You have probably heard of the great giant Goliath, but did you know that King David battled many other Philistine giants? According to Scripture, these huge men belonged to a race of titans known as the Raphah. The Book of Samuel preserves each one of these titan’s names. Amazingly, each name has a specific meaning in Hebrew, which has a special connection to David himself…
According to 2 Samuel 21, David and his men successfully defeated five Philistine giants.
The name of the first, Goliath, comes from the Hebrew word galut (גלות) meaning “exile”.
The name of the second, Ishbi-Benob, means “mountain dweller”.
The third, Saph (סף), means “threshold”.
The fourth, Lahmi, means “warrior”.
The fifth is nameless, but he comes from the city of Gath (גת), meaning “winepress”.
Fascinatingly, the meanings of these five Hebrew names encapsulate David’s personal history.
At the outset of his career, David was in “exile,” forced to flee Saul. Eventually, David took the throne and moved his capital to Jerusalem, becoming a “dweller on the mountain” known as Zion. Next, he erected the tabernacle, beyond whose “threshold” the Ark was deposited. In the latter half of his life, David was a valiant “warrior” and endured a merciless rebellion by his son Absalom during which he was “pressed” to the limits.
What at first seems to be an unimportant list of five peculiar giants, turns out to be a fascinating summary of David’s life; his progression from a shepherd to the greatest king of Israel.