1 Samuel 17:2

1Sa 17:2 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.

Ver. 2. By the valley of Elah.] So called from the store of oaks that grew there. Ad convallem querceti. {a}

{a} Tremel.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

17:2 The valley of Elah was a fertile area that ran east–west, fifteen miles southwest of Bethlehem.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Or, of the oak.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

valley of Elah--that is, "the Terebinth," now Wady Er-Sumt [ROBINSON]. Another valley somewhat to the north, now called Wady Beit Hanina, has been fixed on by the tradition of ages.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 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.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

2. by the valley of Elah] Rather, “in the valley of Elah.”

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

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.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

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

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Terebinth. Hebrew ela, "the oak." (Aquila)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

2. The valley of Elah — The Wady es-Sumt, which has been often visited by travellers, and is represented by all as corresponding fully to the statements of this narrative. This valley is a mile in width, and through its centre runs a watercourse whose banks and bed abound with pebbles. The mountains on either side have a steep, uniform slope, and are about five hundred feet high. “It took its name Elah of old from the terebinth, (butm,) of which the largest specimen we saw in Palestine still stands in the vicinity; just as now it takes its name es-Sumt (Sunt) from the acacias which are scattered in it.” — Robinson.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Vers. 2, 3. The valley of Elah. Ie. of the terebinth tree. A valley between them. Conder ("Tent Work," 2:160) describes the spot from personal observation thus: "Saul, coming down by the highway from the land of Benjamin, encamped by the valley on one of the low hills; and between the two hosts was the gai or ravine." In the A.V no exactness of rendering is ever attempted, and both the emek, the broad strath or valley of Elah, with gently sloping sides, and the flag, the narrow, precipitous ravine, are equally rendered valley. Really the gai is most remarkable, and fully explains how the two hosts could remain in face of one another so long without fighting; for Conder proceeds, "Two points require to be made clear as to the episode of David"s battle with Goliath: one was the meaning of the expression gai or ravine; the other was the source whence David took the "smooth stones." A visit to the spot explains both. In the middle of the broad, open valley we found a deep trench with vertical sides, impassable except at certain places a valley in a valley, and a natural barrier between the two hosts. The sides and bed of this trench are strewn with rounded and waterworn pebbles, which would have been well fitted for David"s sling. Here, then, we may picture to ourselves the two hosts, covering the low, rocky hills opposite to each other, and half hidden among the lentisk bushes. Between them was the rich expanse of ripening barley, and the red banks of the torrent, with its white, shingly bed. Behind all were the distant blue hill walls of Judah, whence Saul had just come down. The mail clad champion advanced from the west through the low corn, with his mighty lance perhaps tufted with feathers, his brazen helmet shining in the sun. From the east a ruddy boy in his white shirt and sandals, armed with a goat"s hair sling, came down to the brook, and, according to the poetic fancy of the Rabbis, the pebbles were given voices, and cried, "By us shalt thou overcome the giant." The champion fell from an unseen cause, and the wild Philistines fled to the mouth of the valley, where Gath stood towering on its white chalk cliff, a frontier fortress, the key to the high road leading to the corn lands of Judah and to the vineyards of Hebron."

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

the Valley of Elah

This is the name of a place. (See: How to Translate Names)

translationWords

Saul (OT)

Israel

Philistines

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.