2 Samuel 5:19

5:19 So David asked the Lord, “Should I march up against the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?” The Lord said to David, “March up, for I will indeed ¹  hand the Philistines over to you.”

2 Samuel 5:23-24

5:23 So David asked the Lord what he should do. ²  This time ³  the Lord ⁴  said to him, “Don’t march straight up. Instead, circle around behind them and come against them opposite the trees. ⁵  5:24 When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the trees, act decisively. For at that moment the Lord is going before you to strike down the army ⁶  of the Philistines.”

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¹ tn The infinitive absolute lends emphasis to the following verb.

² tn The words “what to do” are not in the Hebrew text.

³ tn The words “this time” are not in the Hebrew text.

⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁵ tn Some translate as “balsam trees” (cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV, NJB, NLT); cf. KJV, NKJV, ASV “mulberry trees”; NAB “mastic trees”; NEB, REB “aspens.” The exact identification of the type of tree or plant is uncertain.

⁶ tn Heb “camp” (so NAB).