1 Samuel 17
BSA1 Now the Philistines [a non-Israelite people, immigrants from other places] gathered [to assemble, to collect] their forces [armies, troops] for war [battle, conflict] at Socoh [a town in Judah, in the lowlands] in Judah [the tribe and region], and they camped [to pitch tents, to encamp] between [in the midst of, surrounded by] Socoh and Azekah [a town in the lowlands of Judah] in Ephes-dammim [a place in Palestine, edge of blood]. word study 2 Saul [the desired one, Shaul] and the men [individuals, males] of Israel [Jacob’s descendants, God’s chosen people] assembled [gathered together, came together] and camped [pitched their tents, encamped] in the Valley [lowland area] of Elah [oak valley], arraying [setting in order, arranging] themselves for battle [war, conflict] against the Philistines [enemies of Israel, non-Israelites]. word study 3 The Philistines [inhabitants of Philistia, a non-Israelite people] stood [in a strong sense, like a military formation] on one hill [mountain, a high point] and the Israelites [descendants of Jacob, God’s chosen people] stood [in a strong sense, like a military formation] on another, with the valley [a deep, narrow gorge, a low point] between [in the middle of, separating] them. word study 4 Then a champion [strong warrior, man between two armies] named Goliath [a giant Philistine warrior], who was from Gath [a major city of the Philistines], came out [went out, emerged] from the Philistine [from the region of Philistia] camp [army, group of people]. He was six [the number six] cubits [a unit of measurement, about the length of a forearm] and a span [about half a cubit, the distance from thumb to little finger] in height [elevated, grand, a measure of stature], word study 5 and he had a bronze [made of copper] helmet [head-dress, protective covering] on his head [upper part of the body]. He wore a bronze [copper, base metal] coat of mail [armor, scaled coat] weighing [having a weight of] five thousand [a large number, a company of] shekels [units of weight or money, like a coin], word study 6 and he had armor [greaves, protective coverings] of bronze [a copper alloy] on his legs [feet, the lower extremities] and a javelin [a throwing spear, a dart] of bronze [a metal often used for weapons] slung [hung, placed] between [in the middle of, amidst] his shoulders [the upper back, the area where burdens are carried]. word study 7 The shaft [like a tree or wooden plank, staff] of his spear [lance or thrusting pole] was like a weaver’s beam [loom-beam, used for weaving], and its iron [strong metal] point [flame or tip] weighed six [the number] hundred [a unit of quantity] shekels [unit of weight or money]. In addition, his shield [protective device] bearer [one who lifts or carries] went before [in front of] him. word study 8 And Goliath stood [in a strong sense, like a commander] and shouted [cried out loudly] to the ranks [armies, battle lines] of Israel, “Why do you come out and array yourselves [to set your battle in array, to prepare for war] for battle [to set your battle in array, to prepare for war]? Am I not [certainly, truly] a Philistine [an immigrant from other places, a non-Hebrew], and are you not [truly, indeed] servants [slaves, attendants] of Saul [the king of Israel, the desired one]? Choose [select, pick] one of your men [a male person, an individual] and have him come down [to descend, to go to a lower place] against me [toward me, to meet me]. word study 9 If he is able [has the power, can overcome] to fight me and kill me, then we will be your servants [slaves, bondmen]. But if I prevail [am victorious, have the upper hand] against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants [slaves, subjects] and labor [serve, work] for us.” word study 10 Then the Philistine [a person from the region of Philistia] said, “I defy [to taunt, reproach] the ranks [battle lines, armies] of Israel [the descendants of Jacob] this day [a literal 24-hour period or a figurative space of time]! Give me a man [a male person, an individual] to fight [to engage in battle, to contend]!” word study 11 On hearing [with attention and obedience] the words [things, matters] of the Philistine [a person from Philistia], Saul [desired, asked for] and all [everything, every person] the Israelites [descendants of Jacob] were dismayed [completely broken, shattered] and greatly [exceedingly, very] afraid [fearing, revering]. word study 12 Now David was the son [descendant, offspring] of a man [individual, person] named Jesse [I possess, a member of the tribe of Judah], an Ephrathite [from Ephrathah, a part of the tribe of Judah] from Bethlehem [house of bread, a place of food production] of Judah [the