1 Samuele 17:39

39 Poi Davide cinse la spada di Saul sopra la sua armatura, e cercò di camminare, perché non aveva ancora provato; ma disse a Saul: "Io non posso camminare con quest’armatura; non ci sono abituato". E se la tolse di dosso.

1 Samuele 17:39 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 17:39

And David girded his, sword upon his armour
Which Saul also perhaps furnished him with:

and he assayed to go;
made an attempt, and had a mind to go thus accoutred; he at first showed an inclination to go in such an habit, but afterwards would not:

for he had not proved [it];
as warriors were wont to do; so Achilles did ^F9; he never made trial of such armour before, he had not been used to it, and knew not how to behave in it, or walk with it on him; it was an encumbrance to him: Abarbinel renders it, "but he had not proved [it]"; he would have gone with it but for that reason; the Targum is,

``because there was no miracle in them;''

because if he had made use of this, there would have been no appearance of a miracle in getting the victory over the Philistine, as was by using only a sling and stones:

and David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these, for I have not proved
[them];
he thought fit to acquaint Saul with it that he could not go thus accoutred, and his reason for it, lest he should be offended with him:

and David put them off him;
took off the helmet from his head, ungirt the sword upon his armour, and stripped himself of his coat of mail, and went forth entirely unarmed.

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FOOTNOTES:

F9 Homer. Iliad. 19. ver. 384, 385. so Theocrit. Idyll. 10. ver. 61.

1 Samuele 17:39 In-Context

37 E Davide soggiunse: "L’Eterno che mi liberò dalla zampa del leone e dalla zampa dell’orso, mi libererà anche dalla mano di questo Filisteo". E Saul disse a Davide: "Va’, e l’Eterno sia teco".

38 Saul rivestì Davide della sua propria armatura, gli mise in capo un elmo di rame, e lo armò di corazza.

39 Poi Davide cinse la spada di Saul sopra la sua armatura, e cercò di camminare, perché non aveva ancora provato; ma disse a Saul: "Io non posso camminare con quest’armatura; non ci sono abituato". E se la tolse di dosso.

40 E prese in mano il suo bastone, si scelse nel torrente cinque pietre ben lisce, le pose nella sacchetta da pastore, che gli serviva di carniera, e con la fionda in mano mosse contro il Filisteo.

41 Il Filisteo anch’egli si fe’ innanzi, avvicinandosi sempre più a Davide, ed era preceduto dal suo scudiero.