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1 SAMUEL 17

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

READING CYCLE THREE (see "Bible Interpretation Seminar")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects. Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

1. First paragraph
2. Second paragraph
3. Etc.

CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS

1. There seems to be a rather confusing relationship between 1 Samuel 16:14-23 and 1 Samuel 17 (esp. vv. 55-56,58). Both of these accounts describe Saul and David's first meeting.
   
   
2. Several theories have been postulated to answer this seeming contradiction.
   1. possibly a long period of time intervenes between chapters 16 and 17
   2. possibly Saul knows David's name in chapter 16 but is asking for questions about his family lineage in chapter 17
   3. 1 Samuel 17:15 seems to explain that David remained Saul's armor bearer but did not stay with him for a very long period of time. The position may have been honorary and there may have been several other young men. Verse 15 seems to explain the logical relationship between chapters 16 and 17
   4. 1 Samuel 16-18 is not in chronological order
   5. See Hard Sayings of the Bible, pp. 213-214 and Gleason Archer, Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties, pp. 178-179.
   
   
3. The Greek translation of the OT recorded in the Vaticanus also recognized the problem between chapters 16 and 17 and tried to resolve it by omitting 17:12-31 and 55-58.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 17:1-11
  ¹Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle; and they were gathered at Socoh which belongs to Judah, and they camped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. ²Saul and the men of Israel were gathered and camped in the valley of Elah, and drew up in battle array to encounter the Philistines. ³The Philistines stood on the mountain on one side while Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with the valley between them. ⁴Then a champion came out from the armies of the Philistines named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. ⁵He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was clothed with scale-armor which weighed five thousand shekels of bronze. ⁶He also had bronze greaves on his legs and a bronze javelin slung between his shoulders. ⁷The shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and the head of his spear weighed six hundred shekels of iron; his shield-carrier also walked before him. ⁸He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel and said to them, "Why do you come out to draw up in battle array? Am I not the Philistine and you servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves and let him come down to me. ⁹If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will become your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall become our servants and serve us." ¹⁰Again the Philistine said, "I defy the ranks of Israel this day; give me a man that we may fight together." ¹¹When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

17:1 "the Philistines" The Philistines were an Aegean migratory group that settled southwestern Canaan around 1200 b.c. They brought Iron Age technology from Greece and were, therefore, technologically superior to the people of the area. They were the only uncircumsised people that we know in the middle east. However, they assimilated the Canaanite culture and religion as a means of controlling the larger native population. The reason that the Philistines were so dangerous is that their control was by slow infiltration through intermarriage and commercial dependence. This is why the exploits of Samson in the book of Judges were seemingly so out of keeping with the attitude of the rest of the Israelite tribes.

17:4 "a champion" This is literally "a man in between" (BDB 107). Goliath was especially trained in hand to hand combat for the purpose of demoralizing and discouraging the opposing army. The dual form occurs only here (BDB 108 #2; see Roland deVaux, Ancient Israel, p. 218.

▣ "Goliath" See 2 Samuel 21:18ff for another giant by the same name from the same city.

▣ "Gath" Gath is one of the five major Philistine city-states.

▣ "whose height was six cubits and a span" A "cubit" (BDB 52) equals the distance between a man's longest finger and his elbow. The distance varied between 17 and 18 inches.

A "span" (BDB 284) was the distance between a man's little finger and outstretched thumb; approximately 8 to 9 inches. Therefore, Goliath was nine feet and six inches tall. This is not highly unusual since Og, king of Bashan, also a giant, defeated by Joshua, had a bed nine feet long. We know from the book of Joshua that a family of giants, the sons of Anak, lived in Gath (cf. Josh. 11:21-22)

Josephus (Antiq. 6.9.1) says Goliath was "four cubits and a span in tallness" (about 6'6"). This is followed by

1. LXX
2. DSS MSS

The NET Bible has "seven feet tall." The Peshitta follows the MT. The size and weight of his armament and weapons suggest the larger size.

