BE kai wV eiden Saoul- apo tou pataxai ton allofulon “And as Saul saw – from the striking down of the Philistine”
Translation & Sermon by Nate Wilson for Christ The Redeemer Church, Manhattan, KS, 16 May 2021
We left off last time with David’s arrival at the Israelite army camp on the western border of Judah, hearing the challenge of the Philistine champion Goliath to one-on-one combat, and eagerly asking all his fellow-countrymen what they were going to do about it.
It became evident to David that none of his fellow countrymen had plans to answer Goliath’s challenges, which were not only an affront to the national pride of Israel but insulting to the God of Israel. The general sentiment seems to have been, “Well, why don’t you do something about it?”
And so in v.32, David finds himself standing before King Saul, offering his services to fight Goliath, saying, “Let no man’s heart fail on account of him! Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”
Saul did not think this was a good idea. He saw David as a young servant-boy with no experience in warfare, and therefore not a good match for an experienced warrior like Goliath. Naturally, Saul tries to talk David out of the idea, but Saul does not have anyone else willing to wipe out this insult to God and His people, so David continues to ask for the responsibility, hoping to encourage the hearts of all his people by his faith in God.
What was David thinking? Did he really think he could kill their champion, or was he just talking big? Well, he says that "Yahweh ... will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." He believed that God was real and that God would help him subdue this giant who had denigrated God's Name and His people. That takes FAITH! But he had to talk Saul into it.
The Puritan Andrew Willett, my favorite commentator on the books of Samuel, noted that, “David useth three reasons to perswade Saul, that he should ouercome the Philistim:
first, from his former experience, in that he had in the defense of his flocke1 slaine a Lyon and a beare:
secondly, he buildeth upon God's covenant, he was circumcised, and so within God's covenant and protection; the other was uncircumcised, and so a straunger from the covenant:
thirdly, from the sin and blasphemie of Goliath, for the which the Lord would be revenged of him.”
Willet went on to qualify the first reason, saying that just because you’ve had a couple of successes doesn’t necessarily mean you should take on the same challenge again.
The mere fact that David had conquered a bear and a lion would not be enough reason for him to go up against Goliath.
Earlier in the book of Judges, chapter 20, the Benjamites won two battles against the other tribes of Israel, but that didn’t mean it was God’s will for them to fight a third battle against their fellow-countrymen, and God made sure they were licked for it.
Likewise, Sampson got the best of Deliliah’s Philistine friends several times, but it didn’t mean he could successfully defend himself against them after he let her break his Nazarite vow and cut his hair. (Judges 16)
Experience shouldn’t be the sole factor in deciding to take up a challenge, but if we put our experience together with our calling, and if our endeavor is in line with God’s word, then we can have reasonable confidence like David did, and in general, we can trust in God’s deliverance when we are doing His will, as the Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 1:10 “Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver vs: in whom we trust, that yet hereafter he will deliver us…” (Geneva Bible)
In v.37, David gave the glory to God for his deliverance from the lion and the bear, and he argues that since God was with him then, God will be with him now. This is sound reasoning in the absence of evidence to the contrary, and is something we can do ourselves.
Remember times when God rescued you in the past, in order to encourage your faith that He will save you now and in the future.
The Apostle Paul also did this in the midst of a trial for his life before Ceasar. He wrote in in 2 Tim. 4:17-18 “But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!” (NKJV)
The flip-side of David’s argument is that his Philistine opponent had no such assurance of God’s blessing and presence, because there was no covenant between Goliath and God, no gracious relationship of holiness signified by the Old Testament surgical procedure of circumcision.
“As David holdeth the Philistim to be without defense, beeing uncircumcised, so he doth encourage himself because he was circumcised, and so within God's covenant.” ~Willett
Of course, it is not the bare symbol of relationship with God which should reassure us, but the reality itself of a holy relationship with God, but it is legitimate to remind yourself when you are having to defend yourself against a non-Christian, “I am a baptized Christian, a member of the body of Christ, and they are not. God promises to help and care for me, but God isn’t going to help and care for them.”
These arguments were apparently convincing to King Saul, and he gives his blessing to David. Saul knew that Yahweh ws no longer with him, but he hopes that Yahweh will be with this lad.2 So...
The Biblical account is not specific enough to tell whether it was
Saul’s personal armor that was offered to David3,
or whether it was armor out of Saul’s armory (which might have fit David better)4,
or whether it was some other article of clothing, which the Hebrew word could allow for (K&D). The same word is used in the next chapter to describe the article that Jonathan gave David (Willett).
At any rate, the Hebrew words for the bronze helmet and armor/breastplate with which Saul outfitted David are the same words describing Goliath’s outfit.
David seems to have politely considered Saul’s offer, and perhaps David was even tempted for a moment to think that these would make him safe so he wouldn’t have to trust God so much, but it’s not long before he takes them off, explaining that he had “not proved/tested/used” these things. He had not gotten adequate training in using them, and his body was not conditioned to to fight with these things.
Have you ever been tempted to use a worldly means that other people recommended to you, thinking it would be more powerful than the power of God in some area of conflict?
Maybe it’s the belief that secular counseling and psychology would work better than God’s word,
or maybe it’s the belief that hiring a lawyer will work better than asking God to intervene for you.
Such worldly means are not necessarily wrong and evil, but when we rely upon them as a substitute for trusting God, that’s where the problem lies.
2 Cor. 10:3-5 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ...” (NKJV)
So, David chose to go out in his shepherd’s garb, with a staff, a sling, and a pouch full of rocks.
Some scholars suggest that the five stones were just to have backups in case he missed (Willett, Jamieson),
but I think that the number five has more significance. 2 Samuel 21 and 1 Chronicles 20 speak of four others, who, like Goliath were sons of a giant from Gath, at least one - and likely all - of whom were Goliath’s brothers. I think David chose five stones because he had his eye on all five giants!
It sounds like Goliath didn't even notice David until he was relatively close. David had crossed the stream at the midpoint between the Israelite and Philistine lines before Goliath acknowledged him. They must have been close enough to size each other up, but not close enough for their weapons to be in-range.
Our text says that Goliath immediately “despised” David because he was young and handsome. Pride seems to have been a vice of Goliath, and pride often leads to despising other people, especially those younger than you, and David was likely around 20 years old5.
Goliath’s question is interesting, “Am I a dog that you come at me with sticks?”
I suspect that that Goliath felt like he was not being taken seriously by the Israelites and that they had sent a boy out to foil his plans for a real duel6. To engage with this shepherd-boy might mean he couldn’t fight like he was used to, and it also meant that the Israelites could claim that it wasn’t a fair fight if he killed an unarmed boy. This may have been Goliath’s way of complaining about this situation.
