1 Samuel17

The Philistines and Israelites faced each other in battle, with the giant Goliath of Gath defying Israel daily for forty days. Young David, visiting the camp, heard Goliath's challenge and, trusting in the LORD, volunteered to fight. Armed only with a sling and stones, David struck Goliath down, leading to the Philistine army's rout and Israel's victory.

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The Philistine Challenge and Goliath's Defiance

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a javelin of brass between his shoulders.

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.

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.

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.

And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.

And when Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.

David Arrives at the Camp

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.

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.

And David was the youngest; and the three eldest followed Saul.

Now David went to and fro from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Beth-lehem.

And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days.

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;

and bring these ten cheeses unto the captain of their thousand, and look how thy brethren fare, and take their pledge.

Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the vale of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.

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.

And Israel and the Philistines put the battle in array, army against army.

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.

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.

And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid.

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.

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?

And the people answered him after this manner, saying, So shall it be done to the man that killeth him.

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.

And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause?

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

And when the words were heard which David spake, they rehearsed them before Saul; and he sent for him.

And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.

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.

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,

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield went before him.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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,

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

And the children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they plundered their camp.

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

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.

And the king said, Inquire thou whose son the stripling is.

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.

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.

Study Notes for 1 Samuel 17

Verse 1

The Philistines gathered at Shochoh in the Valley of Elah, setting the stage for a critical battle that would determine regional dominance. The armies are poised on opposing hillsides.

Verse 4

Goliath’s height is given as six cubits and a span, approximately 9 feet 9 inches. His immense size makes him the ultimate champion, designed to terrify the Israelite forces into submission.

Verse 5

The weight of Goliath’s bronze armor (5,000 shekels, roughly 125 pounds or 57 kg) emphasizes his status as a professional, heavily protected warrior, contrasting sharply with David’s later appearance.

Verse 8

Goliath proposes a trial by combat, a common ancient practice where the outcome of the war is decided by two champions, saving both armies from mass slaughter.

Verse 10

Goliath’s challenge is both military and theological; he ‘defies’ the armies of Israel, implying a direct challenge to their God, Yahweh, the Lord of Hosts.

Verse 11

The fear of Saul and the entire Israelite army underscores the severity of the crisis and Israel’s reliance on human strength rather than divine intervention, a major theme in 1 Samuel.

Verse 12

This verse reintroduces David, emphasizing his status as the youngest son running errands. This highlights his improbable role in the conflict, contrasting the king (Saul) with the shepherd boy (David).

Verse 16

The duration of 'forty days' suggests a complete and relentless challenge, intensifying Israel’s shame and fear and symbolizing a full measure of time for testing.

Verse 22

The 'carriage' refers to the provisions or supplies David brought. He quickly delegates his civilian duties to engage with the military situation, showing his immediate concern for the crisis.

Verse 26

David’s motivation is fundamentally theological. He identifies Goliath as an 'uncircumcised Philistine' (outside the covenant) who dares to defy 'the armies of the living God,' focusing on God’s honor.

Verse 28

Eliab’s anger likely stems from jealousy and wounded pride, recalling that Samuel had initially thought he was the chosen king (16:6). He misinterprets David’s zeal as arrogance and selfish pride.

Verse 29

David’s response, 'Is there not a cause?' (or 'Was it not just a word?'), defends his righteous curiosity and implies that the magnitude of the crisis demands a response, regardless of his elder brother's disapproval.

Verse 34

David uses his experience as a shepherd—protecting the flock from a lion and a bear—as proof that God has already equipped him for battle. These private victories prepared him for the public one.

Verse 37

This is David’s declaration of faith: past deliverance guarantees future deliverance. He attributes his victories solely to the Lord, transforming the battle into a confrontation between God and the Philistine gods.

Verse 39

David rejects Saul’s conventional armor because it is untested by him and relies on human might. This decision underscores that the battle will be won by faith and divine power, not military technology.

Verse 40

David’s choice of simple shepherd tools (sling and stones) emphasizes his reliance on skill and faith, contrasting sharply with Goliath's massive, sophisticated weaponry.

Verse 45

This is the theological climax. David contrasts Goliath’s confidence in physical weapons with his own confidence in the 'name of the LORD of hosts,' identifying Yahweh as the true leader of Israel’s armies.

Verse 46

David defines the purpose of the victory: not just Israel’s freedom, but that 'all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.' The battle is meant to be a demonstration of divine sovereignty to the nations.

Verse 47

David articulates the core theological lesson: God does not need conventional means ('sword and spear') to save His people, proving definitively that 'the battle is the LORD’S.'

Verse 50

The narrator emphasizes the unconventional victory: David prevailed using only a sling and a stone. The outcome demonstrates that God works through the weak and foolish to confound the mighty.

Verse 51

David uses Goliath’s own sword to complete his execution. When the Philistines see their champion dead, their covenant agreement (v. 9) is broken, and they flee in panic.

Verse 54

The mention of bringing Goliath's head to Jerusalem is likely an editorial note, as Jerusalem was still a Jebusite city at this time, foreshadowing David’s future conquest and establishment of the capital.

Verse 55

This inquiry poses a chronological difficulty, as David had previously served Saul (16:19-23). This may reflect two separate traditions of David's rise, or Saul’s instability and distraction caused him to forget the identity of his young servant.

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1 Samuel17

The Philistine Challenge and Goliath's Defiance

David Arrives at the Camp

David Volunteers to Fight Goliath

The Confrontation: David's Declaration of Faith

The Victory and the Rout

Saul Inquires About David's Identity

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