1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1 SAMUEL 17:1 David has been chosen by the Lord, anointed as king privately, and has been serving in Saul’s court. Now, he defeats Goliath and, as a result, becomes publicly known. David’s victory leads to Saul’s jealousy, which drives the plot of the rest of the book. David shows h... [ Continue Reading ]
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1 SAMUEL 17:4 A CHAMPION in ancient Near Eastern literature is a man who steps out to fight between two battle lines. Here Goliath offers to fight, on behalf of his side, against any champion that Israel will put forward. A champion’s personal victory would amount to victory for his... [ Continue Reading ]
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1 SAMUEL 17:11 It was Saul’s job to accept the challenge on behalf of Israel. Instead he was GREATLY AFRAID (see 1 Samuel 15:24), along with everyone else. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1 SAMUEL 17:12 EPHRATHITE refers to a man from Judean Ephrathah, around BETHLEHEM (see Ruth 1:2; Ruth 4:11; Micah 5:2). ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i [ Continue Reading ]
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1 SAMUEL 17:18 THEIR THOUSAND. The Hebrew term usually means “thousand,” but in the present context it probably refers to a military unit of undetermined size. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1 SAMUEL 17:25 HAVE YOU SEEN? “You” is plural; the question is not directed toward David. ARMIES OF THE LIVING GOD. To David, this battle is fundamentally spiritual (see vv. 1 Samuel 17:45; see Ephesians 6:12). HIS FATHER’S HOUSE refers to a person’s extended family, smaller than a... [ Continue Reading ]
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1 SAMUEL 17:34 A LION, OR A BEAR. Both lions and bears were common in the land during this time. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1 SAMUEL 17:43 STICKS. Goliath sees David’s staff (v. 1 Samuel 17:40) but not the true weapon, the sling. Goliath’s GODS are probably Dagon (1 Samuel 5:2) and Ashtaroth (1 Samuel 31:10). ⇐ ⇔... [ Continue Reading ]
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1 SAMUEL 17:44, 1 SAMUEL 17:46 In Israel, being unburied and exposed to BIRDS and BEASTS was considered worse than death itself (see 1 Samuel 31:8; 2 Samuel 21:1; Psalms 79:2). ⇐... [ Continue Reading ]
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1 SAMUEL 17:52 MEN OF ISRAEL AND JUDAH. There were divisions between Judah and the rest of Israel from the earliest time of the Davidic monarchy (see 1 Samuel 11:8; 1 Samuel 15:4; 2 Samuel 19:41). ⇐ ⇔ ⇒... [ Continue Reading ]
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1 SAMUEL 17:54 JERUSALEM refers to a suburb in the area around Jerusalem, not the Jebusite walled city that David captured later (see 2 Samuel 5:6). ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1 SAMUEL 17:55 Immediately after his defeat of Goliath, everyone loves David. Saul takes him into his service. All of Saul’s officials love David, even though they are potentially his rivals. Even members of Saul’s own family welcome David into the royal court. Jonathan becomes an e... [ Continue Reading ]