The first-century historian Josephus - and also the ancient Greek Septuagint translation of this passage - mention a zinger from David which is not in the modern Hebrew tradition, in response to Goliath’s question, “Am I a dog…?” They have David replying, “Nope. You’re worse than a dog!”
Now, this was not just a battle between two men, but a contest between the gods of two nations. Both Goliath and David recognized this and spoke of their gods in their speeches which framed their duel. Goliath cursed David by his gods.
Now, giants are generally portrayed as stupid in modern movies, but this one had a quick wit and was always giving out derogatory taunts. How frightening to be the sole recipient of those taunts, knowing that he wasn't kidding and really WAS going to squash David like a bug and leave his dead body to be dishonored by being eaten by wild animals – the implication being that after Goliath got done with him, the Philistines would finish off all the rest of the Israelites so that there would be nobody left to give David’s body a decent burial.
But David must have remembered that the curses Goliath swore were harmless because they were sworn in the name of Goliath's gods rather than in the name of Yahweh! Besides, as God told Abraham in Gen. 12, "He who curses you I will curse!"
I’ve read several missionary biographies in which the witchdoctor puts a curse on a believer in Jesus, and the whole village expects the Christian to die from the curse because they have seen the power of evil that their witchdoctor wields, but to their amazement, they discover that curses don’t work on Christians. (The latest one I read was from one of my seminary classmates who is developing a church near a voodoo temple in Haiti.)
Do you really believe that “You are from God, little children, and you are a conqueror, because the One [God who is] in you is greater than he who is in the world”? (1 John 4:4)
The mere fact that unbelievers have laid out their narrative of what your future will be, does not mean that their narrative actually is what the future will be. Christians have a different narrative. And it’s not an ending we made up in our heads, like theirs is; our belief about what will happen in the future is dictated to us by the God who is in control of history and who actually has the power to make the future happen.
We don’t have to accept the secular humanist (and Satanic) narrative that the culture war has been lost and that Christianity is dying out and that we all might as well get used to the new world order.
We can speak God’s narrative right back at them that Jesus is coming to judge this world and to throw the liars and sexually immoral and unbelievers into the lake of fire and establish a new world in which righteousness dwells for everyone who trusts Him to save them.
We have a counter-narrative for the future which comes from God Himself, and it is true; it’s not wishful thinking like the pagans’ ideas for the future are. Like David, we should share our counter-narrative of history with the enemies of Christ.
David frames his counter-narrative with emphatic pronouns in v.45 which draw a sharp contrast between his position and Goliath’s position.
“Your weapons are a sword, a spear, and a javelin; my weapon is the God named Yahweh whom you have insulted, and who isn’t going to let you get away with it.
“Our God is not to be trifled with, so He will empower me to strike you down and destroy your army so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that the God of Israel controls the outcome of every war, so it doesn’t matter whether you have more swords and spears, because it’s not swords and spears that win battles, it is God’s favor.”
David also calls Goliath’s bluff that the Philistines would become Israel’s subjects if David won. He allows that after he kills Goliath, the Philistines will not submit, but that the army of Israel will have to fight and kill them.
David’s motive in all this was to bring glory to God. “I want the whole world to discover Israel’s God!”
When you bring God into the discussion, you raise the stakes, because then the world knows this is about God, and that gives God more opportunity to display His glory.
I think this is the case even in matters of civil politics. We should not leave God out of our arguments at city hall and school board meetings and legislative sessions any more than we should leave God out of our conversations with our friends and family.
The Christian under God personally does not reason from a strictly secular point of view or from mere natural law; we use God’s word – God’s law.
I wonder if sometimes God does not act impressively because Christians have not put His reputation on the line.
Now, how about David's evangelism strategy? Preach and kill! Seriously, I don’t want to hear of anybody trying that strategy on campus evangelism outreaches! This was a combat commanded by God under Moses and Joshua and approved of by David’s civil authority, King Saul.
David runs up and takes a shot at Goliath with his sling.
“The sling consisted of a double rope with a thong, probably of leather, to receive the stone. The slinger held a second stone in his left hand.” ~ Robert Jamieson (JFB)
And slingers were capable of great accuracy. In Judges 20:16, it speaks of Benjamites who could hit a target no wider than a human hair, and never miss.
But are slingshots really capable of penetrating a human skull? You better believe it!
Diodorus Siculus describes, in ancient Latin battle accounts of the Baleares, that slingshots were used which could “break in pieces shields, helmets, and all kinds of armour” (Bibliothec. l. 5. p. 298, quoted by John Gill)
I witnessed firsthand how powerful a slingshot can be when I was a student in the dorms at Covenant College. During Spring Break, some guys who were up to no good used a slingshot to launch water balloons from the parking lot over the top of our four-story dorm building onto the field on the other side of the building, but when I returned from Spring Break, I discovered that one of those water balloons had not been launched quite high enough, and it had smashed through the window of my third-story dorm-room, and it hit so hard that it blasted shards of glass from our window fifteen feet across the room and embedded them into the oak door on the other side of the room! How do I know it was a water balloon? Because what was left of the balloon was also on the floor of my dorm.
The ancient Greek Septuagint claims that the stone not only went through Goliath’s skull but also through Goliath’s bronze helmet7 before penetrating his forehead. As forceful as a slingshot can be, I still wouldn’t be surprised if God Himself increased the velocity of David's missile that felled Goliath.
It’s curious to me that after such a stunning blow to the forehead, Goliath fell forwards onto his face rather than backwards onto his back8. The logical implication is that Goliath was leaning forward when the impact occurred, perhaps due to just having thrown his spear? (If so, it wouldn’t be the last spear that David successfully dodged; Saul would later give him more practice at that.)
Now, when Goliath bit the dust, I'm sure everyone was stunned and stared with their mouths gaping. God gave David the presence of mind to take advantage of the lull and saw off Goliath's head with the giant's own sword – the stone may have only rendered Goliath unconscious, so this ensured that his enemy would be dead, and once the head was severed, it gave David a trophy to prove inescapably to anyone who had not watched the duel that he had indeed won it. God turned the enemy’s own weapons against him.
“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’ (Eccl. 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… 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.’” ~Matthew Henry
So much depends upon the attitude of a group of people. Israel now had a psychological advantage after David’s conquest of their champion, but more importantly, the Israelites’ faith in God was rekindled by David’s proof of God’s presence with them, so they fought and won against the Philistines, chasing them all the way back to their Philistine cities of Gath and Ekron on the Mediterranean coast.9 Josephus, the first century historian, said that 30,000 Philistines were thus killed and twice as many wounded10.
