Once again the Philistines waged war against Israel, and David and his servants went down and fought against the Philistines. But David became exhausted.
The Philistines go to war again, and while David fights with his servants, he becomes exhausted.
It opens the battle sequence by exposing David’s frailty.
15Once again the Philistines waged war against Israel, and David and his servants went down and fought against the Philistines. But David became exhausted. 16Then Ishbi-benob, a descendant of Rapha, whose bronze spear weighed three hundred shekels and who was bearing a new sword, resolved to kill David. 17But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to his aid, struck the Philistine, and killed him. 18Some time later at Gob, there was another battle with the Philistines. At that time Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, a descendant of Rapha. 19Once again there was a battle with the Philistines at Gob, and Elhanan son of Jair the Bethlehemite killed the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam. 20And there was also a battle at Gath, where there was a man of great stature with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot— twenty-four in all. He too was descended from Rapha, 21and when he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of David’s brother Shimei killed him. 22So these four descendants of Rapha in Gath fell at the hands of David and his servants.