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1 Samuel 17

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The Philistine Challenge and Goliath's Defiance 1–11

1
Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle; and they were gathered together at Socoh, which belongeth to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. ​
2
And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and encamped in the vale of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines.
3
And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them.
4
And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. ​
5
And he had a helmet of brass upon his head, and he was clad with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. ​
6
And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a javelin of brass between his shoulders.
7
And the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam; and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and his shield-bearer went before him.
8
And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. ​
9
If he be able to fight with me, and kill me, then will we be your servants; but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us.
10
And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together. ​
11
And when Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid. ​

David Arrives at the Camp 12–30

12
Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Beth-lehem-judah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons: and the man was an old man in the days of Saul, stricken in years among men. ​
13
And the three eldest sons of Jesse had gone after Saul to the battle: and the names of his three sons that went to the battle were Eliab the first-born, and next unto him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.
14
And David was the youngest; and the three eldest followed Saul.
15
Now David went to and fro from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Beth-lehem.
16
And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days. ​
17
And Jesse said unto David his son, Take now for thy brethren an ephah of this parched grain, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to thy brethren;
18
and bring these ten cheeses unto the captain of their thousand, and look how thy brethren fare, and take their pledge.
19
Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the vale of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.
20
And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the place of the wagons, as the host which was going forth to the fight shouted for the battle.
21
And Israel and the Philistines put the battle in array, army against army.
22
And David left his baggage in the hand of the keeper of the baggage, and ran to the army, and came and saluted his brethren. ​
23
And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the ranks of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them.
24
And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid.
25
And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father’s house free in Israel.
26
And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God? ​
27
And the people answered him after this manner, saying, So shall it be done to the man that killeth him.
28
And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab’s anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why art thou come down? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thy heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle. ​
29
And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause? ​
30
And he turned away from him toward another, and spake after the same manner: and the people answered him again after the former manner.

David Volunteers to Fight Goliath 31–39

31
And when the words were heard which David spake, they rehearsed them before Saul; and he sent for him.
32
And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.
33
And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.
34
And David said unto Saul, Thy servant was keeping his father’s sheep; and when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock, ​
35
I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth; and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.
36
Thy servant smote both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.
37
And David said, Jehovah that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and Jehovah shall be with thee. ​
38
And Saul clad David with his apparel, and he put a helmet of brass upon his head, and he clad him with a coat of mail.
39
And David girded his sword upon his apparel, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him. ​

The Confrontation: David's Declaration of Faith 40–47

40
And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in the shepherd’s bag which he had, even in his wallet; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine. ​
41
And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield went before him.
42
And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and withal of a fair countenance.
43
And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
44
And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the birds of the heavens, and to the beasts of the field.
45
Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a javelin: but I come to thee in the name of Jehovah of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. ​
46
This day will Jehovah deliver thee into my hand; and I will smite thee, and take thy head from off thee; and I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day unto the birds of the heavens, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, ​
47
and that all this assembly may know that Jehovah saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is Jehovah’s, and he will give you into our hand. ​

The Victory and the Rout 48–54

48
And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hastened, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.
49
And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead; and the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell upon his face to the earth.
50
So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David. ​
51
Then David ran, and stood over the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. ​
52
And the men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, until thou comest to Gai, and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even unto Gath, and unto Ekron.
53
And the children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they plundered their camp.
54
And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armor in his tent. ​

Saul Inquires About David's Identity 55–58

55
And when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said unto Abner, the captain of the host, Abner, whose son is this youth? And Abner said, As thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell. ​
56
And the king said, Inquire thou whose son the stripling is.
57
And as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand.
58
And Saul said to him, Whose son art thou, thou young man? And David answered, I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Beth-lehemite.

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for 1 Samuel 17

Verse 1

Shochoh… Azekah — Both towns stand in Judah's list of cities (Josh 15:35, where Shochoh is spelled 'Socoh'), so the Philistines have gathered on ground that 'belongeth to Judah'. 'Ephesdammim' (Ephes-dammim, 'boundary of blood-drops') is spelled Pasdammim in 1 Chr 11:13, where the Philistines were again 'gathered together to battle'.

Verse 4

a champion — The Hebrew is literally 'the man of the space between' (bênayim, the space between two armies); the title is given to Goliath alone, here and in v.23. He is 'of Gath', and 2 Sam 21:22 speaks of four 'born to the giant in Gath' who 'fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants'.

Verse 5

a coat of mail — Shiryon, a corslet. The same word and the same pair of items, a helmet 'of brass' and a coat of mail, appear in v.38, where Saul 'armed' David with them. Goliath's coat is weighed at 'five thousand shekels of brass', and the head of his spear at six hundred shekels of iron (v.7).

Verse 8

choose you a man — 'Choose' is barah, to select. The terms follow in v.9: the losing side become servants. 'Ye servants to Saul' touches the request of 8:20, that a king 'go out before us, and fight our battles'; here no man of Israel goes out.

Verse 10

I defy — Charaph, to taunt or hold up to scorn. The same root gives 'reproach' (cherpah) in v.26, 'taketh away the reproach from Israel'. The verb recurs in vv.25, 26, 36 and 45, and by v.36 David names it as defying 'the armies of the living God'.