The comment that David took Goliath’s head to Jerusalem is interesting, because Jerusalem was a Canaanite11 city at that time, although David would conquer it before long (2 Sam. 5).
Is it possible that David already had designs on Jerusalem and wanted to strike the fear of God into the Jebusites there by posting Goliath’s head for them to see? (Henry, Gill, Tsumura12)
Another possibility is that David kept the head as a trophy to remind himself that all his battles belonged to the LORD, and so David brought it with him when he moved to Jerusalem some time later. In that case, this statement would be jumping forward in time, perhaps to the time of the historian who wrote this part of 1 Samuel, to give the ultimate ending-point, from the writer’s perspective, to the narrative of Goliath.13
Goliath’s gear, says v. 54, went into David’s tent. This also is curious, because David was just running an errand to the battlefront, so it doesn’t make sense that he would have had a tent there. And the next time we encounter Goliath’s sword, it is at the tabernacle, not in David’s possession, but if Goliath’s stuff was put in the tabernacle, it wouldn’t have been called “David’s tent,” because the tabernacle didn’t belong to David14.
One solution would be to put Goliath’s armor with David wherever he slept that night and the sword of Goliath with whatever priests the army had, who would have brought the sword back to Nob with them.15
Another way to solve the riddle would be to see this also as the contemporary end of a story arc about Goliath’s armor, in which the writer of the story lived in Jerusalem after David had been made king (and after David had moved the tabernacle to Jerusalem), in which case, he might be speaking of the Davidic phase of the tabernacle as “David’s tent,” and that way, the priests could have kept the armor of Goliath on display all along and brought it along with them when they moved the tabernacle to Jerusalem. (Willett)
Anyway, King Saul was duly impressed with David’s victory, and he asked his cousin (who was the army commander), “Abner, who is this dude’s father?” Now, you would think that Saul would have recognized David, who had been his personal musician and armor-bearer, and that Saul would know who his father was because he had already sent messengers to Jesse to ask for David to serve in his court (16:19). So why does he ask whose son David is?
Unbelieving Critical scholars16 answer that the last four verses in this chapter are not found in the oldest manuscripts (such as the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Septuagint manuscripts), so they say that this question from Saul was made up later by someone who didn’t realize it would conflict with the rest of scripture. But that’s a cop-out. There are better explanations which still preserve the integrity of God’s word.
Perhaps David had been gone from the court for long enough during adolescence that his stature and appearance and voice had changed such that Saul did not recognize him.17
Alternately, Saul may have known the bare fact of Jesse’s name, but may have been asking for more family information – for he had promised favors to the “father’s house” of the victor. The phrase, “when he had finished speaking with Saul,” which opens chapter 18 could indicate that more conversation concerning David’s family occurred than the little bit that was recorded (K&D).
Another possibility is that Saul and Abner, being national-level leaders, had interacted with so many thousands of persons over the years that they simply couldn’t remember where this boy had come from18.
I can certainly relate to that. I was at a wedding a little over a week ago where there were lots of people whose faces I recognized - and whose names I once knew, but it had been a year or more since I had talked to many of them, so I couldn’t remember their names, and I did exactly what Saul did; I asked people standing next to me to remind me of those other folks’ names so I could greet them by name later on! Unfortunately, Abner was in the same boat; he probably paid even less attention to the court servants than Saul did, because he was the army general.
I bet Jesse was one happy father to hear what his son had done!
To know that my teenage son was so zealous for the glory of God would absolutely thrill me – and, of course his victory would too!
But consider, what kind of parenting would be required to raise children like that? Are we willing to instill in the next generation the faith, discipline, and knowledge they will need?
May God bless us with the privilege of having sons and daughters who are strong and victorious and zealous for the glory of His Name on this earth.
What David said is true: “the battle belongs to the LORD.”
Our attitude should be, “What will edify the body of Christ?” We should say with David, “Let no man’s heart may fail on account of this latest challenge to the people of God; I’m confident I can face it down with God’s help.”
Are there any of the Lord’s battles which He has brought to your attention as challenges that you should meet?
Maybe it’s a sin in your own life,
maybe it’s a stubborn attitude in your child,
or a co-worker with a profane mouth,
or a government that needs reforming,
or an unreached people group on the other side of the world that needs the Gospel
Do you believe that this battle belongs to the LORD and that He will see you through and give deliverance?
Are you bringing God into the conversation so that He will get the glory for the victory?
May God give us faith, courage, and victory like He gave David!
