1 Samuel 17:45 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

NIV: David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

NASB: But David said to the Philistine, 'You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a saber, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of armies, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

CSB: David said to the Philistine: "You come against me with a sword, spear, and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord of Armies, the God of the ranks of Israel—you have defied him.

NLT: David replied to the Philistine, 'You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies — the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

KJV: Then said David 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, whom thou hast defied.

NKJV: Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

David has responded to the Philistine champion's challenge (1 Samuel 17:4–10) and come to fight on Israel's behalf (1 Samuel 17:32, 37, 40). David was not a trained warrior, but he was an experienced shepherd (1 Samuel 17:34–36). He recognized the Philistine's threat as defiance against God (1 Samuel 17:26) and trusted the Lord to bring rescue (1 Samuel 17:37). Goliath has mocked David for coming to challenge him with nothing more than a staff (1 Samuel 17:43), apparently not yet seeing David's sling (1 Samuel 17:40). He has cursed and belittled the virtually unarmed youth (1 Samuel 17:44). This was common battlefield practice intended to break down the spirit of the enemy to make them less confident and effective in the fight.

David's spirit remains unbroken. He answers the giant, acknowledging all of Goliath's impressive weapons, including his sword, spear, and javelin. Earlier, Goliath's bronze javelin was described as being slung between his shoulders and his spear as being gigantic with a massive iron point (1 Samuel 17:6–7). The sword was not mentioned in that description, but it will become an important part in the description of Goliath's ultimate fate (1 Samuel 17:51).

David's battlefield proclamation is that he has come to fight Goliath in the name of the God of Israel. By defying Israel's army, the Philistine has been guilty of defying Israel's God. David's opening words leave no doubt that he sees this confrontation as a battle between the Lord God of Israel and Goliath and his gods. Human weapons make little difference.

First Samuel 17:41–54 describes a world-renowned fight. Goliath is a Philistine giant armed with massive weapons. David is a teenager armed only with his shepherd's sling: a long leather strap used to throw hand-sized stones at deadly speed. Goliath mocks David, and the Lord. David replies by expressing faith and vowing to cut off Goliath's head. As the two approach each other, David slings a stone into Goliath's forehead, crushing the giant's skull. The Philistine falls, and David runs up to remove Goliath's sword, making good on his promise to behead the enemy. The Philistine army panics, flees, and the Israelite army follows to complete the victory.

David, delivering food to his brothers at the Israelite army camp, hears the Philistine Goliath's defiant challenge. Single man combat could decide the battle, but no Israelite wanted to face the massive warrior. David is appalled that a Philistine would defy the armies of the living God. He volunteers to fight, and King Saul agrees. Before the battle, David declares that the Lord will give victory and thereby show the world that there is a God in Israel. David quickly kills and beheads Goliath. The Israelites chase the Philistines back to their own territory and plunder their camp. David brings Goliath's head to Saul.

Saul was made king of Israel (1 Samuel 9—10) and had many early successes (1 Samuel 11—14). However, his disobedience resulted in God's plan for a different king (1 Samuel 15). The prophet Samuel anointed David as this future monarch (1 Samuel 16:11–13). David has been serving as a musician for Saul (1 Samuel 16:18–21) and comes visit his brothers during a standoff between Israelite and Philistine forces. This leads to the famous story of David and Goliath. David's victory publicly triggers his rise to power, paralleled by Saul's collapse. In the end, Saul will die in disgrace (1 Samuel 31:4–7) and David will be appointed the new king of Israel (1 Samuel 2:45:1–3).

First Samuel introduces the key figures who led Israel after the era of the judges. The books of 1 and 2 Samuel were originally part of a single text, split in certain translations shortly before the birth of Christ. Some of the Bible’s most famous characters are depicted in this book. These including the prophet Samuel, Israel’s first king, Saul, her greatest king, David, and other famous names such as Goliath and Jonathan. By the end of this book, Saul has fallen; the book of 2 Samuel begins with David’s ascension to the throne.