1 Samuel 17:1-58
1 Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle, and were gathered together at Shochoh, which belongeth to Judah, and pitched between Shochoh and Azekah, in Ephesdammim.a
2 And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched by the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines.
3 And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them.
4 And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.
5 And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armedb with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass.
6 And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a targetc of brass between his shoulders.
7 And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam; and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him.
8 And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me.
9 If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us.
10 And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.
11 When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.
12 Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehemjudah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons: and the man went among men for an old man in the days of Saul.
13 And the three eldest sons of Jesse went and followed Saul to the battle: and the names of his three sons that went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next unto him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.
14 And David was the youngest: and the three eldest followed Saul.
15 But David went and returned from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem.
16 And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days.
17 And Jesse said unto David his son, Take now for thy brethren an ephah of this parched corn, and these ten loaves, and run to the camp to thy brethren;
18 And carry these ten cheesesd unto the captain of their thousand, and look how thy brethren fare, and take their pledge.
19 Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.
20 And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the trench,e as the host was going forth to the fight, and shouted for the battle.
21 For Israel and the Philistines had put the battle in array, army against army.
22 And David left his carriagef in the hand of the keeper of the carriage, and ran into the army, and came and saluted his brethren.
23 And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them.
24 And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid.
25 And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's house free in Israel.
26 And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?
27 And the people answered him after this manner, saying, So shall it be done to the man that killeth him.
28 And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle.
29 And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause?
30 And he turned from him toward another, and spake after the same manner:g and the people answered him again after the former manner.
31 And when the words were heard which David spake, they rehearsed them before Saul: and he senth for him.
32 And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.
33 And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.
34 And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lambi out of the flock:
35 And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.
36 Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.
37 David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.
38 And Saul armed Davidj with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail.
39 And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.
40 And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook,k and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.
41 And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield went before him.
42 And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance.
43 And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
44 And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.
45 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.
46 This day will the LORD deliverl thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.
47 And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD'S, and he will give you into our hands.
48 And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.
49 And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.
50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.
51 Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.
52 And the men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, until thou come to the valley, and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even unto Gath, and unto Ekron.
53 And the children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they spoiled their tents.
54 And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armour in his tent.
55 And when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said unto Abner, the captain of the host, Abner, whose son is this youth? And Abner said, As thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell.
56 And the king said, Enquire thou whose son the stripling is.
57 And as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand.
58 And Saul said to him, Whose son art thou, thou young man? And David answered, I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.
1 Samuel 17:4. There went out a champion, Goliath of Gath; a military character well known to the Hebrews. More than thirty years before he had scattered the army of Israel, slain the sons of Eli, and captured the ark, so that even heroes trembled at his name. His height was six cubits and a span; that is, nine feet six inches. Genesis 6:4; Numbers 13:28.
1 Samuel 17:5. A coat of mail; made of plates of foliated brass, with joints to admit of muscular motion in the arms and the body. Budeus in Paris, and more recently bishop Cumberland in England, have given an estimate of the whole of his armour as exceeding three hundred pounds weight.
1 Samuel 17:7. His spear was like a weaver's beam in thickness, and twelve feet or more in length. Homer, Iliad 6., says that Hector's spear was eleven feet in length. When he met Achilles in front of the Greek and Trojan armies, the soldiers suspended the battle to see the single combat. Hector threw his spear, which glided off Achilles' coat of mail; then Achilles putting his spear between Hector's legs, threw him on his back, and pierced the side of his throat, which was the signal of victory to the Greeks.
1 Samuel 17:16. The Philistine presented himself, at the time of morning and evening parade, for forty days. He defied the army, and execrated the God of Israel. This was conformable to the ancient usages. Balak sent for Balaam to curse Jacob, and defy Israel. When the Romans attacked the Druids in the Isle of Anglesey, women were seen with torches, cursing and defying them. It was frequently the case for armies to encamp against each other for a long time, particularly in the wars between the Nabobs of India.
1 Samuel 17:26. David spake to the men that stood by What shall be done for the man that killeth this Philistine? Prompted by the Spirit of God, he had come with bread for his brothers in his simplicity, not knowing the insults offered daily to JEHOVAH. He who had anointed David for the throne, opened his way by illustrious means for elevation.
1 Samuel 17:32. David said to Saul thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine. Had it not been for the heroism of slaying a lion one day, and a bear on another, Saul would not have confided the honour of the field to a youth, but twenty three years of age. Killing a lion placed Hercules in the list of heroes. The king perceived that David had a soul equal to the fight, and prayed the Lord to be with him: 1 Samuel 17:37.
1 Samuel 17:35. I caught by the beard, which includes his nostrils. The LXX read throat, which associates best with the idea of suffocation.
