The Giant Race Fights With the Phillistines Against the Hebrews
The giants, defeated in the east of Palestine, seem to have afterwards dwelt in the west, where, in conjunction with the Philistines, they still fought against the Hebrews. In 2 Samuel xxi. 15-22, we read: " Moreover the Philistines had yet war again with Israel ; and David went down, and his servants with him, and fought against the Philistines : and David waxed faint. And Ishbi-benob, which was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of brass in weight, he being girded with a new sword, thought to have slain David. But Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, succoured him, and smote the Philistine, and killed him And it came to pass after this, that there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob : then Sebbechai the Hushathite slew Saph, which was of the sons of the giant. And there was again a battle in G ob with the Philistines, where Elhanan, the son of Jaare- oregim, a Bethlehemite, slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam. And there was yet a battle in Gath, where was a man of great stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four-and- twenty in number ; and he also was born to the giant. And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimeah, the brother of David, slew him. These four were born to the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants." The same facts as the above are recorded in 1 Chronicles xx. 4-8, in almost the same words ; but the name of Goliath's brother is given as Lahmi, and the names of some of the other persons and places mentioned are spelt differently. For example, Gob, Sebbechai, and Saph in Samuel become Gezer, Sibbechai, and Sippai in Chronicles. The Rephaim giants probably possessed lands west of the river Jordan in early times, inasmuch as a fertile Valley south-west of Jerusalem derived its name from them.
The giants, defeated in the east of Palestine, seem to have afterwards dwelt in the west, where, in conjunction with the Philistines, they still fought against the Hebrews. In 2 Samuel xxi. 15-22, we read: " Moreover the Philistines had yet war again with Israel ; and David went down, and his servants with him, and fought against the Philistines : and David waxed faint. And Ishbi-benob, which was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of brass in weight, he being girded with a new sword, thought to have slain David. But Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, succoured him, and smote the Philistine, and killed him And it came to pass after this, that there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob : then Sebbechai the Hushathite slew Saph, which was of the sons of the giant. And there was again a battle in G ob with the Philistines, where Elhanan, the son of Jaare- oregim, a Bethlehemite, slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam. And there was yet a battle in Gath, where was a man of great stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four-and- twenty in number ; and he also was born to the giant. And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimeah, the brother of David, slew him. These four were born to the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants." The same facts as the above are recorded in 1 Chronicles xx. 4-8, in almost the same words ; but the name of Goliath's brother is given as Lahmi, and the names of some of the other persons and places mentioned are spelt differently. For example, Gob, Sebbechai, and Saph in Samuel become Gezer, Sibbechai, and Sippai in Chronicles. The Rephaim giants probably possessed lands west of the river Jordan in early times, inasmuch as a fertile Valley south-west of Jerusalem derived its name from them.
