines.
New Century Version
Saul and the Israelites gathered in the Valley of Elah and camped there and took their positions to fight the Philistines.
New English Translation
Saul and the Israelite army assembled and camped in the valley of Elah, where they arranged their battle lines to fight against the Philistines.
Amplified Bible
Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together and they camped in the Valley of Elah, and assembled in battle formation to meet the Philistines.
New American Standard Bible
Saul and the men of Israel were assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah, and they drew up in battle formation to confront the Philistines.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And Saul, and the men of Israel assembled, and pitched in the valley of Elah, and put themselues in battell araie to meete the Philistims.
Legacy Standard Bible
But Saul and the men of Israel were gathered and camped in the valley of Elah and arranged themselves for battle to meet the Philistines.
Contemporary English Version
King Saul and the Israelite army set up camp on a hill overlooking Elah Valley, and they got ready to fight the Philistine army that was on a hill on the other side of the valley.
Complete Jewish Bible
Sha'ul and the men of Isra'el assembled, set up camp in the Elah Valley and drew up their battle line opposite the P'lishtim.
Darby Translation
And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and encamped in the valley of terebinths, and set the battle in array against the Philistines.
Easy-to-Read Version
Saul and the Israelite soldiers also gathered together. Their camp was in the Valley of Elah. Saul's soldiers were lined up and ready to fight the Philistines.
George Lamsa Translation
And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and encamped in the valley of Terebinth, and they set the army in array to fight against the Philistines.
Good News Translation
Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in Elah Valley, where they got ready to fight the Philistines.
Literal Translation
And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered, and camped in the valley of Elah. And they set the battle in order to meet the Philistines.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But Saul & the me of Israel came together, & pitched in the Oke valley, & prepared them selues to the battayll agaynst the Philistynes.
American Standard Version
And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and encamped in the vale of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines.
Bible in Basic English
And Saul and the men of Israel came together and took up their position in the valley of Elah, and put their forces in order against the Philistines.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Saul & the men of Israel came together, and pytched in the valley of Elah, and put them selues in battaile aray, to meete the Philistines.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched in the vale of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines.
King James Version (1611)
And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched by the valley of Elah, and set the battell in aray against the Philistines.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Saul and the men of Israel gather together, and they encamp in the valley, and set the battle in array against the Philistines.
English Revised Version
And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched in the vale of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines.
Berean Standard Bible
Saul and the men of Israel assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah, arraying themselves for battle against the Philistines.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Sotheli Saul and the men of Israel weren gaderid, and camen in to the valey of Terebynte, and dressiden scheltrun to fiyte ayens Filisteis.
Update Bible Version
And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and encamped in the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines.
Webster's Bible Translation
And Saul and the men of Israel were assembled and encamped by the valley of Elah, and [they] set the battle in array against the Philistines.
World English Bible
Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and encamped in the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines.
New King James Version
And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and they encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in battle array against the Philistines.
New Living Translation
Saul countered by gathering his Israelite troops near the valley of Elah.
New Life Bible
Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and set up their tents in the valley of Elah. They came up dressed for battle to fight against the Philistines.
New Revised Standard
Saul and the Israelites gathered and encamped in the valley of Elah, and formed ranks against the Philistines.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and, Saul and the men of Israel, gathered themselves together, and encamped in the vale of Elah, and set the army in array against the Philistines.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And Saul and the children of Israel being gathered together, came to the valley of Terebinth, and they set the army in array to fight against the Philistines.
Revised Standard Version
And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered, and encamped in the valley of Elah, and drew up in line of battle against the Philistines.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Saul and the men of Israel were gathered and camped in the valley of Elah, and drew up in battle array to encounter the Philistines.

