2 Samuel 1:20

“Do not tell it to our enemies in the Philistia area; do not tell to the people who live in Gath city what happened; do not proclaim it in the streets of Ashkelon city, because if you tell them, even the women in that area will be happy; do not allow those ◄pagan women/women who do not know God► to rejoice.

Translation for Translators

In The King James Version

Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.

In Context

19“You Israeli people, your glorious [MTY] leaders have been killed on the mountains! It is very sad that those mighty men have died!

21I hope/desire that there will be no rain or dew on the mountains of the Gilboa area [APO], and that no grain will grow in the fields there, because there the shield of Saul, the mighty king, fell on the ground. No one rubbed olive oil on Saul’s shield;

Read all of 2 Samuel 1

Cross References

Exodus 15:20Then Miriam, who was Aaron’s older sister and a ◄prophetess/woman who spoke messages that came directly from God►, picked up her tambourine,

Judges 11:34When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, his daughter was the first one to come out of the house to meet him. She was joyfully playing a tambourine and dancing. She was his only child; he had no sons and no other daughters.

Judges 16:23Several months later the Philistine leaders celebrated a big festival. During the festival they offered sacrifices to their god Dagon. They praised him, saying, “Our god has enabled us to defeat our great enemy Samson!”

1 Samuel 17:26David talked to some of the men who were standing near him. He said, “What will be given to whoever kills this Philistine and frees us Israelis from this shame/disgrace? And who does this heathen Philistine think he is, defying/ridiculing the army that serves the all-powerful God?”

1 Samuel 18:6But, when the men in the army were returning home after David had killed Goliath, the women came out from many [HYP] towns in Israel to meet/greet King Saul. They were singing and dancing very joyfully, playing tambourines and lyres.

1 Samuel 31:8The next day, when the Philistines came to take away the weapons of the dead Israeli soldiers, they found the bodies of Saul and his three sons on Gilboa Mountain.

Matthew Henry on 2 Samuel 1:18-27

David's Lamentation for Jonathan. ( b. c. 1055.) 17 And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son: 18 (Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.) 19 The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen! 20 Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph. 21 Ye mountains of Gilboa,… Read the whole commentary →

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