1SA 17

1 Samuel 17:50

WEB

So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him; but there was no sword in David’s hand.

BSB

Thus David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.

KJV

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.

Matthew Henry

Verses 48–58

1 Samuel 17:48–58

Here is 1. The engagement between the two champions, Sa1 17:48. To this engagement the Philistine advanced with a great deal of state and gravity; if he must encounter a pigmy, yet it shall be with the magnificence of a giant and a grandee. This is intimated in the manner of expression: He arose, and came, and drew nigh, like a stalking mountain, overlaid with brass and iron, to meet David. David advanced with no less activity and cheerfulness, as one that aimed more to do execution than to make a figure: He hasted, and ran, being lightly clad, to meet the Philistine. We may imagine with what tenderness and compassion the Israelites saw such a pleasing youth as this throwing himself into the mouth of destruction, but he knew whom he had believed and for whom he acted. 2. The fall of Goliath in this engagement. He was in no haste, because in no fear, but confident that he should soon at one stroke cleave his adversary's head; but, while he was preparing to do it solemnly, David did his business effectually, without any parade: he slang a stone which hit him in the forehead, and, in the twinkling of an eye, fetched him to the ground, Sa1 17:49. Goliath knew there were famous slingers in Israel (Jdg 20:16), yet was either so forgetful or presumptuous as to go with the beaver of his helmet open, and thither, to the only part left exposed, not so much David's art as God's providence directed the stone, and brought it with such force that it sunk into his head, notwithstanding the impudence with which his forehead was brazened. See how frail and uncertain life is, even when it thinks itself best fortified, and how quickly, how easily, and with how small a matter, the passage may be opened for life to go out and death to enter. Goliath himself has not power over the spirit to retain the spirit, Ecc 8:8. Let not the strong man glory in his strength, nor the armed man in his armour. See how God resists the proud and pours contempt upon those that bid defiance to him and his people. None ever hardened his heart against God and prospered. One of the Rabbin thinks that when Goliath said to David, Come, and I will give thy flesh to the fowls of the air, he threw up his head so hastily that his helmet fell off, and so left his broad forehead a fair mark for David. To complete the execution, David drew Goliath's own sword, a two-handed weapon for David, and with it cut off his head, Sa1 17:51. What need had David to take a sword of his own? his enemy's sword shall serve his purpose, when he has occasion for one. God is greatly glorified when his proud enemies are cut off with their own sword and he makes their own tongues to fall upon them, Psa 64:8. David's victory over Goliath was typical of the triumphs of the son of David over Satan and all the powers of darkness, whom he spoiled, and made a show of them openly (Col 2:15), and we through him are more than conquerors. 3. The defeat of the Philistines' army hereupon. They relied wholly upon the strength of their champion, and therefore, when they saw him slain, they did not, as Goliath had offered, throw down their arms and surrender themselves servants to Israel (Sa1 17:9), but took to their heels, being wholly dispirited, and thinking it to no purpose to oppose one before whom such a mighty man had fallen: They fled (Sa1 17:51), and this put life into the Israelites, who shouted and pursued them (David, it is probable, leading them on in the pursuit) even to the gates of their own cities, Sa1 17:52. In their return from the chase they seized all the baggage, plundered the tents (Sa1 17:53), and enriched themselves with the spoil. 4. David's disposal of his trophies, Sa1 17:54. He brought the head of the Philistine to Jerusalem, to be a terror to the Jebusites, who held the strong-hold of Sion: it is probable that he carried it in triumph to other cities. His armour he laid up in his tent; only the sword was preserved behind the ephod in the tabernacle, as consecrated to God, and a memorial of the victory to his honour, Sa1 21:9. 5. The notice that was taken of David. Though he had been at court formerly, yet, having been for some time absent (Sa1 17:15), Saul had forgotten him, being melancholy and mindless, and little thinking that his musician would have spirit enough to be his champion; and therefore, as if he had never seen him before, he asked whose son he was. Abner was a stranger to him, but brought him to Saul (Sa1 17:57), and he gave a modest account of himself, Sa1 17:58. And now he was introduced to the court with much greater advantages than before, in which he owned God's hand performing all things for him.