|
LXX |
Brenton |
DRB |
KJV |
NAW |
MT |
31 |
|
|
And the words which David spoke were heard, and were rehearsed before Saul. 32 And when he was brought to him, |
And when the words were heard which David spake, they rehearsedB them before Saul: and he sent for him. |
|
וַיִּשָּׁמְעוּ, הַדְּבָרִים, אֲשֶׁר, דִּבֶּר דָּוִד; וַיַּגִּדוּ לִפְנֵי-שָׁאוּל, וַיִּקָּחֵהוּC. |
32 |
καὶ
εἶπεν Δαυιδ
πρὸς Σαουλ
μὴ [δὴ] συμπεσέτω
ἡ καρδία |
And
David said to Saul, Let not,[ I pray thee], the heart of [my] |
X
|
And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine. |
32 Then David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail on account of him! Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” |
וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד אֶל- שָׁאוּל, אַל-יִפֹּל לֵב-אָדָם עָלָיו; עַבְדְּךָ יֵלֵךְ, וְנִלְחַם עִם- הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי הַזֶּה. |
33 |
καὶ εἶπεν Σαουλ πρὸς Δαυιδ οὐ μὴ δυνήσῃ πορευθῆναι πρὸς τὸν ἀλλόφυλον τοῦ πολεμεῗν μετ᾽ αὐτοῦ ὅτι παιδάριον εἶ σύ καὶ αὐτὸς ἀνὴρ πολεμιστὴς ἐκ νεότητος αὐτοῦ |
And Saul said to David, Thou wilt not in anywise be able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for thou art a mere youth, and he a man of war from his youth. |
And Saul said to David: Thou art not able to withstand this Philistine, nor to fight against him: for thou art but a boy, but he is a warrior from his youth. |
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. |
|
וַיֹּאמֶר שָׁאוּל אֶל- דָּוִד, לֹא תוּכַל לָלֶכֶת אֶל- הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי הַזֶּה, לְהִלָּחֵם, עִמּוֹ: כִּי-נַעַר אַתָּה, וְהוּא אִישׁ מִלְחָמָה מִנְּעֻרָיו.ס |
34 |
καὶ εἶπεν Δαυιδ πρὸς Σαουλ ποιμαίνων ἦν ὁ δοῦλός σου τῷ πατρὶ αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ ποιμνίῳ καὶ ὅταν ἤρχετο ὁ λέων καὶ ἡ ἄρκος καὶ ἐλάμβανεν πρόβατον ἐκ τῆς ἀγέλης |
And David said to Saul, Thy servant was tending the flock for his father; and when a lion came and a she-bear, and took a sheep out of the flock, |
And David said to Saul: Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, or a bear, and took a ram out of the midst of the flock: |
And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: |
|
וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד אֶל- שָׁאוּל, רֹעֶה הָיָה עַבְדְּךָ לְאָבִיוE בַּצֹּאן; וּבָא הָאֲרִי וְאֶת- הַדּוֹב, וְנָשָׂא שֶׂהF מֵהָעֵדֶר. |
35 |
καὶ ἐξεπορευόμην ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐπάταξα αὐτὸν καὶ ἐξέσπασα ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰ ἐπανίστατο ἐπ᾽ ἐμέ καὶ ἐκράτησα τοῦ φάρυγγοςG αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐπάταξα καὶ ἐθανάτωσα αὐτόν |
then I went forth after him, and smote him, and drew the spoil out of his mouth: and as he rose up against me, then I caught hold of his throat, and smote him, and slew him. |
And
I pursued after |
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. |
|
וְיָצָאתִי אַחֲרָיו וְהִכִּתִיו, וְהִצַּלְתִּיH מִפִּיו; וַיָּקָם עָלַי—וְהֶחֱזַקְתִּי I בִּזְקָנוֹ, וְהִכִּתִיו וַהֲמִיתִּיו. |
36 |
καὶ τὴν ἄρκον ἔτυπτεν ὁ δοῦλός σου καὶ τὸν λέοντα καὶ ἔσται ὁ ἀλλόφυλος X ὁ ἀπερίτμητος ὡς ἓν τούτων οὐχὶ πορεύσομαι καὶ πατάξω αὐτὸν καὶ ἀφελῶ σήμερον ὄνειδος ἐξ Ισραηλ διότι τίς ὁ ἀπερίτμητος οὗτος ὃς ὠνείδισεν παράταξιν θεοῦ ζῶντος |
Thy servant smote both the lion and the bear, and the X uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them: shall I not go and smite him, and remove this day a reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised one, who has defied the armyX of the living God? |
[For I] thy servant have killed both a lion and a bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be [also] as one of them. I will go now, and take away the reproach of the people: for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, who hath dared to curse the armyX of the living God? |
Thy
servant slew both the lion and the
bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them,
|
|
גַּם אֶת-הָאֲרִי גַּם-הַדֹּב, הִכָּה עַבְדֶּךָ; וְהָיָה הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי הֶעָרֵל הַזֶּה, כְּאַחַד מֵהֶם, כִּי חֵרֵף, מַעַרְכֹת אֱלֹהִים חַיִּים. {ס} |
37 |
X X X κύριος ὃς ἐξείλατό με ἐκ χειρὸς τοῦ λέοντος καὶ ἐκ χειρὸς τῆς ἄρκου αὐτὸς ἐξελεῗταί με ἐκ χειρὸς τοῦ ἀλλοφύλου [τοῦ ἀπεριτμήτου] τούτου καὶ εἶπεν Σαουλ πρὸς Δαυιδ πορεύου καὶ ἔσται κύριος μετὰ σοῦ |
X X X The Lord who delivered me out of the paw of the lion and out the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this [uncircumcised] Philistine. And Saul said to David, Go, and the Lord shall be with thee. |
And David said: The Lord who 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 to David: Go, and the Lord be with thee. |
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. |
|
וַיֹּאמֶר, דָּוִד, יְהוָה אֲשֶׁר הִצִּלַנִי מִיַּד הָאֲרִי וּמִיַּד הַדֹּב, הוּא יַצִּילֵנִי מִיַּד הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי הַזֶּה; {ס} וַיֹּאמֶר שָׁאוּל אֶל-דָּוִד לֵךְ,K וַיהוָה יִהְיֶה עִמָּךְ. |
38 |
καὶ ἐνέδυσεν Σαουλ τὸν Δαυιδ μανδύανL καὶ περικεφαλαίαν χαλκῆν περὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ X X X X |
And Saul clothed David with a military coat, and put his brazen helmet on his head X X X X. |
And Saul clothed David with his garments, and put a helmet of brass upon his head, and armed him with a coat of mail. |
And Saul armed David with his armourM, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mailN. |
|
וַיַּלְבֵּשׁ שָׁאוּל אֶת- דָּוִד מַדָּיוO, וְנָתַן קוֹבַע נְחֹשֶׁת עַל- רֹאשׁוֹ; וַיַּלְבֵּשׁ אֹתוֹ, שִׁרְיוֹןP. |
39 |
καὶ
ἔζωσενQ
τ |
And
|
And
David having girded
his sword upon his armour, began
to try if he [could]
walk [in armour:] for he was not accustomed
to it. And David said to Saul: I cannot go thus, for I am not used
to it. And |
And David girdedS his sword upon his armour, and he assayedT to go; for he had not provedU it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him. |
. |
וַיַּחְגֹּר דָּוִד אֶת- חַרְבּוֹ מֵעַל לְמַדָּיו וַיֹּאֶלV לָלֶכֶת, כִּי לֹא- נִסָּה, וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד אֶל-שָׁאוּל לֹא אוּכַל לָלֶכֶת בָּאֵלֶּה, כִּי לֹא נִסִּיתִי; וַיְסִרֵם דָּוִד, מֵעָלָיו. |
