1 Samuel 17:46

ESV This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel,
NIV This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.
NASB This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I will strike you and remove your head from you. Then I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel,
CSB Today, the Lord will hand you over to me. Today, I’ll strike you down, remove your head, and give the corpses of the Philistine camp to the birds of the sky and the wild creatures of the earth. Then all the world will know that Israel has a God,
NLT Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel!
KJV 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 air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.
NKJV This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.

What does 1 Samuel 17:46 mean?

David has approached the Philistine champion, Goliath, to accept the challenge to a representative hand-to-hand combat on behalf of their nations (1 Samuel 17:1–10, 32, 40). Goliath is insulted and unimpressed by the youth in shepherd gear (1 Samuel 17:40–42). He has cursed David and declared that he will leave the young man's corpse to rot on the field of battle (1 Samuel 17:43–44). Now David continues his own confident response.

David acknowledges the Philistine's impressive weaponry. But he declares it to be no match for the Lord, in whose name David fights (1 Samuel 17:45). The Philistine has defied the armies of the living God. David is not bragging about his own strength or skill but expressing confidence in his God. By the Lord's power, David knows that he will win this fight. He is assured that he will win and decapitate the giant. By the Lord's power, David knows it is not his body that will be consumed by birds and beasts, but the bodies of the Philistines.

David gives two reasons as to why the Lord will do this (1 Samuel 17:47). The first is that the entire world will know that Israel's God is the One True God, and not just another powerless false idol. The power of Israel's God will be made famous when a youth without armor or sword kills the mighty and unbeatable champion of the Philistines.

David's words hold true even to this day. Even among those who know the least about the Bible, the story of David and Goliath is told from one generation to another. Though often mis-applied, the expression "David and Goliath" is frequently mentioned when discussing imbalanced contests.
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