1 Chronicles 11 · Verse 23

1 Chronicles 11:23

And he slew an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits high; and in the Egyptian’s hand was a spear like a weaver’s beam; and he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and slew him with his own spear.
1 Chronicles 11:23, King James Version

1 Chronicles 11:23 in other translations

BSBHe also killed an Egyptian, a huge man five cubits tall. Although the Egyptian had a spear like a weaver’s beam in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club, snatched the spear from his hand, and killed the Egyptian with his own spear.
WEBHe killed an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits high. In the Egyptian’s hand was a spear like a weaver’s beam; and he went down to him with a staff, plucked the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and killed him with his own spear.
ASVAnd he slew an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits high; and in the Egyptian’s hand was a spear like a weaver’s beam; and he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and slew him with his own spear.
YLTAnd he hath smitten the man, the Egyptian--a man of measure, five by the cubit--and in the hand of the Egyptian is a spear like a beam of weavers, and he goeth down unto him with a rod, and taketh violently away the spear out of the hand of the Egyptian, and slayeth him with his own spear.
DARBYHe also smote the Egyptian, a man of stature, five cubits high: and in the Egyptian's hand was a spear like a weaver's beam; and he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and slew him with his own spear.
BBEAnd he made an attack on an Egyptian, a very tall man about five cubits high, armed with a spear like a cloth-worker's rod; he went down to him with a stick, and pulling his spear out of the hand of the Egyptian, put him to death with that same spear.
WebsterAnd he slew an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits high; and in the Egyptian's hand was a spear like a weaver's beam; and he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and slew him with his own spear.

What does 1 Chronicles 11:23 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
23. he went down--the ordinary phraseology for expressing an engagement in battle. The encounter of Benaiah with this gigantic Egyptian reminds us, in some respects, of David's combat with Goliath. At least, the height of this giant, which was about eight feet, and his armor, resembled his of Gath. with a staff--that is, having no other weapon in his hand than his walking stick.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 23 Plucked the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and slew him with his own spear - See the note on 2Sam 23:21.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 Chronicles 11:10-47

An account is given of David's worthies, the great men who served him. Yet David reckoned his success, not as from the mighty men that were with him, but from the mighty God, whose presence is all in all. In strengthening him, they strengthened themselves and their own interest, for his advancement was theirs. We shall gain by what we do in our places for the support of the kingdom of the Son of David; and those…

Read the full comment on 1 Chronicles 11:10-47 →

1 Chronicles 11:23 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְהֽוּא\־ve.hu'-and heH1931
הִכָּה֩hi.Kahhe struck downH5221
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
הָאִ֨ישׁha.'Ishthe manH376
הַמִּצְרִ֜יha.mitz.Ri<the> EgyptianH4713
אִ֥ישׁ'isha man ofH376
מִדָּ֣ה\׀mi.DahstatureH4060
חָמֵ֣שׁcha.MeshfiveH2568
בָּאַמָּ֗הba.'a.Mahby the cubitH520
וּבְיַ֨דu.ve.Yadand [was] in [the] hand ofH3027
הַמִּצְרִ֤יha.mitz.Rithe EgyptianH4713
חֲנִית֙cha.Nita spearH2595
כִּמְנ֣וֹרkim.Norlike a beam ofH4500
אֹרְגִ֔ים'o.re.GimweaversH707
וַיֵּ֥רֶדvai.Ye.redand he went downH3381
אֵלָ֖יו'e.Lavto himH413
בַּשָּׁ֑בֶטba.Sha.vetwith the clubH7626
וַיִּגְזֹ֤לvai.yig.Zoland he tore awayH1497
אֶֽת\־'et-<obj.>H853
הַחֲנִית֙ha.cha.Nitthe spearH2595
מִיַּ֣דmi.Yadfrom [the] hand ofH3027
הַמִּצְרִ֔יha.mitz.Rithe EgyptianH4713
וַיַּהַרְגֵ֖הוּvai.ya.har.Ge.huand he killed himH2026
בַּחֲנִיתֽוֹ\׃ba.cha.ni.Towith own spear hisH2595

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 1 Chronicles 11:23

  • 1 Samuel 17:7

    And the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam; and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him.

  • 1 Chronicles 20:5

    And there was war again with the Philistines; and Elhanan the son of Jair slew Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spear staff was like a weaver’s beam.

  • 1 Samuel 17:4

    And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.

  • 1 Samuel 17:51

    Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.

  • Deuteronomy 3:11

    For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants; behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
a man of great stature. Heb. a man of measure. five.
De 3:11; 1Sa 17:4
a spear.
20:5
slew him.
1Sa 17:51

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 1 Chronicles 11:22

    Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done many acts; he slew two lionlike men of Moab: also he went down and slew a lion in a pit in a snowy day.

  • 1 Chronicles 11:23

    And he slew an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits high; and in the Egyptian’s hand was a spear like a weaver’s beam; and he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and slew him with his own spear.

  • 1 Chronicles 11:24

    These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and had the name among the three mighties.

Read all of 1 Chronicles 11

1 Chronicles 11:23 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
El mismo venció á un Egipcio, hombre de cinco codos de estatura: y el Egipcio traía una lanza como un enjullo de tejedor; mas él descendió á él con un bastón, y arrebató al Egipcio la lanza de la mano, y matólo con su misma lanza.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et c’est lui qui frappa l’homme égyptien, dont la stature était de cinq coudées; et l’Égyptien avait en sa main une lance qui était comme l’ensouple des tisserands; et il descendit vers lui avec un bâton, et arracha la lance de la main de l’Égyptien, et le tua avec sa propre lance.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Und er war es, der den ägyptischen Mann erschlug, einen Mann von fünf Ellen Länge. Und der Ägypter hatte einen Speer in der Hand wie einen Weberbaum; er aber ging zu ihm hinab mit einem Stabe, und riß dem Ägypter den Speer aus der Hand und tötete ihn mit seinem eigenen Speere.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Et ipse percussit virum ægyptium, cujus statura erat quinque cubitorum, et habebat lanceam ut liciatorium texentium: descendit igitur ad eum cum virga, et rapuit hastam quam tenebat manu, et interfecit eum hasta sua.