40 |
καὶ ἔλαβεν τὴν βακτηρίαν αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐξελέξατο ἑαυτῷ πέντε λίθους λείους ἐκ τοῦ χειμάρρουW καὶ ἔθετο αὐτοὺς ἐν τῷ καδίῳX τῷ ποιμενικῷ τῷ ὄντι αὐτῷ εἰς συλλογὴνY καὶ σφενδόνην αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ προσῆλθεν πρὸς τὸν ἄνδρα τὸν ἀλλόφυλον |
And he took his staff in his hand, and he chose for himself five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in the shepherd’s scrip which he had for his store, and his sling was in his hand; and he approached the Philistine. |
And he took his staff, [which he had always] in his hand[s]: and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them into the shepherd's scrip, which he had with him, and [he took] a sling in his hand, and went forth against the Philistine. |
And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scripZ; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew nearAA to the Philistine. |
|
וַיִּקַּח מַקְלוֹ בְּיָדוֹ, וַיִּבְחַר-לוֹ חֲמִשָּׁה חַלֻּקֵי-אֲבָנִים מִן-הַנַּחַל וַיָּשֶׂם אֹתָם בִּכְלִי הָרֹעִים אֲשֶׁר-לוֹ ABוּבַיַּלְקוּטAC--וְקַלְעוֹ בְיָדוֹ; וַיִּגַּשׁ, אֶל- הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי. |
41 |
|
And the Philistine came on, and drew nigh against David, and his armourbearer before him. |
And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield [went] before him. |
|
וַיֵּלֶךְ, הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי, הֹלֵךְ וְקָרֵב, אֶל- דָּוִד; וְהָאִישׁ נֹשֵׂא הַצִּנָּה, לְפָנָיו. |
|
42 |
καὶ εἶδεν Γολιαδ X X τὸν Δαυιδ καὶ ἠτίμασενAE αὐτόν ὅτι αὐτὸς ἦν παιδάριον καὶ αὐτὸς πυρράκης μετὰ κάλλους ὀφθαλμῶν |
And Goliath saw X X David, and despised him; for he was a lad, and ruddy, with a fair countenance. |
And when the Philistine looked, and beheld David, he despised him. For he was a young man, ruddy, and of a comely countenance. |
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. |
|
וַיַּבֵּט הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי וַיִּרְאֶה אֶת-דָּוִד, וַיִּבְזֵהוּ: כִּי-הָיָה נַעַר, וְאַדְמֹנִי עִם-יְפֵה מַרְאֶהAF. |
43 |
καὶ
εἶπεν ὁ ἀλλόφυλος
πρὸς Δαυιδ
[ὡσεὶ] κύων ἐγώ
εἰμι ὅτι σὺ ἔρχῃ
ἐπ᾽ ἐμὲ ἐν ῥάβδ |
And
the Philistine said to David, Am I [as] a dog, that thou comest
against me with |
And
the Philistine said to David: Am I a dog, that thou comest to me
with |
And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with stavesAH? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. |
|
וַיֹּאמֶר הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי, אֶל-דָּוִד, הֲכֶלֶב אָנֹכִי, כִּי-אַתָּה בָא-אֵלַי בַּמַּקְלוֹת; וַיְקַלֵּל הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי אֶת-דָּוִד, בֵּאלֹהָיו. |
44 |
καὶ
εἶπεν ὁ ἀλλόφυλος
πρὸς Δαυιδ
δεῦρο πρός με
καὶ δώσω τὰς
σάρκας σου
τοῗς πετεινοῗς
τοῦ οὐρανοῦ
καὶ τοῗς κτήνεσιν
τῆς |
And
the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy
flesh to the birds of the air, and to the beasts of the |
And
he X said to David: Come to me, and I will give thy flesh to the
birds of the air, and to the beasts of the |
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. |
|
וַיֹּאמֶר הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי, אֶל-דָּוִד: לְכָה אֵלַי--וְאֶתְּנָה אֶת- בְּשָׂרְךָ, לְעוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם וּלְבֶהֱמַת הַשָּׂדֶהAI. {ס} |
45 |
καὶ εἰπεν Δαυιδ πρὸς τὸν ἀλλόφυλον σὺ ἔρχῃ πρός με ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ καὶ ἐν δόρατι καὶ ἐν ἀσπίδι κἀγὼ πορεύομαι πρὸς σὲ ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου σαβαωθ θεοῦ παρατάξεως Ισραηλ ἣν ὠνείδισας [σήμερον] |
And David said to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with sword, and with spear, and with shield; but I come to thee in the name of the Lord God of hosts of the army of Israel, which thou hast defied [this day]. |
And David said 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, which thou hast defied. |
Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shieldAJ: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. |
45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You are coming to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I am coming to you with the name of Yahweh of hosts, the God of the ranks of Israel, whom you have insulted. |
וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד, אֶל- הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי, אַתָּה בָּא אֵלַי, בְּחֶרֶב וּבַחֲנִית וּבְכִידוֹן; וְאָנֹכִי בָא-אֵלֶיךָ, בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת, אֱלֹהֵי מַעַרְכוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל, אֲשֶׁר חֵרַפְתָּ. |
46 |
καὶ ἀποκλείσει σε κύριος σήμερον εἰς τὴν χεῗρά μου καὶ ἀποκτενῶ σε καὶ ἀφελῶ τὴν κεφαλήν σου ἀπὸ σοῦ καὶ δώσω τὰ κῶλά [σου καὶ τὰ κῶλα] παρεμβολῆς ἀλλοφύλων ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τοῗς πετεινοῗς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τοῗς θηρίοις τῆς γῆς καὶ γνώσεται πᾶσα ἡ γῆ ὅτι ἔστιν θεὸς ἐν Ισραηλ |
And the Lord shall deliver thee this day into my hand; and I will slay thee, and take away thy head from off thee, and will give [thy limbs and] the limbs of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky, and to the wild beasts of the earth; and all the earth shall know that there is a God in Israel. |
This day, and the Lord will deliver thee into my hand, and I will slay thee, and take away thy head from thee: and I will give the carcasses of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air, and to the beasts of the earth: that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. |
This day will the Lord deliver 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 airAK, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. |
46 This day, Yahweh will enclose you in my hand, and I will strike you down, and I will remove your head from off of you, and I will give the corpse of the Philistine position this day to the bird of the sky and to the animals of the earth, and all the earth will know that there is a God who belongs to Israel. |
הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה יְסַגֶּרְךָ יְהוָה בְּיָדִי וְהִכִּיתִךָ, וַהֲסִרֹתִי אֶת- רֹאשְׁךָ מֵעָלֶיךָ, וְנָתַתִּי פֶּגֶרAL מַחֲנֵה פְלִשְׁתִּים הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה, לְעוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם וּלְחַיַּת הָאָרֶץ; וְיֵדְעוּ, כָּל- הָאָרֶץ, כִּי יֵשׁ אֱלֹהִים, לְיִשְׂרָאֵל. |
47 |
καὶ
γνώσεται πᾶσα
ἡ ἐκκλησία
αὕτη ὅτι οὐκ
ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ καὶ
δόρατι σῴζει
κύριος ὅτι τοῦ
κυρίου ὁ πόλεμος
καὶ παραδώσει
κύριος ὑμᾶς
εἰς χεῗρ |
And all this assembly shall know that the Lord delivers not by sword or spear, for the battle is the Lord’s, and the [Lord] will deliver you into our hand[s]. |
And
all this assembly shall know, that the Lord saveth not with sword
and spear: for it is |
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 hand[s]. |
47 And all this assembly will know that it is not with sword or spear that Yahweh saves, for the battle belongs to Yahweh, and He will give y’all into our hands.” |
וְיֵדְעוּ כָּל-הַקָּהָל הַזֶּה, כִּי-לֹא בְּחֶרֶב וּבַחֲנִית יְהוֹשִׁיעַ יְהוָה: כִּי לַיהוָה הַמִּלְחָמָה, וְנָתַן אֶתְכֶם בְּיָדֵנוּ. ס |
48 |
καὶ X X ἀνέστη ὁ ἀλλόφυλος καὶ ἐπορεύθη X X εἰς συνάντησιν Δαυιδ X X X X X X |
And X X the Philistine arose and went X X to meet David. X X X X X X |
And when the Philistine arose and was coming, and drew nigh to meet David, David made haste, and ran to the fight to meet the Philistine. |
And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came, and drew nigh to meet David, that David hastened, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. |
|
וְהָיָה כִּי-קָםAN הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי, וַיֵּלֶךְ וַיִּקְרַב לִקְרַאת דָּוִד; וַיְמַהֵר דָּוִד, וַיָּרָץ הַמַּעֲרָכָהAO לִקְרַאת הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי. |
49 |
καὶ ἐξέτεινεν Δαυιδ τὴν χεῗρα αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸ κάδιον καὶ ἔλαβεν ἐκεῗθεν λίθον ἕνα καὶ ἐσφενδόνησεν καὶ ἐπάταξεν τὸν ἀλλόφυλον ἐπὶ τὸ μέτωπον αὐτοῦ καὶ διέδυ ὁ λίθος [διὰ τῆς περικεφαλαίας] εἰς τὸ μέτωπον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν |
And David stretched out his hand to his scrip, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine on his forehead, and the stone penetrated [through the helmet] into his forehead, and he fell upon his face to the ground. |
And he put his hand into his scrip, and took a stone X X, and cast it [with the sling], and [fetching it about] struck the Philistine in the forehead: and the stone was fixed in his forehead, and he fell on his face upon the earth. |
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. |
|
וַיִּשְׁלַח דָּוִד אֶת- יָדוֹ אֶל-הַכֶּלִי, וַיִּקַּח מִשָּׁם אֶבֶן וַיְקַלַּע, וַיַּךְ אֶת- הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי, אֶל- מִצְחוֹ; וַתִּטְבַּע הָאֶבֶן בְּמִצְחוֹ, וַיִּפֹּל עַל-פָּנָיו אָרְצָה. |
50 |
kai ekrataiwsen Dauid uper ton allofulon en th sfendonh kai en tw liqw kai epataxen ton allofulon, kai eqantwsen auton kai romfaia ouk hn en ceiri Dauid.AP |
And David prevailed over the Philistine with the sling and with the stone, and he struck the Philistine and killed him, and no sword was in David’s hand.AQ |
And David prevailed over the Philistine, with a sling and a stone, and he struck, and slew the Philistine. And as David had no sword in his hand, |
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. |
|
וַיֶּחֱזַק דָּוִד מִן- הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי בַּקֶּלַע וּבָאֶבֶן, וַיַּךְ אֶת-הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי וַיְמִתֵהוּAR; וְחֶרֶב, אֵין בְּיַד-דָּוִד. |
51 |
καὶ
ἔδραμεν Δαυιδ
καὶ ἐπέστη ἐπ᾽
|
And
David ran, and stood upon |
X
|
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 championAS was dead, they fled. |
|
וַיָּרָץ דָּוִד וַיַּעֲמֹד אֶלAT-הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי וַיִּקַּח אֶת-חַרְבּוֹ וַיִּשְׁלְפָהּ מִתַּעְרָהּ, וַיְמֹתְתֵהוּ, וַיִּכְרָת- בָּהּ, אֶת-רֹאשׁוֹ; וַיִּרְאוּ הַפְּלִשְׁתִּים כִּי-מֵת גִּבּוֹרָם, וַיָּנֻסוּ. |
52 |
καὶ
ἀνίστανται ἄνδρες
Ισραηλ καὶ Ιουδα
καὶ ἠλάλαξαν
καὶ κατεδίωξαν
X X ὀπίσω αὐτῶν
ἕως εἰσόδου
|
And
the men of Israel and Juda arose, and shouted and pursued the |
And
the men of Israel and Juda rising up X shouted, and pursued
[after] the Philistines till |
And the men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, until thou come to the valleyAW, and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell downAX by the way to Shaaraim, even unto Gath, and unto Ekron. |
|
וַיָּקֻמוּ אַנְשֵׁי יִשְׂרָאֵל וִיהוּדָה וַיָּרִעוּ, וַיִּרְדְּפוּ אֶת-הַפְּלִשְׁתִּים, עַד-בּוֹאֲךָ גַיְא, וְעַד שַׁעֲרֵי עֶקְרוֹן; וַיִּפְּלוּ חַלְלֵיAY פְלִשְׁתִּים, בְּדֶרֶךְ שַׁעֲרַיִםAZ, וְעַד- גַּת, וְעַד-עֶקְרוֹן. |
53 |
καὶ
ἀνέστρεψαν
|
And
the |
And
the children of Israel
returning, after they had pursued X the Philistines, X |
And the children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they spoiled their tents. |
|
וַיָּשֻׁבוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, מִדְּלֹק אַחֲרֵי פְלִשְׁתִּים; וַיָּשֹׁסּוּ, אֶת- מַחֲנֵיהֶם. |
54 |
καὶ ἔλαβεν Δαυιδ τὴν κεφαλὴν τοῦ ἀλλοφύλου καὶ ἤνεγκεν αὐτὴν εἰς Ιερουσαλημ καὶ τὰ σκεύηBD αὐτοῦ ἔθηκεν ἐν τῷ σκηνώματι αὐτοῦ |
And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armour in his tent. |
And David taking the head of the Philistine X brought it to Jerusalem: but his armour he put in his tent. |
And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armour in his tent. |
|
וַיִּקַּח דָּוִד אֶת- רֹאשׁ הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי, וַיְבִאֵהוּ יְרוּשָׁלִָם; וְאֶת-כֵּלָיו, שָׂם בְּאָהֳלוֹ. {ס} |
55 |
|
Now
at the time that Saul saw David going out against the
Philistines, he said to Abner the captain of the army: Of
what |
And
when Saul saw David go forth against X 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 |
|
וְכִרְאוֹת שָׁאוּל אֶת-דָּוִד, יֹצֵא לִקְרַאת הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי, אָמַר אֶל-אַבְנֵר שַׂר הַצָּבָאBG, בֶּן-מִי-זֶה הַנַּעַר אַבְנֵר; וַיֹּאמֶר אַבְנֵר, חֵי-נַפְשְׁךָ הַמֶּלֶךְ אִם-יָדָעְתִּי. |