SPECIAL TOPIC: CUBIT

SPECIAL TOPIC: TERMS USED FOR TALL/POWERFUL WARRIORS OR PEOPLE GROUPS

SPECIAL TOPIC: "the sons of God" in GENESIS 6

17:5-7 The detailed description of Goliath's armor was for the purpose of showing how strong and large this man was. The Israeli army was very poorly armed at this time. We know that only Saul and his son Jonathan had swords. The very sight of the large, well-armed, technologically advanced soldier struck fear in the hearts of Israeli fighters (cf. vv. 11,24).

17:6 "javelin" From the Qumran literature (DSS) we have found that this word dennotes a "large sword" (BDB 475 I).

17:7 "the head of the spear" The word "head" possibly means "flame" (BDB 529). The iron spear head was polished to a glittering brilliance.

▣ "weighed six hundred shekels" We know so little of ancient weights that it is difficult to ascertain the exact weight of this armament. Estimates have run all the way from fifteen to twenty-five pounds.

SPECIAL TOPIC: ANE WEIGHTS AND VOLUMES

▣ "iron" The Philistines brought the Iron Age technology with them to Canaan. Therefore, they were technologically advanced in their armaments.

17:8-11 This describes the demoralizing technique that Goliath used to frighten the opposing army.

The MT has the VERB (BDB 103, KB 119, בחר, Qal PERFECT), "choose" in 1 Sam. 16:8,9,10, but here this is a different root. It could be

1. BDB 136, KB 154, ברה, "eat," a scribal error for BDB 103, cf. 1 Kgs. 18:25
2. BDB 140, KB 162, ברר, "select," which usually means "purify." It means "select" only in its participle form in Chronicles.

In this context it refers to Goliath's challenge to Israel. In ANE and Greek culture one military champion fought another military champion to see which side would win the battle. If this method was honored then many lives were saved (cf. v. 9).

See IVP Background Commentary (OT), p. 307.

The MT has the VERB (BDB 357, KB 355, Piel PERFECT) which means "reproach," or "taunt" (cf. Jdgs. 8:15). Goliath is not only reproaching Israel's military and king, he is reproaching their God (cf. vv. 16,23,25,26,36,45,46,47).

17:11 "they were dismayed and greatly afraid" The size and weaponry of this large warrior terrified the army of Israel.

1. dismayed ‒ BDB 369, KB 365, Qal IMPERFECT with waw, cf. Deut. 1:21; 31:8; Josh. 8:1; 10:25; 1 Chr. 28:20; 2 Chr. 20:15,17; 32:7
2. greatly afraid
   1. ADVERB (BDB 547) "greatly
   2. VERB (BDB 431, KB 432, Qal IMPERFECT with waw) "fear"

Saul and the army focused on the problem and not the solution! God was with them. In light of this, what difference does a Philistine giant make?

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 17:12-16
  ¹²Now David was the son of the Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, whose name was Jesse, and he had eight sons. And Jesse was old in the days of Saul, advanced in years among men. ¹³The three older sons of Jesse had gone after Saul to the battle. And the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and the second to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. ¹⁴David was the youngest. Now the three oldest followed Saul, ¹⁵but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father's flock at Bethlehem. ¹⁶The Philistine came forward morning and evening for forty days and took his stand.

17:12 "the Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah" This title for Jesse seems to be used to differentiate between the geographical location of the two Bethlehems and does not relate to Jesse's tribal origin. The IVP Bible Background Commentary (OT), p. 307, suggests that the Ephrathites were a tribal unit of the Calebites from the Bethlehem region of Judah (cf. Ruth 1:2; 4:11; Micah 5:2).

▣ "Jesse. . .had eight sons" This fits well with 1 Sam. 16:10 but not 1 Chr. 2:13-15.

Possibly one of Jesse's eight sons died early and is not listed in Chronicles.

▣ Jesse was old in the days of Saul, advanced in years among men I think a better way to understand this phrase is not Jesse's age but his standing in Israel (see UBS Text Project, p. 184).

17:13 "Eliab" This is the oldest son of Jesse. His name means "God is Father" (BDB 45). It is made up from two very common Hebrew words.

1. El ‒ God
2. Abba ‒ Father

17:15 Families had to support their family members in the army with food.

1. for the sons (v. 1 Sam. 17:17)
2. for the commanders (1 Sam. 17:18)
3. for the king (1 Sam. 16:20)

17:16 "forty days" This is a Semitic idiom for a long period of time. It does not indicate a specific time.

