2 Samuel 5:24
New International Version
As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the poplar trees, move quickly, because that will mean the LORD has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army.”

New Living Translation
When you hear a sound like marching feet in the tops of the poplar trees, be on the alert! That will be the signal that the LORD is moving ahead of you to strike down the Philistine army.”

English Standard Version
And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then rouse yourself, for then the LORD has gone out before you to strike down the army of the Philistines.”

Berean Standard Bible
As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move quickly, because this will mean that the LORD has marched out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.”

King James Bible
And let it be, when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the LORD go out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines.

New King James Version
And it shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly. For then the LORD will go out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.”

New American Standard Bible
And it shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the baka-shrubs, then you shall act promptly, for then the LORD will have gone out before you to strike the army of the Philistines.”

NASB 1995
“It shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then you shall act promptly, for then the LORD will have gone out before you to strike the army of the Philistines.”

NASB 1977
“And it shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then you shall act promptly, for then the LORD will have gone out before you to strike the army of the Philistines.”

Legacy Standard Bible
And it will be that when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then you shall act promptly, for then Yahweh will have gone out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.”

Amplified Bible
And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then you shall pay attention and act promptly, for at that time the LORD will have gone out before you to strike the army of the Philistines.”

Christian Standard Bible
When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, act decisively, for then the LORD will have gone out ahead of you to strike down the army of the Philistines.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, act decisively, for then the LORD will have marched out ahead of you to attack the camp of the Philistines.”

American Standard Version
And it shall be, when thou hearest the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry-trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself; for then is Jehovah gone out before thee to smite the host of the Philistines.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And when you have heard the sound of those walking on the top of the mountain of Bakim, then be strong, because then LORD JEHOVAH has gone out before you to strike the encampment of the Philistines”

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And it shall come to pass when thou hearest the sound of a clashing together from the grove of weeping, then thou shalt go down to them, for then the Lord shall go forth before thee to make havoc in the battle with the Philistines.

Contemporary English Version
Wait until you hear a sound in the treetops like marching troops. Then attack quickly! That sound will mean I have marched out ahead of you to fight the Philistine army.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And when thou shalt hear the sound of one going in the tops of the pear trees, then shalt thou join battle: for then will the Lord go out before thy face to strike the army of the Philistines.

English Revised Version
And it shall be, when thou hearest the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then is the LORD gone out before thee to smite the host of the Philistines.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, act immediately because the LORD has gone ahead of you to defeat the Philistine army."

Good News Translation
When you hear the sound of marching in the treetops, then attack because I will be marching ahead of you to defeat the Philistine army."

International Standard Version
When you hear the sound of marching coming from the tops of the balsam trees, then be sure to act quickly, since the LORD will have gone out ahead of you to cut down the Philistine army."

JPS Tanakh 1917
And it shall be, when thou hearest the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry-trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself; for then is the LORD gone out before thee to smite the host of the Philistines.'

Literal Standard Version
and it comes to pass, in your hearing the sound of a stepping in the tops of the mulberries, then you move sharply, for then YHWH has gone out before you to strike in the camp of the Philistines.”

Majority Standard Bible
As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move quickly, because this will mean that the LORD has marched out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.”

New American Bible
When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, act decisively, for then the LORD has already gone before you to strike the army of the Philistines.

NET Bible
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 of the Philistines."

New Revised Standard Version
When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then be on the alert; for then the LORD has gone out before you to strike down the army of the Philistines.”

New Heart English Bible
And it shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, that then you are to act decisively; for then the LORD has gone out before you to strike the army of the Philistines."

Webster's Bible Translation
And let it be, when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry-trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the LORD go out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines.

World English Bible
When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then stir yourself up; for then Yahweh has gone out before you to strike the army of the Philistines.”

Young's Literal Translation
and it cometh to pass, in thy hearing the sound of a stepping in the tops of the mulberries, then thou dost move sharply, for then hath Jehovah gone out before thee to smite in the camp of the Philistines.'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Two Victories over the Philistines
23So 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. 24As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move quickly, because this will mean that the LORD has marched out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.” 25So David did as the LORD had commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.…

Cross References
Judges 4:14
Then Deborah said to Barak, "Arise, for this is the day that the LORD has delivered Sisera into your hand. Has not the LORD gone before you?" So Barak came down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him.

1 Samuel 14:12
So the men of the outpost called out to Jonathan and his armor-bearer, "Come on up, and we will teach you a lesson!" "Follow me," Jonathan told his armor-bearer, "for the LORD has delivered them into the hand of Israel."