Cross-references: 1Sam 17:48 · 1Sam 17:49 · Judg 20:16 · Eccl 8:8 · 1Sam 17:51 · Ps 64:8 · Col 2:15 · 1Sam 17:9 · 1Sam 17:52 · 1Sam 17:53 · 1Sam 17:54 · 1Sam 21:9 · 1Sam 17:15 · 1Sam 17:57 · 1Sam 17:58

Hebrew interlinear

H2388

חָזַקchâzaq/khaw-zak'/

v — fasten, seize, be strong, courageous, strengthen, cure, help, repair, fortify, obstinate, bind, restrain, conquer

Derivation: a primitive root;

to fasten upon; hence, to seize, be strong (figuratively, courageous, causatively strengthen, cure, help, repair, fortify), obstinate; to bind, restrain, conquer

KJV: aid, amend, × calker, catch, cleave, confirm, be constant, constrain, continue, be of good (take) courage(-ous, -ly), encourage (self), be established, fasten, force, fortify, make hard, harden, help, (lay) hold (fast), lean, maintain, play the man, mend, become (wax) mighty, prevail, be recovered, repair, retain, seize, be (wax) sore, strengthen (self), be stout, be (make, shew, wax) strong(-er), be sure, take (hold), be urgent, behave self valiantly, withstand.

חָזַק

vb — be firm

חָזַק 291 vb. be or grow firm, strong, strengthen

Qal

I. intrans. be or grow strong

II. transit. only strengthened him not

Pi.

1. make strong (physically)

2. strengthen the hands (acc.) of anyone, sustain, encourage

3. make strong = bold, encourage

4. make firm

5. make rigid, hard, i.e. perverse, obstinate, harden

Hiph.

1.

a. make strong, strengthen

b. make firm, the kingdom

c. display strength

2. make severe, of battle

3. support

4. = repair

5. prevail

6. esp. take or keep hold of, seize, grasp

Hithp.

1. strengthen oneself

2. put forth strength, use one's strength

3. withstand

4. hold strongly with

H1732

דָּוִדDâvid/daw-veed'/

n-pr-m — David

Derivation: rarely (fully); דָּוִיד; from the same as 1730; loving;

David, the youngest son of Jesse

KJV: David.

דָּוִד

n.pr.m — David

דָּוִד, דָּוִיד 1066 n.pr.m. David

H4480

מִןmin/min/

prep — part, from, out of

Derivation: or מִנִּי; or מִנֵּי; (constructive plural) (Isaiah 30:11); for 4482;

properly, a part of; hence (prepositionally), from or out of in many senses

KJV: above, after, among, at, because of, by (reason of), from (among), in, × neither, × nor, (out) of, over, since, × then, through, × whether, with.

מִן־

prep — out of

מִן־, and מִ, before יְ, prep. expressing the idea of separation, hence out of, from, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not

1. with verbs expressing (or implying) separation or removal

a. from, against

b. מן also, without a verb of similar significance, sometimes expresses the idea of separation, away from, far from

c. of position, off, on the side of, on

2. Out of, Gk. ἐκ, Lat. ex

3. Partitively

4. Of time

a. as marking the terminus a quo, the anterior limit of a continuous period from, since

b. as marking the period immediately succeeding the limit after

c. towards, to

5. (וְעַד) עַדמִן from … even to

6. In comparisons, beyond, above

7. מן is prefixed to an infin.:

a. with causal force, from, on account of, through

b. after verbs implying restraint, prevention, cessation, etc.

c. with a temporal force, since, after

8. Once as a conj. before a finite verb. that

9. In compounds:

מֵן

n. [m.] — portion

[מֵן] n. [m.] portion

H6430

פְּלִשְׁתִּיPᵉlishtîy/pel-ish-tee'/

a — Pelishtite

Derivation: patrial from 6429;

a Pelishtite or inhabitant of Pelesheth

KJV: Philistine.

פְּלִשְׁתִּי

adj.gent — Philistine

פְּלִשְׁתִּי 288 adj.gent. Philistine

H7050

קֶלַעqelaʻ/keh'-lah/

n-m — sling, screen, valve

Derivation: from 7049;

a sling; also a (door) screen (as if slung across), or the valve (of the door) itself

KJV: hanging, leaf, sling.

קֶ֫לַע

n.[m.] — curtain

[קֶ֫לַע] 15 n.[m.] curtain, hanging (P)

קֶ֫לַע

n.[m.] — sling

קֶ֫לַע n.[m.] sling

H68

אֶבֶןʼeben/eh'-ben/

n-f — stone

Derivation: from the root of 1129 through the meaning to build;

a stone

KJV: carbuncle, mason, plummet, (chalk-, hail-, head-, sling-) stone(-ny), (divers) weight(-s).

אֶ֫בֶן

n.f — stone

אֶ֫בֶן 274 n.f. stone

1. in natural state

2. stone, as material

3. precious stone, gen. with modifying word

4. stone containing metal, = ore

5. a weight, as orig. stone

6. plummet

7. objects like stone

8. in sim. (mostly poet.) of sinking in water

9. In topogr. terms

H5221

נָכָהnâkâh/naw-kaw'/

v — strike

Derivation: a primitive root;

to strike (lightly or severely, literally or figuratively)

KJV: beat, cast forth, clap, give (wounds), × go forward, × indeed, kill, make (slaughter), murderer, punish, slaughter, slay(-er, -ing), smite(-r, -ing), strike, be stricken, (give) stripes, × surely, wound.