SPECIAL TOPIC: SYMBOLIC NUMBERS IN SCRIPTURE, #7

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 17:17-19
  ¹⁷Then Jesse said to David his son, "Take now for your brothers an ephah of this roasted grain and these ten loaves and run to the camp to your brothers. ¹⁸Bring also these ten cuts of cheese to the commander of their thousand, and look into the welfare of your brothers, and bring back news of them. ¹⁹For Saul and they and all the men of Israel are in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines."

17:17 "ephah" See SPECIAL TOPIC: ANE WEIGHTS AND VOLUMES.

17:18 "thousand" This refers to a military unit, not a literal number. Please look at the following Special Topic.

SPECIAL TOPIC: THOUSAND (eleph)

The MT has the FEMININE NOUN (BDB 786) which means

1. a thing exchanged
2. a pledge (verb in Prov. 17:18)
3. a token

This NOUN is used only here but context supports #1 or #3. This must have been a cultural custom. It does not mean to imply Jesse did not trust David.

The IVP Bible Background Commentary (OT), p. 307, suggests it was given by the army officials to prove Jesse had provided food and, therefore, his sons could have their rations.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 17:20-23
  ²⁰So David arose early in the morning and left the flock with a keeper and took the supplies and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the circle of the camp while the army was going out in battle array shouting the war cry. ²¹Israel and the Philistines drew up in battle array, army against army. ²²Then David left his baggage in the care of the baggage keeper, and ran to the battle line and entered in order to greet his brothers. ²³As he was talking with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine from Gath named Goliath, was coming up from the army of the Philistines, and he spoke these same words; and David heard them.

17:20 "arose early" Roland deVaux, Ancient Israel, p. 13, mentions that this VERB (BDB 1014, KB 1492) is probably an idiom from previous periods of Israel's nomadic life. It is literally "load a beast of burden" (cf. Jdgs. 19:9). Other nomadic examples given are

1. "to your tent" ‒ Jdgs. 19:9: 20:8; 1 Sam. 4:10; 13:2; 2 Sam. 18:17; 20:1; 1 Kgs. 8:66; 12:16
2. imagery involving the tent pegs
   1. death ‒ Job 4:21; Isa. 38:12
   2. desolation ‒ Job 10:20
   3. security ‒ Isa. 33:20
   4. expansion of numbers ‒ Isa. 54:2

▣ "a keeper" This refers to another shepherd servant (BDB 1036). This chapter also names another servant called "the baggage keeper" in v. 22.

▣ "the circle of the camp" This refers to the outer defenses of the base camp (cf. 1 Sam. 26:5,7).

▣ "shouting the war cry" This characteristic shout had religious connotations and probably used the name of YHWH, cf. 1 Sam. 17:52; Josh. 6:5,20; Jdgs. 7:20-21; Amos 1:14; 2:2; Ezek. 21:22).

17:22 "ran to the battle line and entered" This is characteristic of a young man excited about his first opportunity to see battle.

17:23 David could not believe what the giant was saying to the army of The Living God (cf. 1 Sam. 17:10).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 17:24-25
  ²⁴When all the men of Israel saw the man, they fled from him and were greatly afraid. ²⁵The men of Israel said, "Have you seen this man who is coming up? Surely he is coming up to defy Israel. And it will be that the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father's house free in Israel."

17:24 See note at 1 Sam. 17:11.

17:25 This verse describes the gossip in the front lines of the Israeli troops as to what the king would give the man who fought and defeated the giant.

1. will enrich the man (use of both VERB and NOUN, BDB 779, KB 897 for intensity)
2. will give him his daughter
3. will make his father's house free in Israel ("free" seems to refer to an exemption from taxes and the drafting of goods and labor, cf. 1 Sam. 8:11-17)

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 17:26-27
  ²⁶Then David spoke to the men who were standing by him, saying, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?" ²⁷The people answered him in accord with this word, saying, "Thus it will be done for the man who kills him."

17:26 "this uncircumcised Philistine" For a good discussion of circumcision see Roland deVaux, Ancient Israel, pp. 46-48.

▣ "the living God" This is a special title for YHWH. It is related to the title "YHWH" coming from the Hebrew VERB "to be," signifying ever-living, only-living God."

SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITY, D

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 17:28-30
  ²⁸Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab's anger burned against David and he said, "Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your insolence and the wickedness of your heart; for you have come down in order to see the battle." ²⁹But David said, "What have I done now? Was it not just a question?" ³⁰Then he turned away from him to another and said the same thing; and the people answered the same thing as before.

17:28 This gives us a glimpse into the tension that choosing the youngest child for special honor causes in families (i.e., Esau-Jacob, Joseph). This is surprising in light of David being anointed king in the presence of his family in 1 Samuel 16.

Notice what David is accused of.

1. You are just a shepherd boy.
2. You are insolent.
3. You have a wicked heart.
4. You just came to see the battle (cf. v. 22).

Was Eliab mad at David or at YHWH?

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 17:31-40
  ³¹When the words which David spoke were heard, they told them to Saul, and he sent for him. ³²David said to Saul, "Let no man's heart fail on account of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine." ³³Then Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a youth while he has been a warrior from his youth." ³⁴But David said to Saul, "Your servant was tending his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, ³⁵I went out after him and attacked him, and rescued it from his mouth; and when he rose up against me, I seized him by his beard and struck him and killed him. ³⁶Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the living God." ³⁷And David said, "The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." And Saul said to David, "Go, and may the Lord be with you." ³⁸Then Saul clothed David with his garments and put a bronze helmet on his head, and he clothed him with armor. ³⁹David girded his sword over his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. So David said to Saul, "I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them." And David took them off. ⁴⁰He took his stick in his hand and chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the shepherd's bag which he had, even in his pouch, and his sling was in his hand; and he approached the Philistine.

17:31-40 This records the conversation between Saul and David. Saul is concerned that such a young man wanted to fight the giant. As David recounts his exploits as a shepherd Saul understands that God is with him.

Goliath was tall and had his own armaments, so too, Saul (cf. vv. 38-39). If any Israeli should have defended YHWH's honor and accepted the challenge of Goliath, it should have been Saul!

Josephus (Antiq. 6.9.4), "However, Saul prayed that the end might be, by God's assistance, not disagreeable to the alacrity and boldness of the child."

17:36 David's confidence was in YHWH (cf. V. 26)!

17:37 "and may the Lord be with you" What a weak faith affirmation from a terrified "anointed" king!

17:38 "Saul clothed David with his garments" These would have been distinctive royal clothes. Possibly Saul wanted his army to think he was going out to fight Goliath?

17:40 "his stick" This term (BDB 596) is often translated "staff." It was a shepherd's rod (cf. Gen. 30:37). David apparently took it and the sling into battle.

▣ "five smooth stones from the brook" These rounded, smooth (the ADJECTIVE, BDB 325 occurs only here but the root usually describes a person's speech) stones would fit easily into the sling and leave it with accuracy.

There has always been the question, only five? Here are two of the guesses.

1. just in case he needed a second or further shots
2. one for each of the giants of Gath, Goliath's brothers

▣ "the shepherd's bag. . .pouch" David, as a shepherd, had a shepherd's staff and leather bag to carry various things (BDB 479).

The synonym "pouch" (BDB 545) occurs only here in the OT. It was a place to keep the stones for a quick and easy access.

▣ "sling" This weapon (BDB 887) was a very formidable weapon of war (cf. Jdgs. 20:16). It could throw rocks from the size of a pea to the size of a man's fist. The only exposed part of Goliath's armor was the face.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 17:41-47
  ⁴¹Then the Philistine came on and approached David, with the shield-bearer in front of him. ⁴²When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, with a handsome appearance. ⁴³The Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. ⁴⁴The Philistine also said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the field." ⁴⁵Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. ⁴⁶This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, ⁴⁷and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the Lord's and He will give you into our hands."

17:42 See note at 1 Sam. 16:12.

17:43 "sticks" Apparently David dressed as a shepherd and carried his traditional shepherd's staff (BDB 596). Goliath thought David was treating him as a sheepdog about to be punished.

▣ "cursed David by his gods" This shows the contest had theological implications. Goliath came to battle in the name of Dagon (cf. 1 Samuel 5). The Philistines were of Greek heritage from the Aegean Islands but when they settled in southern Palestine, they accepted the local gods.