tribe descended from Judah, the son of Jacob] who had eight sons [male children, descendants] in the days [period of time, era] of Saul [desired, a Benjamite king]. And Jesse was old [aged, advanced in years] and well along [stricken, far advanced] in years [time, lifetime]. word study 13 The three [oldest, eldest] older sons of Jesse [I possess, a member of the tribe of Judah] had followed [gone after, walked behind] Saul [desired, a Benjamite king] into battle [war, conflict]: The firstborn [the first in birth order, holding a special status] was Eliab [a leader of Zebulun], the second [next in line, duplicate] was Abinadab [a name meaning father of generosity], and the third was Shammah [a man in the tribe of Judah, brother of King David]. word study 14 And David [the youngest son, the least] was the youngest [small, insignificant]. The three [a trio, a small group] oldest [great, mature] had followed [gone after, walked behind] Saul [Shaul, the desired one], word study 15 but David [the youngest son of Jesse, a future king] went back and forth [to and from, regularly] from Saul [Shaul, the first king of Israel] to tend [care for, feed] his father’s [paternal, ancestral] sheep [flock, herd] in Bethlehem [the house of bread, a city in Judah]. word study 16 For forty [a significant period of time, often marking trial or testing] days the Philistine [an immigrant from a foreign land, a non-Israelite] came forward [to approach, to draw near] every morning [at the break of day, when the sun rises] and evening [when the sun sets, at the end of the day] to take his stand [to present himself, to station himself firmly]. word study 17 One day Jesse [the father of King David, a member of the tribe of Judah] said to his son David [the youngest son, a future king], “Take this ephah [a unit of measurement, about 9 gallons] of roasted grain [parched corn, a tasty snack] and these ten loaves of bread [food, especially grain] for your brothers [male siblings, close relatives] and hurry [run quickly, rush] to their camp [a group of people, an army]. word study 18 Take also these ten [large chunks, cuttings] portions of cheese [milk products, fresh cheeses] to the commander [captain, ruler] of their unit [thousand, company]. Check on the welfare [peace, well-being] of your brothers [male siblings, close relatives] and bring back an assurance [pledge, token of safety] from them. word study 19 They are with [together, in company] Saul [Shaul, the desired one] and all [every single one] the men [individuals, males] of Israel [the descendants of Jacob, God’s chosen people] in the [lowland area] Valley of Elah [the oak valley], fighting [waging war, battling] against [in opposition to] the Philistines [the inhabitants of Philistia, a neighboring nation].” word study 20 So David [the youngest son of Jesse, a future king] got up early [at the break of day] in the morning, left the flock [sheep or goats, a figurative sense of God’s people] with a keeper [a shepherd, one who protects and guards], loaded up [lifted his burden, took his provisions], and set out [walked, went on his way] as Jesse [his father, a member of the tribe of Judah] had instructed [commanded, given orders to] him. He reached the camp [the place of the wagons, the army’s position] as the army [the host, a large group of soldiers] was marching out [going forth, coming out] to its position [the battle line, the rank] and shouting [crying out, making a loud noise] the battle cry [the war cry, a shout for war]. word study 21 And Israel [the descendants of Jacob, God’s chosen people] and the Philistines [inhabitants of Philistia, a neighboring nation] arrayed [put in order, set in formation, to arrange] in formation [military array, rank, a row or line] against each other [face to face, in opposition, to encounter, to meet]. word study 22 Then David [the youngest son of Jesse, a king of Israel] left his supplies [articles, utensils, or baggage] in the care of the quartermaster [keeper of the carriage, one responsible] and ran [to rush, move quickly] to the battle line [rank, array, or military formation]. When he arrived, he asked [to inquire, seek information] his brothers [male siblings, close relatives] how they were doing [about their welfare, in peace]. word study 23 And as he [the man] was speaking [communicating] with them, suddenly [behold] the champion [strong warrior] named Goliath [the giant], the Philistine [from the region of Philistia] from Gath [the city], came forward [ascended] from the Philistines [the army] and shouted [spoke loudly] his usual words [the same challenge], which David [the king] also heard [listened]. word study 24 When [all, everything] all the men [individuals, males] of