1 Samuel 17:40. He took his staff, the rod of his sling used as a staff, and chose five smooth stones out of the brook which ran between the two armies. David perceived that Goliath, like the massy Memnon, was heavily armed for close fight, and resolved to attack him by missiles, which would render his strength and his armour of no avail. Bethlehem was adjacent to the children of Benjamin, many of whom could sling a stone to a hair's breadth and not miss. David had perfected himself in the use of the sling, a weapon which gentiles also had carried to perfection.
1 Samuel 17:43. The Philistine cursed David, באלהיו ba-Elohaiv, by his gods. It is difficult to say whether he understood this Hebrew word. Menochius gives us here a Roman form of execration. Dii te, Deaeque perdant, may the gods and goddesses destroy thee. David's God requited these curses on Goliath's head, by covering his eyes with a vapour, as it would seem, so that he repelled not the stone.
1 Samuel 17:49. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell upon his face to the earth: he fell to rise no more. The prostration of this monster reminds us of Virgil's description of the fall of Entellus.
Entellus vires in ventum effudit, et ultrò Ipse gravis graviterque ad terram pondere vasto Concidit: ut quondam cava concidit, aut Erymantho, Aut Idâ in magnâ, radicibus eruta pious, ÆN. lib. 5. 50:446.
Entellus wastes his forces on the wind; And thus deluded of the stroke design'd, Headlong and heavy fell; his ample breast, And weighty limbs, his ancient mother press'd. So falls a hollow pine, that long had stood On Ida's height, or Erymanthus wood, Torn from the roots, DRYDEN.
REFLECTIONS.
The Philistines, after the late war, having learned the particulars of their shameful flight from the sword of Jonathan, now seem anxious to recover their tarnished honour, and to excel the Hebrews in single combat, as well as in pitched battles. Thus private passions often occasion war; but God permits it for the punishment of wicked nations. The hero they had trained and armed in a coat of mail for this purpose, was Goliath of the ancient race of giants. His armour being highly polished, shed a terrific lustre on the trembling Hebrews. So the infidel age, by principle and by practice, bids defiance to the judgments of heaven, and ridicules the sanctifying fears of holy men.
At this juncture of time, when Saul had lost his courage, and when all his host were assailed with fear, David arrived at the camp. He heard the monster on the fortieth day, and the fortieth time blaspheme the name of his God; and his soul rose high in proportion as others feared. He heard the vast rewards of the king till his courage reached the royal ear. When Eliab, impelled by passion, severely accused him of pride, he proceeded with his enquiries; and when Saul discouraged him on the consideration of his youth, he mentioned the lion and the bear, deeds he could not have named with modesty, but in his present situation. Saul at last, hardly persuaded, armed him like Goliath; but this armour David laid aside, as ill according with his faith. So our blessed Lord, not believed on by his brethren, forsaken of his disciples, encountered death in single combat; and by the redemption of man, and his resurrection from the dead, he has laid the boasting of hell prostrate in the dust.
Behold now this stripling, despised on all sides, and apparently unarmed, approach the insulting foe. But he approaches in the name and strength of the Lord, and gives him a deadly wound in the height of all his pride, and in the last day of his contempt of God. Herod also, insulting heaven, fell by the angel, in the highest splendour of glory; so the Lord often overthrows his foes when they have attained the summit of wickedness and pride.
In Goliath's fall we see the end of infidel and blaspheming men, who despise the name, and deride the judgments of the Lord. What a humiliation to Philistia which trusted in an arm of flesh: what a joy to Israel, to see the monster fall before a stripling, whose coat of mail was faith in God, and whose weapons were simply a stone and a sling. Well might the alien fly, and Israel pursue. It is God who giveth the victory, and encreaseth strength to them that have no might.
In David's triumphant return to Saul, we see that he paid due homage to his king, and ascribed salvation to the Lord. He regarded this victory as the peculiar gift of heaven. Feeling his soul animated by a divine impetus, he had hurled back the boasting sneer of the heathen; and in the power of faith, laid him prostrate by the first effort of his arm. Thus the proud boaster had not power to raise his shield and repel a stone; the defier of the living God fell by the smallest touch of divine indignation. Israel's tears were now turned to joy; all their confessions of fear and discouragement were at once changed to shouts; and Philistia could never more bring a champion into the field. In all this we cannot but be reminded of what Christ has done for us. Yea, the Holy Spirit seems to have alluded to our redemption by David's victory. I wept much, says St. John, when no man was found worthy to open the book. But the angel said weep not, for behold the lion of the tribe of Judah hath prevailed to take the book, and to unloose the seals thereof. David, descended from Judah, having rent a lion, and slain Goliath, did the more strikingly prefigure our Saviour, who by a single stroke, not in Saul's armour, hath vanquished death, and triumphed over all the powers of darkness on the cross. Rise, christian Israel; “turn the battle to the gates of the enemy.” Isaiah 9:4. Rise and spoil the alien. Rise and give glory to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.