📖WEB · 1 Chronicles 14:11
What does 1 Chronicles 14:11 mean?
"So they came up to Baal Perazim, and David defeated them there. David said, God has broken my enemies by my hand, like waters breaking out. Therefore they called the name of that place Baal Perazim."
— 1 Chronicles 14:11 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
When the Philistines heard that David was anointed king over all Israel, all the Philistines went up to seek David; and David heard of it, and went out against them.
Now the Philistines had come and made a raid in the valley of Rephaim.
David inquired of God, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you deliver them into my hand?” Yahweh said to him, “Go up; for I will deliver them into your hand.”
So they came up to Baal Perazim, and David defeated them there. David said, God has broken my enemies by my hand, like waters breaking out. Therefore they called the name of that place Baal Perazim.
They left their gods there; and David gave a command, and they were burned with fire.
The Philistines made a another raid in the valley.
David inquired again of God; and God said to him, “You shall not go up after them. Turn away from them, and come on them opposite the mulberry trees.
Explanation
This verse describes a military victory God gave King David over the Philistines, and it captures David's immediate response of crediting that victory to God rather than to his own strength or strategy. In plain language, the text says that David and his forces marched to a place called Baal Perazim, engaged the Philistine army there, and won decisively. David then declared that God had "broken" his enemies, using the image of a flood of water bursting through a barrier — sudden, overwhelming, and unstoppable. Because of this declaration, the place was named Baal Perazim, which means something like "the Lord of the breakthroughs" or "master of breaking out."
The context is important for understanding the verse fully. First Chronicles was likely written after the Babylonian exile, compiling Israel's history for a community trying to reconnect with its identity and covenant relationship with God. This particular episode occurs early in David's reign, right after he has been established as king over all Israel and has taken Jerusalem. The Philistines, hearing that David had become king, moved to attack him, likely hoping to strike before he consolidated his power. Rather than acting on his own initiative, David first inquired of God (as the surrounding verses show) before going into battle, demonstrating a pattern of seeking divine guidance rather than presuming success.
Theologically, this verse emphasizes that victory belongs to God, not merely to human military skill or numbers. David's language — "God has broken my enemies by my hand" — shows a proper acknowledgment that while he was the human agent, the real power and outcome came from God working through him. The naming of the place also
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