Israel [Jacob’s descendants, God’s chosen people] saw [looked at, gazed upon] Goliath, they fled [ran away quickly, escaped] from him in great [exceedingly] fear [reverence, awe] [being terribly afraid, sore afraid]. word study 25 Now the men of Israel [the descendants of Jacob, God’s chosen people] had been saying, “Do you see this man who keeps coming out [ascending, rising up] to defy [to taunt, to reproach] Israel? To the man who kills him [smiteth, overcometh] the king will give great [abundant, vast] riches [wealth, treasure]. And he will give him his daughter [a woman, a female child] in marriage [as a wife, to be his companion] and exempt [make free, liberate] his father’s house [his family, his household] from taxation [tribute, obligation] in Israel [the land of promise, the community of faith].” word study 26 David asked the men who were standing [nearby] with him, “What will be done [given, rewarded] for the man who kills [smites, defeats] this Philistine [uncircumcised, heathen] and removes [takes away, turns aside] this disgrace [reproach, shame] from Israel [God’s chosen people]? Just who is this uncircumcised [without covenant, unclean] Philistine, that he should defy [taunt, reproach] the armies [ranks, hosts] of the living [eternal, all-powerful] God [Elohim, the supreme Creator]?” word study 27 The people [a nation, a crowd] told him about the offer [a promise, a reward], saying, “That is what [thus, in this manner] will be done [made, accomplished] for the man [an individual, a person] who kills [smites, defeats] him [Goliath, the giant].” word study 28 Now when David’s oldest brother Eliab [his eldest sibling, a leader among his brothers] heard him speaking [communicating, conversing] to the men, his anger [intense fury, wrath] burned against David. “Why have you come down [descended, gone down] here?” he asked. “And with whom [what person, which one] did you leave those few [a small number, a little] sheep in the wilderness [a desert, a barren land]? I know your pride [arrogance, haughtiness] and wickedness [evil, malice] of heart [the innermost part of your being, your mind and emotions]—you have come down to see [to observe, to witness] the battle [a fight, a conflict]!” word study 29 “What [a question of surprise] have I done now [at this time, in this moment]?” said David [the youngest son of Jesse, a king of Israel]. “Was it not [a negation] just [merely, only] a question [a word or thing, a matter or affair]?” word study 30 Then he turned [away from him, to another direction] from him toward [to, in the direction of] another [a different person, someone else] and asked [spoke, inquired] about the offer [reward, proposal], and those people [the crowd, the nation] answered him just as [in the same manner, similarly] the first ones [the initial group, the beginning ones] had answered [responded, spoken]. word study 31 Now David’s words [which he spoke, utterances] were overheard [heard and reported, rehearsed] and reported [told, declared openly] to Saul [Shaul, the desired one], who called [sent for, took] for him [to his presence, before him]. word study 32 And David [the youngest son of Jesse, a future king] said to Saul [Shaul, the first king of Israel], “Let no man’s [the human, Adam] heart [the seat of emotions, will, and intellect] fail [to fall, become feeble] on account of this [the current, specific] Philistine [a person from Philistia, an enemy of Israel]. Your servant [one who serves, a slave] will go [to walk, move forward] and fight [to engage in battle, to war] him!” word study 33 But Saul replied, “You [as a youth, not yet a man] cannot go out against this Philistine [a man of war from his earliest days] to fight [engage in battle, wage war] him. You are just a boy [a young person, from infancy to adolescence], and he has been a warrior [a man of battle, experienced in war] from his youth [the state of being young, a time of growth].” word study 34 David replied, “Your [faithful] servant [one who serves] has been tending [caring for, watching over] his father’s [parental, ancestral] sheep [flock, herd], and whenever a lion or a bear [slow-moving, fierce] came and carried off [took away, seized] a lamb [young sheep, vulnerable one] from the flock [group of animals, community], word study 35 I went after it [in pursuit, chasing], struck it down [smote, hit], and delivered [rescued, saved] the lamb from its mouth [lip, edge]. If it reared up [rose, stood] against me, I would grab it by its [beard, hair, jaw] fur, strike it down [smote, hit], and kill [slay, put to death] it. word study 36 Your servant [a humble bondservant] has killed [struck down, smitten] lions and bears [slow-moving