1 Samuel 17:23

23 As he was talking with them, Goliath came forward and challenged the Israelites as he had done before. And David heard him.

1 Samuel 17:23 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 17:23

And as he talked with them
About their health, and the errand he came upon, and the message of his father to them, and how it was with him, who sent them his best wishes:

behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by
name:
of whom see ( 1 Samuel 17:4 ) ; he came out of the valley, and drew near to the mountain the Israelites were descending:

out of the armies of the Philistines:
from the plains where they were encamped, as Kimchi, though they seem to have been encamped on a mountain as the Israelites were; or from the ranks of the Philistines; according to the marginal reading, he came out of one of the battalions that were set in array:

and spake according to the same words;
which he had spoken time after time forty days successively, namely, what is expressed ( 1 Samuel 17:8-10 ) ;

and David heard [them];
and observed them.

1 Samuel 17:23 In-Context

21 The Philistine and the Israelite armies took positions for battle, facing each other.
22 David left the food with the officer in charge of the supplies, ran to the battle line, went to his brothers, and asked how they were getting along.
23 As he was talking with them, Goliath came forward and challenged the Israelites as he had done before. And David heard him.
24 When the Israelites saw Goliath, they ran away in terror.
25 "Look at him!" they said to each other. "Listen to his challenge! King Saul has promised to give a big reward to the man who kills him; the king will also give him his daughter to marry and will not require his father's family to pay taxes."
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.