2 Samuel 21:20

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

In still another battle, which took place at Gath, there was a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in total. He too was descended from Rapha.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וַתְּהִי־ע֥וֹד מִלְחָמָ֖ה בְּגַ֑ת וַיְהִ֣י ׀ אִ֣ישׁ *מדין **מָד֗וֹן וְאֶצְבְּעֹ֣ת יָדָיו֩ וְאֶצְבְּעֹ֨ת רַגְלָ֜יו שֵׁ֣שׁ וָשֵׁ֗שׁ עֶשְׂרִ֤ים וְאַרְבַּע֙ מִסְפָּ֔ר וְגַם־ה֖וּא יֻלַּ֥ד לְהָרָפָֽה

Transliteration

And wattĕhî-more milḥāmâ in-Gat, and wayĕhî ʾîš mādôn, and-ʾeṣbĕʿōt yādāyw and-ʾeṣbĕʿōt raglāyw six and-six, twenty and-four in-mispār, and-also-he yullad to-the-hārāpâ.

Grammar Details

• *wattĕhî*: waw-consecutive + qal imperfect 3fs - and there was
• *milḥāmâ*: noun, feminine singular - battle
• *Gat*: proper noun - Gath
• *wayĕhî*: waw-consecutive + qal imperfect 3ms - and there was
• *ʾîš*: noun, masculine singular - man
• *mādôn*: noun, masculine singular (Ketiv: *mdyn*) - stature/contention
• *ʾeṣbĕʿōt*: noun, feminine plural construct - fingers of
• *yādāyw*: noun, feminine dual construct + 3ms suffix - his hands
• *raglāyw*: noun, feminine dual construct + 3ms suffix - his feet
• *mispār*: noun, masculine singular - number
• *yullad*: pual perfect 3ms - he was born
• *hārāpâ*: proper noun with definite article - the Raphah

Word Meanings

• *mādôn*: stature/great size/contention
• *yullad* to-the-*hārāpâ*: was born to the Raphah/was of giant descent

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  And there was yet a battle in Gath, where was a man of great stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant.

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  And there was another battle in Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had on each hand six fingers, and on each foot six toes, twenty-four in number; and he also was born to the giant.

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  And there was yet a battle in Gath, where was a man of great stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  And there was again war at Gath, where was a man of great stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant.

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  And there was yet a battle in Gath, where was a man of great stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  And there arose yet warre at Gath, where there was a cotencious man, which had sixe fyngers on his handes, and sixe toes on his fete, that is foure and twety in the nombre, and he was borne also of Rapha.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  Afterward there was also a battel in Gath, where was a man of a great stature, and had on euerie hand sixe fingers, and on euerie foote sixe toes, foure and twentie in nomber: who was also the sonne of Haraphah.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  And there was yet another battaile in Geth, wher was a man of a great stature, and had on euery hand sixe fingers, & on euery foote sixe toes, foure & twentie in number, and was borne also of the kindred of the giauntes in Geth.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  And there was yet a battle in Gath, where was a man of [great] stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  There was again war at Gath, where was a man of great stature, who had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant.

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  And the battle is again in Gath, and there is a man of stature, and the fingers of his hands `are' six, and the toes of his feet `are' six, twenty and four in number, and he also hath been born to the giant,

• American Standard Version (1901)

  And there was again war at Gath, where was a man of great stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  And there was again war at Gath, where was a man of great stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant. [

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  And again there was war at Gath, where there was a very tall man, who had twenty-four fingers and toes, six fingers on his hands and six toes on his feet; he was one of the offspring of the Rephaim.

• World English Bible (2000)

  There was again war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant.

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  Yet another battle occurred in Gath. On that occasion there was a large man who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in all! He too was a descendant of Rapha.

Referenced Verses

• 2 Sam 21:16 : 16 Ishbi-Benob, one of the descendants of Rapha, whose spear weighed three hundred bronze shekels and who was armed with a new weapon, said he would kill David.
• 2 Sam 21:18 : 18 After this, there was another battle with the Philistines at Gob. At that time, Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, a descendant of Rapha.
• 1 Chr 20:6 : 6 In another battle, which took place at Gath, there was a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—twenty-four in total. He too was a descendant of the giants.