שמואל ב, פרק ה׳, פסוק כ״ה

David's absolute victory over the Philistines was rooted in his complete surrender to divine strategy. His success came from fully submitting to God's plan, even when it required him to act against his natural instincts. Although he was not used to using flanking maneuvers on the battlefield, he followed the instructions completely [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. His exact obedience highlights a deep internal victory: he conquered his own impulses and acted solely because it was a divine order. Through this, God intended to train David to avoid the mistakes of King Saul, who had acted on his own understanding. God wanted David to always listen to divine counsel, rather than rely on his own righteousness, and to recognize that true strength and strategy belong exclusively to Him [אברבנאל].

The battle itself did not happen in one fixed location, but turned into a continuous pursuit. As the Philistines fled for their lives, David struck them repeatedly along their escape route [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This route stretched from Geba all the way to the entrance of the city of Gezer. The description is framed as if speaking directly to a person familiar with the local geography, a common style in biblical narratives [מצודת דוד]. These specific locations, Geba and Gezer, are the exact same destinations referred to as Gibeon and Gezerah in parallel historical accounts [רד״ק].