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.

2 Kings 7:6
For the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots, horses, and a great army, so that they said to one another, "Look, the king of Israel must have hired the kings of the Hittites and Egyptians to attack us."


Treasury of Scripture

And let it be, when you hear the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then you shall bestir yourself: for then shall the LORD go out before you, to smite the host of the Philistines.

sound

2 Kings 7:6
For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us.

thou shalt bestir

Judges 4:14
And Deborah said unto Barak, Up; for this is the day in which the LORD hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: is not the LORD gone out before thee? So Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him.

Judges 7:15
And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the LORD hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian.

1 Samuel 14:9-12
If they say thus unto us, Tarry until we come to you; then we will stand still in our place, and will not go up unto them…

Jump to Previous
Act Army Bestir Camp Forth Hear Hearest Hearing Host Marching Mean Move Mulberries Mulberry Mulberry-Trees Philistines Promptly Quickly Sharply Smite Soon Sound Stepping Strike Thyself Tops Trees
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Act Army Bestir Camp Forth Hear Hearest Hearing Host Marching Mean Move Mulberries Mulberry Mulberry-Trees Philistines Promptly Quickly Sharply Smite Soon Sound Stepping Strike Thyself Tops Trees
2 Samuel 5
1. The tribes come to Hebron and anoint David over Israel,
4. David's age
6. Taking Zion from the Jebusites, he dwells in it
11. Hiram sends to David,
13. Eleven sons are born to him in Jerusalem
17. David, directed by God, smites the Philistines at Baal-perazim
22. And again at the mulberry trees














(24) The sound of a going.--After David has gone to the rear of his enemies, he is to wait by "the mulberry trees," or, as now generally understood, baca-shrubs, a plant resembling the balsam. Here a Divine signal was to be given him in "the sound of a going," or, rather, of a march. The word is used of the march of the hosts of the Lord in Judges 5:4; Psalm 68:7. Then David was to "bestir himself," literally, be sharp; he was to act quickly and vigorously.

Verse 24. - The sound of a going; Hebrew, a marching. Under the cover of this thicket David was to wait until he heard the sound as of the regular tramp of an army in the tops of the baca trees. It would be in the morning that the wind would shake the treetops, but the sound was to be something more than the soft whispers of a gentle breeze. A gale was to put them into sudden motion, and then the soldiers would know that their Jehovah had gone forth to battle, and David must immediately bestir himself. The enthusiasm of his men must not cool down, but as soon as the wind rustled he must charge the enemy, and his warriors, feeling that they were going with the host of God, would break down all resistance by their impetuous onset.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
As soon as
וִ֠יהִי (wî·hî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect Jussive - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

you hear
כְּֽשָׁמְעֲךָ֞ (kə·šā·mə·‘ă·ḵā)
Preposition-k | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 8085: To hear intelligently

the sound
ק֧וֹל (qō·wl)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 6963: A voice, sound

of marching
צְעָדָ֛ה (ṣə·‘ā·ḏāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 6807: A march, an, ankle-chain

in the tops
בְּרָאשֵׁ֥י (bə·rā·šê)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 7218: The head

of the balsam trees,
הַבְּכָאִ֖ים (hab·bə·ḵā·’îm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 1057: The weeping tree

move quickly,
תֶּחֱרָ֑ץ (te·ḥĕ·rāṣ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 2782: To point sharply, to wound, to be alert, to decide

because
כִּ֣י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

this will mean
אָ֗ז (’āz)
Adverb
Strong's 227: At that time, place, therefore

the LORD
יְהוָה֙ (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

has marched out
יָצָ֤א (yā·ṣā)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3318: To go, bring, out, direct and proxim

before you
לְפָנֶ֔יךָ (lə·p̄ā·ne·ḵā)
Preposition-l | Noun - common plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 6440: The face

to strike
לְהַכּ֖וֹת (lə·hak·kō·wṯ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct
Strong's 5221: To strike

the camp
בְּמַחֲנֵ֥ה (bə·ma·ḥă·nêh)
Preposition-b | Noun - common singular construct
Strong's 4264: An encampment, an army

of the Philistines.”
פְלִשְׁתִּֽים׃ (p̄ə·liš·tîm)
Noun - proper - masculine plural
Strong's 6430: Philistines -- inhabitants of Philistia


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OT History: 2 Samuel 5:24 It shall be when you hear (2Sa iiSam 2 Sam ii sam)
2 Samuel 5:23
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