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56 |
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And the king said: Inquire thou, whose son this man is. |
And
the king said, Enquire thou whose son |
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וַיֹּאמֶר, הַמֶּלֶךְ: שְׁאַל אַתָּה, בֶּן- מִי-זֶה הָעָלֶםBI. ס |
57 |
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And when David was returned, after the Philistine was slain, Abner took him, and brought him in before Saul, with the head of the Philistine in his hand. |
And as David returned from the slaughterBJ of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. |
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וּכְשׁוּב דָּוִד, מֵהַכּוֹת אֶת- הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי, וַיִּקַּח אֹתוֹ אַבְנֵר, וַיְבִאֵהוּ לִפְנֵי שָׁאוּל; וְרֹאשׁ הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי, בְּיָדוֹ. |
58 |
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And Saul said to him: Young man, of what family art thou? And David said: I am the son of thy servant Isai the Bethlehemite. |
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. |
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וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו שָׁאוּל, בֶּן-מִי אַתָּה הַנָּעַר; וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד, בֶּן-עַבְדְּךָ יִשַׁי בֵּית הַלַּחְמִי. |
1Consider what this says of the character of David, “He could not see a lamb in distress but he would venture his life to rescue it. This temper made him fit to be a king, to whom the lives of subjects should be dear and their blood precious (Psalm 72:14), and fit to be a type of Christ, the good Shepherd, who gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them in his bosom (Isaiah 40:11), and who not only ventured, but laid down his life for his sheep.” ~Matthew Henry
2Willett argued that this was not a rash judgment of Saul, nor mere formality, but a recognition that God was with this lad and that “If Saul had stayd David from going forward, he had sinned.”
3so Josephus, Pellican, & Goldman, but this seems unlikely due to Saul’s unusual height and David’s youthfulness
4so Osiander, Martyr, Henry, & Gill
5John Gill: “some say about fourteen or sixteen years of age, but very probably about twenty, and no more”
6cf. Matthew Henry, “fearing that the contemptibleness of the champion he contended with would lessen the glory of his victory”
7A claim denied by the Targum, Kimchi, Jamieson, and Henry
8The only comment I’ve seen on this is Rashi’s, that God caused Goliath to fall that way to make it easier for David to cut off his head, but that still doesn’t explain it to me.
9John Gill claimed that Psalm 9 was written about this victory, although I would want more proof.
10Antiquities of the Jews l. 6. c. 9. sect. 5.
11K&D argued unconvincingly against this point
12“He brought the head of the Philistine to Jerusalem, to be a terror to the Jebusites, who held the strong-hold of Sion” cf. Gill: “the stronghold of Zion was possessed by the Jebusites; and it is generally thought that it was to the terror of them that the head of Goliath was carried there”
13So Josephus, Willett, Goldman, Gordon, & Klein
14Although there were commentators like Abarbinel who thought otherwise.
15So Kimchi, Driver, Goldman, Jamieson, K&D, Gill, & Tsumura
16K&D cited De Wette, Thenius, Ewald, Bleek, & Stähelin
17So Osiander, Jamieson, & Zhodiates
18So Vatabulus, Martyr, Pellican, Willett, Henry, & Gill
AMy
original chart includes the NASB and NIV, but their copyright
restrictions have forced me to remove them from the
publicly-available edition of this chart. I have included the ESV in
footnotes when it employs a word not already used by the KJV, NASB,
or NIV. (NAW is my translation.) When a translation adds words not
in the Hebrew text, but does not indicate it has done so by the use
of italics (or greyed-out text), I put the added words in [square
brackets]. When one version chooses a wording which is different
from all the other translations, I underline it. When a
version chooses a translation which, in my opinion, either departs
too far from the root meaning of the Hebrew word or departs too far
from the grammar form of the original text, I use strikeout.
And when a version omits a word which is in the original text, I
insert an X. (I also place an X at the end of a word if the original
word is plural but the English translation is singular.) I
occasionally use colors to help the reader see correlations between
the various editions and versions when there are more than two
different translations of a given word. The only known Dead Sea
Scroll containing any part of this passage is 4Q51, containing parts
of verses 40-41, and dated to around 50 B.C. I have colored purple
the text of the MT which corraborates with that DSS and highlighted
with yellow the LXX
and Vulgate where they agree with the DSS over against the MT. Where
I have accepted that into my NAW translation, I marked my
translation with {pointed brackets}.
BNASB
= “told,” NIV = “reported,” ESV = “repeated”
CSome Hebrew and Greek manuscripts read “they got [him]” (wjqyw)/whwjqyw/kai paresthsan auton)
DLXX reads as though the Hebrew were אדני instead of אדם
ESome Hebrew manuscripts (and the Syriac) omit the last letter, changing the pronoun to first person “my father” which just makes it more like a quote, but still referring the pronoun to David, so no difference in meaning.
F"זה which we find in most of the editions since the time of Jac. Chayim, 1525, is an error in writing, or more correctly in hearing, for שֶׂה, a sheep.” ~K&D
GOther early Greek translators after the LXX, such as Aquila (A.) & Symmachus (Σ.) rendered pwgwnoV (which I assume is closer to the MT “beard/mane”)
H“the sheep” is the understood object (spelled out in the ESV), and several Hebrew manuscripts (followed by the Syriac and Targums) actually add an extra vav stroke at the end of the word to supply the object as the pronoun “him,” which doesn’t change the meaning.