animals]; this uncircumcised [without covenant sign] Philistine [an immigrant from another land] will be like one of them [similar in fate], for he has defied [ridiculed, reproached] the armies [ranks, military arrays] of the living [eternally existing] God [Elohim, the supreme Creator].” word study 37 David added, “The LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God], who delivered me from the claws [paws] of the lion and the bear [a slow-moving animal], will deliver me from the hand [power or direction] of this Philistine [an immigrant from other places].” “Go [walk, move forward],” said Saul, “and may the LORD [the supreme God] be with [together, in accompaniment] you [in your journey].” word study 38 Then Saul [the king of Israel] clothed David in his own tunic [garment, clothing], put a bronze [made of copper, a base metal] helmet [head-dress, protective covering] on his head [upper part of the body], and dressed him in armor [a coat of mail, protective clothing]. word study 39 David strapped his sword [as a warrior, with his armor] over the tunic [his garment, long robe] and tried to walk [to go, to move forward], but he was not accustomed [had not proven, untested] to them. “I cannot walk [go, move] in these [with these armor, in this equipment],” David said to Saul [the king, his leader]. “I am not accustomed [have not tried, unproven] to them [to wearing armor, to using these weapons].” So David took them off [removed, turned aside from]. word study 40 And David took his staff [rod, walking stick] in his hand, selected [chose, picked out] five smooth [polished, rounded] stones from the brook [stream, river], and put them in the pouch [wallet, bag] of his shepherd’s bag [shepherd’s gear, traveling pack]. And with his sling [leather band, throwing strap] in hand, he approached [drew near, came closer to] the Philistine [enemy, opponent]. word study 41 Now the Philistine [a person from the region of Philistia] came closer and closer [drawing near, approaching] to David [the youngest son of Jesse, a king of Israel], with his shield-bearer [the man carrying his protective device, a buckler] before him [in his presence, to his face]. word study 42 When the Philistine [a person from the region of Philistia] looked [to regard carefully, to show favor] and saw David, he despised [to hold in contempt, to disdain] him because he was just a [young, youthful] boy, ruddy [red-haired] and handsome [beautiful, with a fair countenance]. word study 43 “Am I a dog [despised, lowly],” he said to David [the youngest son of Jesse, a king of Israel], “that you come at me with sticks [rods, staffs]?” And the Philistine [a person from the region of Philistia] cursed David by his gods [idols, false deities]. word study 44 “Come here [to me, towards me],” he called to David [the youngest son of Jesse], “and I will give [put, set] your flesh [body, living being] to the birds [fowls] of the air [heaven, the sky] and the beasts [animals, wild animals] of the field [land, cultivated area]!” word study 45 But David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword [a sword for battle] and [a thrusting instrument] spear and [a throwing spear] javelin, but I come against you in the [divine authority] name of the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] of Hosts [armies], the God [Elohim, the supreme God] of the armies [ranks] of Israel [the descendants of Jacob], whom you have defied [reproached, or taunted]. word study 46 This day [at this very moment, today] the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God] will deliver you into my hand [give you into my power, surrender you to me]. This day I will strike you down [smite you, defeat you], cut off your head [take your life], and give the carcasses [dead bodies, corpses] of the Philistines [the Philistine army, the enemies of Israel] to the birds of the air [the fowls of the heavens, the creatures of the sky] and the creatures [wild beasts, animals] of the earth [the land, the ground]. Then the whole world [all the earth, every nation] will know [recognize, understand] that there is a God [Elohim, the one true God] in Israel [among His people, with the Israelites]. word study 47 And all [every single one] those assembled [gathered, this assembly] here will know [learn, perceive, understand] that it is not by [through the use of] sword [cutting instrument] or spear [lance, thrusting instrument] that the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] saves [rescues, delivers]; for [because, since] the battle [war, conflict] is the LORD’s [belonging to God, under His control], and He will give [put, set, deliver] all of you into our hands [into our power, under our authority].” word