And the Philistines assembled their armies to battle, and were gathered together at Sochoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Sochoh and Azekah, in Ephesdammim.
Commentary for this Verse
Two armies face each other across a valley: the Philistines on Judah's soil at Socoh, Israel opposite in the valley of Elah. Commentators read this verse as the stage God set to show what Saul's kingship was worth, and to bring forward the man He had already anointed.
Two armies, a valley between
The geography is not decoration. The positions here make attack costly for whoever moves first.
Leslie M. GrantThe time comes when both Saul and David are put to a public test of their fitness to rule Israel. Jonathan's faith had defeated the Philistines before. Now they come back to challenge Israel, but in a different way. Israel's army holds high ground on one side of a valley. The Philistines hold high ground on the other side. To attack, an army would have to cross the valley and climb the far slope. That would leave it at a great disadvantage.
A king already judged
God had already set Saul aside. One writer weighs what Saul's reign amounted to, and what his failure made room for.
William KellyIn moral terms, Saul did nothing of what he was chosen to do. He only showed how useless and fruitless man is. He is under sentence now, though not yet removed. So he gives God the occasion to form His chosen one, in mighty and gracious power, to do His work.
Another writer weighs what Saul lacked, and names the one thing that would have made up for it.
The Bible TreasurySaul's incompetence and helplessness show up plainly — as a man and as a king. As king, he should have been the one to take up the challenge of Goliath. Faith in God would have more than made up for the difference in size, which he felt keenly. Faith is the only safe ground to act on.
What trial brings out
The same crisis will measure two men, and pressure is what does the measuring.
C. H. Mackintosh"Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle." Here we come to something designed to bring out the true character and worth of Saul and David — the man of form and the man of power. It is trial that brings out the reality of a man's resources.
The nation had to learn again where its rescue came from.
C. H. MackintoshIt is plain that God was about to show Israel again that they were powerless as a people. Their only rescue, as in the past, was the arm of the LORD. He was still ready to act in His wonderful character as "a man of war," whenever faith called on Him as such.
The names on the map
Several writers pause over the place names in this verse, though they differ on what the Hebrew means. One writer simply lists what the names mean:
The Bible Treasurythe Philistines gather at Socoh of Judah, which means "enclosure of praise." They camp between it and Azekah, which means "field broken up," at Ephes-dammim, which means "end of bloodshed." Saul and the men of Israel gather in the valley of Elah, which means "strength."
Another writer takes Socoh as God's own dwelling and Azekah as the fence around it, and is careful to admit the uncertainty:
F. W. GrantThe meaning of these names is not beyond question. Still, they may give us more than a glimmer of light. Elsewhere we have taken Socoh to mean "His tabernacle," as in Lamentations 2:6 — God's dwelling place. That is the main point the Philistines aim at, and their camp lies between it and Azekah, the "fence" with which He would guard it.
The question behind the war
Beneath the troop movements lay a question about God Himself.
William KellyThis was the question about to be settled, quickly and solemnly. Did God really have a people on earth in Israel? Was the name of the LORD, tied to Israel's name, a truth or a lie — a living power or a sham? The Philistine took the side of nature and judged by appearances. That is how unbelief reasons.
Where God's answer was forming
While the armies faced off, God's chosen man was elsewhere, keeping sheep.
The Bible TreasuryGod begins with David by calling him away from the humble work of keeping sheep. He brings him right into Israel's troubles, so that He might see how David viewed them and how they would affect him.
Summary
- Ground. Two armies hold two hills with a valley between. Whoever attacks first fights uphill. It is a deadlock no human plan can break.
- King. Saul is already under sentence. The standoff puts his failure on public view.
- Trial. Pressure is the test that separates "the man of form" from "the man of power" — resources show up only under strain.
- Question. The real issue is not troop strength. It is whether God has a people. Unbelief judges by appearances and says He does not.
- Answer. God's reply is not a stronger army but a shepherd. He calls David from the sheepfold into the middle of the trouble.