Contextual Overview

1 And the Philistines gather their camps to battle, and are gathered to Shochoh, which [is] to Judah, and encamp between Shochoh and Azekah, in Ephes-Dammim; 2 and Saul and the men of Israel have been gathered, and encamp by the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array to meet the Philistines. 3 And the Philistines are standing on the mountain on this side, and the Israelites are standing on the mountain on that side, and the valley [is] between them. 4 And there goeth out a man of the duellists from the camps of the Philistines, Goliath [is] his name, from Gath; his height [is] six cubits and a span, 5 and a helmet of brass [is] on his head, and [with] a scaled coat of mail he [is] clothed, and the weight of the coat of mail [is] five thousand shekels of brass, 6 and a frontlet of brass [is] on his feet, and a javelin of brass between his shoulders, 7 and the wood of his spear [is] like a beam of weavers', and the flame of his spear [is] six hundred shekels of iron, and the bearer of the buckler is going before him. 8 And he standeth and calleth unto the ranks of Israel, and saith to them, `Why are ye come out to set in array the battle? [am] not I the Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose for you a man, and let him come down unto me; 9 if he be able to fight with me, and have smitten me, then we have been to you for servants; and if I am able for him, and have smitten him, then ye have been to us for servants, and have served us.' 10 And the Philistine saith, `I have reproached the ranks of Israel this day; give to me a man, and we fight together.'

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the valley: 1 Samuel 17:19, 1 Samuel 21:9

set the battle in array: Heb. ranged the battle

Reciprocal: 1 Chronicles 19:9 - put the battle

Cross-References

Genesis 9:9
`And I, lo, I am establishing My covenant with you, and with your seed after you,
Genesis 12:2
And I make thee become a great nation, and bless thee, and make thy name great; and be thou a blessing.
Genesis 13:16
And I have set thy seed as dust of the earth, so that, if one is able to number the dust of the earth, even thy seed is numbered;
Genesis 15:18
In that day hath Jehovah made with Abram a covenant, saying, `To thy seed I have given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Phrat,
Genesis 17:4
`I -- lo, My covenant [is] with thee, and thou hast become father of a multitude of nations;
Genesis 17:6
and I have made thee exceeding fruitful, and made thee become nations, and kings go out from thee.
Genesis 17:8
and I have given to thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land of thy sojournings, the whole land of Canaan, for a possession age-during, and I have become their God.'
Genesis 17:11
and ye have circumcised the flesh of your foreskin, and it hath become a token of a covenant between Me and you.
Genesis 17:17
And Abraham falleth upon his face, and laugheth, and saith in his heart, `To the son of an hundred years is one born? or doth Sarah -- daughter of ninety years -- bear?'
Genesis 17:18
And Abraham saith unto God, `O that Ishmael may live before Thee;'

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together,.... He being cured, at least being better of his disorder, through the music of David, and alarmed and aroused by the invasion of the Philistines, which might serve to dissipate any remains of it, or prevent its return, got together his forces:

and pitched by the valley of Elah; which Jerom u says Aquila and Theodotion interpret "the valley of the oak"; but the Vulgate Latin version, the valley of Terebinth; which, according to our countryman Sandys w, was four miles from Ramaosophim, where Samuel dwelt; for he says,

"after four miles riding, we descended into the valley of Terebinth, famous, though little, for the slaughter of Goliath;''

and in the Targum this valley is called the valley of Butma, which in the Arabic language signifies a "terebinth", or turpentine tree; though some translate it "the oak"; and, according to some modern travellers x, to this day it bears a name similar to that; for they say it is

"now called the vale of Bitumen, very famous all over those parts for David's victory over Goliath:''

and set the battle in array against the Philistines; prepared to give them battle.

u Deloc. Heb. fol. 91. F. w Travels, p. 157. ed. 5. x Egmont and Heyman's Travels, vol. 1. p. 305.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The valley of Elah - i. e., of the terebinth, now called Wady es Sunt, from the acacias which are scattered in it.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 17:2. The valley of Elah — Some translate this the turpentine valley, or the valley of the terebinth trees; and others, the valley of oaks. The situation of this valley is well known.


 
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