נָכָה

vb — smite

[נָכָה] 501 vb. smite (not in Qal)

Niph. and he shall be smitten [struck by weapon in battle] and die

Pu. both be smitten down by the hail

Hiph.

1.

a. lit., smite (with a single, non-fatal, blow), strike

b. smite repeatedly, beat a man

c. and they clapped hands (in applause)

d. give a thrust (with fork) into pot; strike roots

e. rarely smite (in battle) so as (merely) to wound

f. smite, of sun

2. Smite fatally

3. Smite = attack, attack and destroy a company

4. Of God

a. smite with a plague, disease, etc.

b. smite = chastise, or send judgment upon

c. of God’s destroying palaces

Hoph. be smitten

H853

אֵתʼêth/ayth/

prt — self, even, namely

Derivation: apparent contracted from 226 in the demonstrative sense of entity;

properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)

KJV: [as such unrepresented in English].

אֵת

mark of the accusative

אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite

H4191

מוּתmûwth/mooth/

v — die, kill

Derivation: a primitive root;

to die (literally or figuratively); causatively, to kill

KJV: × at all, × crying, (be) dead (body, man, one), (put to, worthy of) death, destroy(-er), (cause to, be like to, must) die, kill, necro(-mancer), × must needs, slay, × surely, × very suddenly, × in (no) wise.

מוּת

vb — die

מוּת vb. die

Qal

1. die, of natural or other causes

2. die as a penalty = be put to death

Po‛lel. kill, put to death, despatch (intens.)

Hiph.

1. abs., elsewhere c. acc., subj. man

2. subj. God, by inflicting penalty

3. of animals killing men

4. bring to a premature death

Hoph. be killed, put to death

H2719

חֶרֶבchereb/kheh'-reb/

n-f — drought, cutting, destructive, knife, sword

Derivation: from 2717;

drought; also a cutting instrument (from its destructive effect), as a knife, sword, or other sharp implement

KJV: axe, dagger, knife, mattock, sword, tool.

חֶ֫רֶב

n.f — sword

חֶ֫רֶב 411 n.f. sword (as weapon)

H369

אַיִןʼayin/ah'-yin/

np — nonentity

Derivation: as if from a primitive root meaning to be nothing or not exist;

a nonentity; generally used as a negative particle

KJV: else, except, fail, (father-) less, be gone, in(-curable), neither, never, no (where), none, nor, (any, thing), not, nothing, to nought, past, un(-searchable), well-nigh, without. Compare 370.

אַ֫יִן

subst — nothing

אַ֫יִן, אָ֑֫יִן cstr. אֵין subst. prop. nothing, nought

1. to nothing, as nothing

2. cstr. אֵין, very freq. as particle of negation, is not, are not, was not, were not

3. אֵין לְ׳, with subst., or pron., there is (was) not to … = … have, has, had, etc. not

4. in circumst. clauses

5. with inf. and ל׳, it is not to

6. with prefixes

H3027

יָדyâd/yawd/

n-f — hand, open, power, means, direction, closed

Derivation: a primitive word;

a hand (the open one [indicating power, means, direction, etc.], in distinction from 3709, the closed one); used (as noun, adverb, etc.) in a great variety of applications, both literally and figuratively, both proximate and remote [as follows]

KJV: ( be) able, × about, armholes, at, axletree, because of, beside, border, × bounty, broad, (broken-) handed, × by, charge, coast, consecrate, creditor, custody, debt, dominion, × enough, fellowship, force, × from, hand(-staves, -y work), × he, himself, × in, labour, large, ledge, (left-) handed, means, × mine, ministry, near, × of, × order, ordinance, × our, parts, pain, power, × presumptuously, service, side, sore, state, stay, draw with strength, stroke, swear, terror, × thee, × by them, × themselves, × thine own, × thou, through, × throwing, thumb, times, × to, × under, × us, × wait on, (way-) side, where, wide, × with (him, me, you), work, yield, × yourselves.

יָד

n.f — hand

יָד 1604 n.f. hand

1. hand

2. Fig. = strength, power

3. Fig. = side

4. יָד is used in various special, technical senses:—

a. sign, monument

b. part, fractional part or share

c. time, repetition

d. axle-trees

e. stays, supports for laver

f. tenons on sides of boards of tabernacle

g. a (beckoning) hand

5. יַד with prep.

Bible49 app

Get translation compare, commentary, and interlinear study — offline, on iPhone and Mac.

See Bible49