What Does 2 Samuel 5:24 Mean in the King James?
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.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The sign is movement heard above you before it is seen, while the LORD is already going ahead.
THE MEANING
The verse places the advance inside a sequence: a sound of marching comes first, then hearing becomes readiness to move, while the LORD goes ahead to strike the Philistine host. The cue is not the victory itself; it marks the moment to move as the decisive action is already in front of you.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
The verse undoes the belief that you must initiate the breakthrough alone: the LORD goes out before you, and the cue marks when your movement joins the action.
THE ROOT
צְעָדָה
tse'adah
GROWS FROM
צעד
to step, stride, or march
“a going” in this verse is tse'adah. צְעָדָה names marching or the sound of footsteps. The sign is movement heard before it is visible: the advance begins as a sound in the treetops.
ALSO GROWS
tsa'ad: step or stride
צַעַד
This branch makes the sound a sign of actual movement, not merely an unexplained noise.
mits'ad: step or footstep
מִצְעָד
The word carries the same image of a step that can be counted or followed.
יָצָא
yatsa
GROWS FROM
יצא
to go out, come forth, or emerge
“go out” in this verse is yatsa. The LORD’s going out uses a different movement word from the marching heard in the trees. The sound signals what is approaching; יָצָא places the LORD ahead of you, going forth before the strike.
ALSO GROWS
yatsa: go out or come forth
יָצָא
This is the verb used here: the LORD goes forth in front of the reader.
motsa: outlet, source, or point of emergence
מוֹצָא
This noun from the same root extends the sense of going out into the place or point from which something emerges.
שָׁמְעֲךָ
shom'akha
GROWS FROM
שמע
to hear, listen, and heed
“hearest” in this verse is shom'akha. שמע can hold hearing and response together. Here the heard cue is followed by movement, so hearing is already the beginning of response, not mere information.
ALSO GROWS
shema: hear, listen, heed
שְׁמַע
The branch makes listening active: the signal is heard and acted upon.
shemu'ah: report, tidings, or something heard
שְׁמוּעָה
This branch names the content that reaches the listener; in this verse, what is heard signals the moment to move.
THE PATTERN
A heard cue leads into movement as divine action goes ahead of the one who follows.
And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes;My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:THE THREAD
And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.The same Hebrew root שמע holds hearing and heeding together. Here the sound signals when movement begins; Isaiah makes the response explicit: the heard word identifies the way, and the listener walks in it.
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