I"זָקָן, beard and chin, signifies the bearded chin” ~K&D
JNASB= “since,” NIV = “because,” ESV = “for”
K“here disjunctive waw functions as expressing the reason why he says ‘go!’ (imperative)” ~David Tsumura (NICOT)
LHere and in the next verse, LXX transliterated rather than translated the Hebrew phrase. Aq. = enduthn (“clothing”)
MNASB = “garments” (then “armor” in v.29), NIV = “tunic” This word is plural, and it seems to be used of clothing which is typical for a particular vocation, such as the outfit/uniform/garb/attire of a priest (Lev. 6:3), of a judge (Jdg. 5:10), or of a soldier (1 Sam. 4:12).
NNASB = “armor”
O“signifies probably a peculiar kind of clothes which were worn under the armour, a kind of armour-coat to which the sword was fastened.” ~K&D
PCf v.5 – Goliath wore the same kind of “brass helmet” and “breastplate/armor/coat of mail”
QOther Greek translators (presumably Aq. & Symmachus) eneduse (“clothed”)
RLucian Rescription ecwlainen and S. eskaxen apeiroV made it more like the MT reading.
SNIV = “fastened,” ESV = “strapped”
TMost all other English versions translate with a form of the English word “try”
UNASB = “tested,” NIV = “used” and so in the next instance
VAll other places this verb occurs (except for Joel 1:8, where it is translated “wail”), this verb means “to swear” or “take an oath” (Jdg. 17:2; 1 Sam. 14:24; 1 Ki. 8:31; 2 Chr. 6:22; Hos. 4:2; 10:4).
WS. Q. faraggoV (“ravine”)
XAq. & Sym. translated it skeuei (“utensil”), which is more like the MT.
YA. analekthriw, S. phra (“knapsack”)
ZNASB, NICOT = “pouch,” NIV = “bag,” ESV omits, Goldman = “wallet,” Gill mentions a curious Ethiopic tradition (Apud Ludolf. Lexic. Ethiop. p. 84) that it was “that piece of the leather in the midst of the sling, in which the slingers used to put the stones”
AANASB, NIV, ESV = “approached”
ABTsumura, in the New International Commentary on the Old Testament, citing D. W. Baker, labels this a “waw explicativum,” translating it “namely”
ACHapex Legomenon from a verb that means “to glean”
ADThe antiquity of v.41 is established by its presence in the DSS, even though it is not in the LXX. It does not add any new information, however, only a greater sense of drama in the telling.
AEOther Greek versions = exoudenwsen (“made nothing of him”), but the LXX is closer to the MT.
AFSeveral Hebrew manuscripts read more closely to the LXX with <ynyu (“eyes”), but it means practically the same thing.
AGS. eloidorei (“reviled”)
AHNASB, NIV, ESV = “sticks”
AIThe Greek translation of this Hebrew word would normally be αγρος (“field”), but multiple Hebrew manuscripts (and some Targums) instead read הארץ, supporting the LXX γης and Vulgate terrae (“earth”), which can still be synonyms.
AJNASB, NIV, ESV = “javelin” KJV translated this “target” in v.6, which see.
AKNASB = “birds of the sky”
ALMany sources more ancient than the MT tradition make this word plural: LXX, Targums, Symmachus, and Syriac.
AMThe Syriac and some Hebrew manuscripts support the plural “hands” over against the MT.
ANTsumura called this an inchoative verb, citing F.W. Dobbs-Allsopp’s paper on the “Ingressive qwm in Biblical Hebrew”
AOcf. Syriac & Targum and Greek (parataxin) support the MT against the Vulgate ad pugnam
APThis is Theodotian’s version, not in the LXX – perhaps a back-translation from the MT?
AQThis is my translation. Brenton skipped this verse following the Vaticanus.
ARBy this redundancy, “the narrator apparently wishes to convey that Goliath did not die as a result of the blow from the stone…” ~Goldman (Soncino)
ASThe Hebrew word is different here from the one in vs. 4 & 23, which the KJV also translated “champion.” The word here means “mighty man,” and in the former places it meant “the man in the middle.” Like the KJV, the LXX also translated both Hebrew words with the same Greek word “strong-man.”
ATSome Hebrew mss. render על “over” instead of אל “to,” and the Greek, Syriac, Chaldee, and Latin versions rendered with prepositions more like “over” than “to,” but this Hebrew word has a wide range of meaning that can include “over.”
AUThe LXX translated the Hebrew word “shaarim” (which means “gates”) instead of transliterating it like other versions did. Tsumura made the “conjecture that there was a double gate (where a Philistine garrison may have been) at the junction where the road to Gath and the road to Ekron met… Any Philistine soldiers would try to escape westward toward this place...”
AVThe Greek word here is “wounded/traumatized” rather than “killed,” more like the MT “pierced.”
AWGill accepted the KJV “valley,” but McCarter, NIV, & ESV follow the LXX here with “Gath,” the first half of which is spelled the same as “valley” in Hebrew. Ehrlich, AJV, Goldman, & Tsumura also considered it a place name, but went with the actual spelling “Gai.” K&D translated it “valley” but noted that it was mighty “suspicious” and could well be “Gath” misspelled. This doesn’t make much difference in meaning because, as Tsumura noted, “the Gai Valley seems to refer to the valley which leads to Gath.”
AXNASB = “lay” (which would be a different Hebrew word שכב), NIV translates the Qal as though it were Niphal “were strewn”
AYLiterally “pierced” K&D = “wounded”
AZThis place is mentioned in Josh. 15:36.
BASymmachus: apo tou diwgmou (“from the pursuit”)
BBOther Greek versions are more like the MT with dihrpasan (“plundered”)
BCposuit
BDThe LXX noun has a wide range of meaning; Symmachus specified “armor” opla
BE kai wV eiden Saoul- apo tou pataxai ton allofulon “And as Saul saw – from the striking down of the Philistine”
BFNASB, NIV, ESV = “know” which is more literally what the MT says
BGThe Lucian Rescention of the LXX, as well as the Syriac and Targums add a 3ms pronoun here (“his”), but it makes no difference to the story , for context makes it clear that it’s the same army, whether it is called “Saul’s army” or “the army.”
BHNASB = “youth,” NIV = “young man,” ESV = “boy” The KJV “stripling” connotes slender height rather than “hiddenness” as the Hebrew ‘elah denotes, but it is of about the same unusualness for English as ‘elah is for Hebrew, and besides, it makes a great rhyme for “Kipling” in the Take 6 a cappella song about David & Goliath!
BIThe only other place in the Bible this word is used is in 1 Sam 20:22, which is also in parallel with the word na’ar, so it must be a synonym for a servant boy/young man
BJNASB, NIV = “killing,” ESV = “striking down” (the latter is the more literal translation of the Hebrew)