Shmuel Alef 17:16

16 And the Pelishti drew near morning and evening, and presented himself arba’im yom.

Shmuel Alef 17:16 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 17:16

And the Philistine drew near morning and evening
Twice a day he came near the camp, within the hearing of it. The Jews ^F23 say, he took those seasons on purpose to disturb them in reading their "Shema", or "hear, O Israel" and saying their prayers morning and evening:

and presented himself forty days;
Successively, before the armies of Israel, daring them to send down a man to fight with him, and reproaching them for their cowardice in not doing it.

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FOOTNOTES:

F23 T. Bab. Sotah, fol. 42. 2.

Shmuel Alef 17:16 In-Context

14 And Dovid was the katan; and the shloshah hagedolim followed Sha’ul.

15 But Dovid went and returned from Sha’ul to tend tzon aviv at Beit-Lechem.

16 And the Pelishti drew near morning and evening, and presented himself arba’im yom.

17 And Yishai said unto Dovid bno, Take now for thy achim an ephah of this roasted grain, and these ten lechem, and run to the machaneh of thy achim;

18 And carry these ten charitzei hecholov (cuts of milk, hence cheeses) unto the sar of their elef (unit, thousand), and look how thy achim fare for shalom, and take their arvut (pledge).