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1 Samuel 17:13
ESV The three oldest sons of Jesse had followed Saul to the battle. And the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.
NIV Jesse’s three oldest sons had followed Saul to the war: The firstborn was Eliab; the second, Abinadab; and the third, Shammah.
NASB The three older sons of Jesse had followed Saul to the battle. And the names of his three sons who had gone into the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and second to him, Abinadab, and the third, Shammah.
CSB Jesse’s three oldest sons had followed Saul to the war, and their names were Eliab, the firstborn, Abinadab, the next, and Shammah, the third,
NLT Jesse’s three oldest sons — Eliab, Abinadab, and Shimea — had already joined Saul’s army to fight the Philistines.
KJV 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.
NKJV The three oldest sons of Jesse had gone to follow Saul to the battle. The names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.

What does 1 Samuel 17:13 mean?

During a narrative about Philistines challenging Israel to champion warfare, David and his family are re-introduced to the reader (1 Samuel 16). This battle is crucial in David's role as king. The imagery also alludes to the future Messiah, who is from David's line (Genesis 3:15; 2 Samuel 7:12–17; Revelation 20:2, 7–15). It makes sense that this narrative be able to stand alone; thus, David would need to be introduced. This re-introduction also reminds readers of what occurred previously. It's also possible that the earlier description of David in Saul's service (1 Samuel 16:21) includes what happened with Goliath, saving details for later.

The prophet Samuel was sent to Jesse's home to anoint the new king of Israel. Though Samuel thought the eldest would be the anointed, he was not God's chosen. Neither were the other six brothers. Instead, it was the youngest son, who was out in the fields with the sheep, who was God's chosen (1 Samuel 16:1–13).

Here we see that Jesse's three oldest sons are at the battle. It would have been expected that men of fighting age would join the army of Israel during times of war. This is likely why Jesse is described as being older in the previous verse, to explain why he stayed home (1 Samuel 17:12).

Eliab, Abinadab, and Shammah do not answer Goliath's threat. Neither does the sitting king, Saul. Confident in God, David does (1 Samuel 17:31–32). This account demonstrates that David is, indeed, anointed by God and willing to act in faith.
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