· Translation: KJV

2 Samuel 21:15The Philistines had war again with Israel; and David went down, and his servants with him, and fought against the Philistines. David grew faint;

The setting

Gaza Strip region, Israel. David, now in his 60s, leads another campaign against the Philistines but his legendary strength is failing...

The emotion here: sadness at recording the hero's decline

The original word

ʿayep (עיף) — exhausted to the point of collapse, physically spent

Why it matters

This marks the beginning of David's final military campaigns before his men force him to retire

Read with care

What most readers miss in 2 Samuel 21:15

David's physical decline sets up his mighty men stepping forward to protect their aging king

Common misconceptionPeople read this as David being weak or faithless, but it's actually showing the natural human limitation that makes his mighty men's loyalty even more heroic - aging is not spiritual failure.

Bible Genome reading

2 Samuel 21:15 — Bible Genome reading

SpeakerNarrator
EraUnited Kingdom
Primary emotionanxious
Literary typenarrative

Emotional genome

Comfort power20%
Quotability50%
Memorability60%
Crisis relevance70%
Standalone60%
Themes:agingwarfarevulnerability

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open 2 Samuel 21

2 Samuel 21:15 comes from the book of 2 Samuel, written during the United Kingdom period. The setting is the battlefield. These words are attributed to Narrator. The dominant emotion in this verse is anxious, with a comfort power of 20% and a tone that is urgent. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include aging, warfare, vulnerability. Notable phrases: David grew faint.

Your reflection

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