David came to battle in the name of the Living God of Israel (cf. 1 Sam. 17:26,36,37,45,46,47).

17:44 "I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the field" This was a threat not only of death but of being unburied and eaten by wild animals. This was a great fear of the Hebrews.

17:45 "the Lord of hosts" This is literally "YHWH Sabbaoth." This term refers to YHWH as the captain of the armies of heaven and the armies of Israel. Verses 45 and 46 describe David's theological understanding of God's relationship and purpose in the nation of Israel.

SPECIAL TOPIC: Lord of Hosts

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 17:48-49
  ⁴⁸Then it happened when the Philistine rose and came and drew near to meet David, that David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. ⁴⁹And David put his hand into his bag and took from it a stone and slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead. And the stone sank into his forehead, so that he fell on his face to the ground.

17:49 One wonders if the stone killed Goliath (cf. v. 50; BDB 559, KB 562, Hiphil IMPERFECT with waw, NET) or stunned him (Josephus, Antiq. 6.9.5). It seems David took Goliath's huge sword and cut off his head with it (v. 51; BDB 599, KB 562, Polel IMPERFECT with waw, cf. Jdgs. 9:54; 1 Sam. 14:13).

It is interesting that 2 Sam. 21:19 attributes Goliath's death to a person named Elhanan, the son of Jaare-oregim the Bethlehemite.

The mentioning of "Bethlehem" seems to imply that this was an alternate name for both Jesse and David. The original Hebrew text is probably preserved in 1 Chr. 20:5, where Elhanan was David's brother who killed Goliath's brother. See Hard Sayings of the Bible, p. 212.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 17:50-54
  ⁵⁰Thus David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and he struck the Philistine and killed him; but there was no sword in David's hand. ⁵¹Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. ⁵²The men of Israel and Judah arose and shouted and pursued the Philistines as far as the valley, and to the gates of Ekron. And the slain Philistines lay along the way to Shaaraim, even to Gath and Ekron. ⁵³The sons of Israel returned from chasing the Philistines and plundered their camps. ⁵⁴Then David took the Philistine's head and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his weapons in his tent.

17:51 "champion" This is a different Hebrew word than in vv. 4, 22 ("the man in between the armies"). This ADJECTIVE (BDB 150) means "mighty man" (cf. 1 Sam. 2:4; 1 Kgs. 1:8,10, PLURAL).

17:52 "men of Israel and Judah" Again it is unusual at this period in Israel's history for these tribes to be listed separately (cf. 1 Sam. 11:8; 15:4; 18:16).

The MT has both "valley" and "Gath" in v. 52.

1. valley ‒ גיא
2. Gath ‒ גח

The UBS Text Project, p. 185, gives both "valley" and "Gai" a "C" rating (considerable doubt). Both would fit the context.

17:54 "brought it to Jerusalem" Jerusalem, at this time, was still in Jebusite hands (cf. 2 Samuel 5). Possibly this refers to the eventual site of where Goliath's head was kept.

▣ "he put his weapons in his tent" The ANTECEDENT of the PRONOUN is very ambiguous. Several possibilities exist.

1. it refers to Goliath's tent in the camp of the Philistines (v. 53)
2. it refers to the tabernacle
3. it refers to David's home in Bethlehem

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 17:55-58
  ⁵⁵Now when Saul saw David going out against the Philistine, he said to Abner the commander of the army, "Abner, whose son is this young man?" And Abner said, "By your life, O king, I do not know." ⁵⁶The king said, "You inquire whose son the youth is." ⁵⁷So when David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the Philistine's head in his hand. ⁵⁸Saul said to him, "Whose son are you, young man?" And David answered, "I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite."

17:55-58 See Contextual Insights, B.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

1. Why were the Philistines such a major problem to the nation of Israel?
2. How tall was Goliath? Where did the giants come from?
3. Why was a young shepherd boy like David allowed to fight a giant of Goliath's size on Israel's behalf?
4. List the reasons David wanted to fight Goliath.
5. Who killed Goliath (cf. 1 Chr. 20:5)?
6. Why does Saul not recognize David (vv. 55-58) in light of 1 Sam. 16:18-23?

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