study 48 As the Philistine [a person from the region of Philistia] started forward [began to move, arose] to attack [come near to meet, draw nigh to] him, David [the youngest son of Jesse, a king of Israel] ran quickly [hastened, made haste] toward the battle line [the army, the rank] to meet [encounter, come face to face with] him. word study 49 Then David [the youngest son of Jesse, a king of Israel] reached into his bag, took out a stone [a rock, a weight], and slung [hurled with his sling] it, striking the Philistine [a person from the region of Philistia] on the forehead [the open and prominent part of the face]. The stone [a rock, a weight] sank [settled down, drowned] into his forehead, and he fell [was defeated, failed] facedown [on his face, in a prone position] on the ground [the land, the earth]. word study 50 Thus David [the youngest son of Jesse, a king of Israel] prevailed [was strong, conquered] over the Philistine [a person from the region of Philistia] with a sling [a leather band, a throwing device] and a stone [a rock, a weight]; without [lacking, having no] a sword [a cutting instrument, a knife] in his hand [his power, his direction] he struck down [smiteth, hit] the Philistine [an immigrant from other places] and killed [put to death, slew] him. word study 51 David [the youngest son of Jesse, a future king] ran and stood over him. He grabbed the Philistine’s [a person from the region of Philistia] sword and pulled it from its sheath [a holder for a sword] and killed him; and he cut off his head [the topmost part of the body] with the sword. When the Philistines [inhabitants of Philistia] saw that their hero [mighty man, champion] was dead, they turned and ran [fled, escaped]. word study 52 Then the men [male persons] of Israel [descendants of Jacob] and Judah [the tribe of Judah] charged forward with a shout [war cry, loud noise] and pursued [chased after, followed] the Philistines [inhabitants of Philistia] to the entrance [gate, doorway] of Gath [a major Philistine city] and to the gates [city entrances] of Ekron [one of the five major cities of the Philistines]. And the bodies [slain, wounded] of the Philistines were strewn [fell down, scattered] along the Shaaraim [double gate, a town in Palestine] road to Gath and Ekron. word study 53 When the Israelites [sons of Jacob, God’s chosen people] returned [to turn back, to come again] from their pursuit [to burn, to chase after] of the Philistines [immigrants from other places, non-Hebrews], they plundered [to take by force, to spoil] their camps [army, group of people, encampments]. word study 54 David [the youngest son of Jesse, a king of Israel] took [to get, to capture] the head [the topmost part of the body] of the Philistine [an immigrant from another region] and brought [to carry, to lead] it to Jerusalem [the city of peace, the capital of Palestine], and he put [to set, to place] Goliath’s [the giant Philistine warrior] weapons [armour, utensils] in his own [personal, private] tent [a nomad’s home, a temporary dwelling]. word study 55 As Saul had watched David going out [to encounter, to meet] to confront [to fight against, to battle] the Philistine [a person from the region of Philistia], he said to Abner [the captain] the commander of the army [the large group of people, the military force], “Abner, whose son [descendant, young man] is this young man [youth, boy]?” “As surely as you live [as your soul is alive, as you have life], O king [ruler, monarch],” Abner replied, “I do not know [I am not aware, I have no knowledge].” word study 56 “Find out [inquire, ask] whose [who, which one] son [descendant, offspring] this [that] young man [youth, adolescent] is!” said [spoke, commanded] the king [ruler, monarch]. word study 57 So when David [the youngest son of Jesse, a king of Israel] returned [to come back, to turn back] from killing [smiting, striking down] the Philistine [an immigrant from other places, a non-Hebrew], still holding his head [the topmost part of the body] in his hand [an open hand; strength, a side or share], Abner [a prominent Israelite, cousin of King Saul] took him and brought him before [in the presence of, face to face with] Saul [Shaul, a Benjamite who became the first king of Israel]. word study 58 “Whose [whose family or lineage] son are you, young man [youth, a boy or a girl from infancy to adolescence]?” asked Saul. “I am the son [a descendant, a grandson, or a member of a nation] of your servant [a slave, one who serves a master, or a devoted follower] Jesse [I possess, showing importance or possession] of Bethlehem [house of bread, a city in Israel],” David [the youngest son of Jesse and a king of Israel] replied. word study