1 Samuel 17:35

35 I would go after it, hit it, and snatch the lamb from its mouth; and if it turned on me, I would catch it by the jaw, smack it and kill it.

1 Samuel 17:35 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 17:35

And I went out after him
Whether a lion or a bear; but mention after being made of his beard, a lion rather is meant:

and smote him;
with his fist, or rather with his shepherd's staff:

and delivered [it] out of his mouth;
snatched it out from thence, or obliged him to drop it, by beating him:

and when he arose against me;
after he had let go the lamb, threatening to tear him in pieces for attempting to disturb him in his prey, and take it away from him;

I caught [him] by his beard;
such as lions have; hence a lion is often called in Homer ^F7 (liv heugeneiov) , the well-bearded lion. Kimchi thinks the beard with the nether jaw is meant, which David caught hold on:

and smote him, and slew him;
tore him to pieces, as Samson did, ( Judges 14:5 Judges 14:6 ) , or slew him with some weapon in his hand.

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FOOTNOTES:

F7 Iliad. 17. ver. 109. & Iliad. 18. ver. 318.

1 Samuel 17:35 In-Context

33 Sha'ul said to David, "You can't go to fight this P'lishti -you're just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth!"

34 David answered Sha'ul, "Your servant used to guard his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear would come and grab a lamb from the flock,

35 I would go after it, hit it, and snatch the lamb from its mouth; and if it turned on me, I would catch it by the jaw, smack it and kill it.

36 Your servant has defeated both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised P'lishti will be like one of them, because he has challenged the armies of the living God."

37 Then David said, "ADONAI, who rescued me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will rescue me from the paw of this P'lishti!" Sha'ul said to David, "Go; may ADONAI be with you."