Verse 11

dismayed, and greatly afraid — Chathath and yare, the pair of verbs in Moses' charge, 'fear not, neither be dismayed' (Deut 31:8), spoken to Joshua in the sight of all Israel before the conquest. Saul, who stood 'higher than any of the people' (9:2), is named with all Israel.

Verse 12

Ephrathite of Bethlehemjudah — Ephrath is Bethlehem (Gen 35:19), the 'Bethlehem Ephratah' of Mic 5:2, a prophecy Matthew applies to Christ (Matt 2:6). Jesse's 'eight sons' answer to 16:10–11, where seven pass before Samuel and 'the youngest' is found keeping the sheep.

Verse 16

forty days — The Philistine 'drew near morning and evening', twice a day, for forty days. When David arrives, Goliath 'spake according to the same words' (v.23), and 'all the men of Israel… fled from him, and were sore afraid' (v.24). No answer is recorded in all that time.

Verse 22

his carriage — Keli, a vessel, baggage or implement. The same word is the 'bag' David fills with stones in vv.40 and 49 and the 'armour' of v.54. 'Saluted' is literally 'asked' after their shalom, their welfare.

Verse 26

uncircumcised Philistine — Circumcision was the sign of God's covenant with Abraham (Gen 17:10–11), so the word places Goliath outside it; Jonathan spoke the same way (14:6). 'The living God' is the title Joshua used (Josh 3:10) of the God who would drive out the nations before Israel.

Verse 28

I know thy pride — Eliab is the son Samuel first looked on and called 'the LORD'S anointed', and of whom the LORD said, 'the LORD looketh on the heart' (16:6–7). He now charges David with 'the naughtiness of thine heart'. 'Those few sheep' recall 16:11, where David is the one keeping the flock.

Verse 29

Is there not a cause? — Davar, 'a word' or 'a matter', is the word rendered 'words' of the Philistine in vv.11 and 23. The reply to Eliab's charge (that David came down 'that thou mightest see the battle') can be read as: there is a word to be answered, the defiance of v.26.

Verse 34

kept his father's sheep — Ra'ah, to shepherd: the verb of 16:11, 'he keepeth the sheep', and of Ps 78:70–71, where the LORD 'took him from the sheepfolds… to feed Jacob his people'. The lion and the bear are named together, and the lamb was taken from the flock.

Verse 37

delivered… will deliver — The same verb, natsal, stands in the past and the future, and one word, yad, 'paw' and 'hand', serves for the lion, the bear and the Philistine alike. Paul speaks in the same terms: 'I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion' (2 Tim 4:17).

Verse 39

I have not proved them — Nasah, to test or try. David 'put them off' (sur), the verb of 'taketh away the reproach' in v.26 and 'take thine head from thee' in v.46. The armour Saul had put on him (v.38) is the same kind Goliath wears in v.5.

Verse 40

five smooth stones — The Hebrew words behind 'smooth' (challuq) and 'scrip' (yalqut) each occur only here. Slinging was a trained skill: seven hundred left-handed Benjamites 'could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss' (Judg 20:16). 'Chose' is the verb of Ps 78:70, 'He chose David also his servant'.

Verse 45

sword… spear… shield — The 'shield' is kidon, a javelin, the brass 'target' carried between Goliath's shoulders in v.6. David comes 'in the name of the LORD of hosts', as Ps 20:7 says: 'Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.'

Verse 46

all the earth may know — The aim is the one given at the Jordan, 'that all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD' (Josh 4:24), and in Hezekiah's prayer, 'that all the kingdoms of the earth may know' (2 Kgs 19:19). David turns Goliath's threat of v.44 to the 'fowls of the air' back on the Philistine host.

Verse 47

the battle is the LORD'S — 'Assembly' is qahal, Israel gathered as a congregation. The saying is the one given to Judah: 'the battle is not yours, but God's' (2 Chr 20:15). Ps 44:6–7 states its ground: 'neither shall my sword save me. But thou hast saved us from our enemies.'

Verse 50

no sword in the hand of David — The verse gives the result in the weapons David carried; v.51 shows him taking Goliath's own sword to cut off the head. Heb 11:32 names David among those who 'out of weakness were made strong' (v.34), and 1 Cor 1:27 says God 'hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty'.

Verse 51

drew it out of the sheath — The terms of v.9, that the losing side serve the other, are not carried out: the Philistines 'fled', and Israel and Judah pursued them to Gath and Ekron (v.52). 'Champion' here is gibbor, a mighty man, not the title of v.4. Goliath's sword is later kept at Nob (21:9).

Verse 54

brought it to Jerusalem — The Jebusites still held the strong hold of Jerusalem (Judg 1:21), and David himself later took 'the strong hold of Zion' from them (2 Sam 5:6–7). The head is carried there, and 'his armour' is put 'in his tent'.

Verse 55

whose son is this youth? — David had served Saul as 'armourbearer' (16:21) and had 'returned from Saul to feed his father's sheep' (17:15). The question concerns the father's house: the reward in v.25 was to 'make his father's house free in Israel'. Saul asks again in v.58 and gets the answer, 'the son of thy servant Jesse the Bethlehemite'.