1 Samuel 17:41-51

41 Soothly the Philistine went, going and nighing against David; and his squire went before him. (And the Philistine came forth toward David; and his squire went before him.)
42 And when the Philistine had beheld David, and saw him, he despised David; forsooth David was a young waxing man, ruddy, and fair in sight.
43 And the Philistine said to David, Whether I am a dog, for thou comest to me with a staff? And the Philistine cursed David in his gods; (And the Philistine said to David, Am I but a dog, that thou comest to me with a staff? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods;)
44 and he said to David, Come thou to me, and I shall give thy flesh to the fowls of the air, and to [the] beasts of the earth.
45 And David said to Goliath, Thou comest to me with a sword and (a) spear, and (a) shield; but I come to thee in (the) name of the Lord of hosts, (the) God of the companies of Israel, to whom thou hast said reproof today.
46 And the Lord shall give thee in(to) mine hand, and I shall slay thee, and I shall take thine head from thee; and today I shall give the dead bodies of the tents of Philistines to the fowls of (the) heaven(s), and to the beasts of the earth (and today I shall give the dead bodies of the Philistine's host, or army, to the birds of the air, and to the beasts of the earth); (so) that all the earth (shall) know, that the Lord God is in Israel,
47 and that all this church know, that the Lord saveth not in sword neither in spear; for the battle is his, and he shall betake you into our hands. (and so that all this congregation shall know, that the Lord saveth not by sword or by spear; for the battle is his, and he shall deliver you into our hands.)
48 Therefore when the Philistine had risen (up), and came, and nighed against David (and came toward David), David hasted, and ran to (the) battle against the Philistine.
49 And David put his hand in his scrip, and he took out a stone, and he casted it with his sling, and led [it] about, and smote the Philistine in the forehead; and the stone was fastened in his forehead, and he felled down into his face on the earth. (And David put his hand into his bag, and he took out a stone, and he led it about, and threw it with his sling, and hit the Philistine in the forehead; and the stone stuck in his forehead, and he fell down on his face on the ground.)
50 And David had the mastery against the Philistine in a sling and a stone, and he killed the Philistine smitten. And when David had no sword in his hand, (And so David had the mastery against the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and he struck down the Philistine, and killed him. And when David had no sword in his hand,)
51 he ran, and stood on the Philistine, and took (hold of) his sword; and David drew out the sword of his sheath, and killed him, and cut off his head (and David drew the sword out of its sheath, and killed him, and cut off his head). And the Philistines saw, that the strongest of them was dead, and they fled.

1 Samuel 17:41-51 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 17

This chapter relates how the armies of Israel, and of the Philistines, prepared for battle, and where, 1Sa 17:1-3, describes a champion of the Philistines, who defied the armies of Israel, 1Sa 17:4-11, and while he was so doing, it informs us that David came into the camp, and he heard his words, and signified to one and another his inclination to fight with him, 1Sa 17:12-30, which being reported to Saul, David was sent for by him, and much discourse passed between them about it, 1Sa 17:31-37 when we are told the manner in which he engaged with the Philistine, and the victory he obtained over him, 1Sa 17:38-51 upon which the Philistines fled, and Israel pursued them; and on account of this action David was taken notice of by Saul, and brought to court again, as the following chapter shows, 1Sa 17:52-58.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.