17:1 The Philistines gathered their troops for battle. They assembled at Socoh in Judah. They camped in Ephes Dammim, between Socoh and Azekah.
Israel and the Philistines were at war once again. The Philistines camped at Ephes Dammim, which was a few mile southwest of Jerusalem. The Philistine were camped to the north.
2 Saul and the Israelite army assembled and camped in the valley of Elah, where they arranged their battle lines to fight against the Philistines.
Israel camped at the valley of Elah, which was directly across from the Philistine camp. Israel was camped to the south.
3 The Philistines were standing on one hill, and the Israelites on another hill, with the valley between them.
Both camped on opposite mountains with a valley in-between. Both armies were camped on the high ground, so they did not want to attack and place their armies at risk.
4 Then a champion came out from the camp of the Philistines. His name was Goliath; he was from Gath. He was close to seven feet tall.
In Hebrew, Goliath was “six cubits and a span." One cubit was 18 inches. One span was 9 inches. Therefore, Goliath was 9.75 feet tall. He was one of the last of the Anakim race of giants, still residing in Gath.
5 He had a bronze helmet on his head and was wearing scale body armor. The weight of his bronze body armor was five thousand shekels.
Norma body armor usually weighed around 33-62 pounds. Goliath's body armor weighed 125 pounds.
6 He had bronze shin guards on his legs, and a bronze javelin was slung over his shoulders.
The armor protected the body of the giant. The javelin gave him a long weapon, making it difficult to get inside of striking range.
7 The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and the iron point of his spear weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer was walking before him.
A normal spear weighed about one pound. Goliath's spear tip weighed 15 pounds.
8 Goliath stood and called to Israel’s troops, “Why do you come out to prepare for battle? Am I not the Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose for yourselves a man so he may come down to me!
Many ancient battles were determined by the battle between two men.
9 If he is able to fight with me and strike me down, we will become your servants. But if I prevail against him and strike him down, you will become our servants and will serve us.”
Since neither Israel or the Philistines wanted to attack the other while they were camped on high ground, the Philistines challenged Israel to produce their best warrior and fight one on one, winner takes all.
10 Then the Philistine said, “I defy Israel’s troops this day! Give me a man so we can fight each other!”
Goliath insulted the fighting men of Israel. Saul was one of the biggest and strongest soldiers of Israel. He should have stepped up as Israel’s champion.
11 When Saul and all the Israelites heard these words of the Philistine, they were upset and very afraid.
During the days of the conquest, Caleb killed an entire region of giants. There were no men of Caleb’s faith in Israel at this time, except for David.
12 Now David was the son of this Ephrathite named Jesse from Bethlehem in Judah. He had eight sons, and in Saul’s days he was old and well advanced in years.
David was the youngest of eight sons. His father was Jesse. Jesse was an Ephrathite from the tribe of Judah. He lived in the small town of Bethlehem. Bethlehem means “house of bread."
13 Jesse’s three oldest sons had followed Saul to war. The names of the three sons who went to war were Eliab, his firstborn, Abinadab, the second oldest, and Shammah, the third oldest.
Jesse’s three sons were camped at the battle, listening to the taunts of Goliath.
14 Now David was the youngest. While the three oldest sons followed Saul,
David was the youngest of eight sons.
15 David was going back and forth from Saul in order to care for his father’s sheep in Bethlehem.
David was Saul’s armor bearer and servant. However, Saul allowed David to leave him temporarily so that he could take care of his father’s sheep.
16 Meanwhile for forty days the Philistine approached every morning and evening and took his position.
The Philistines insulted the army of Israel for forty consecutive days.
17 Jesse said to his son David, “Take your brothers this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread; go quickly to the camp to your brothers.
David was responsible for bringing food to his older brothers.
18 Also take these ten portions of cheese to their commanding officer. Find out how your brothers are doing and bring back their pledge that they received the goods.
Jesse was exchanging cheese for military intelligence.
19 They are with Saul and the whole Israelite army in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.”
David was given the location of the battle.
20 So David got up early in the morning and entrusted the flock to someone else who would watch over it. After loading up, he went just as Jesse had instructed him. He arrived at the camp as the army was going out to the battle lines shouting its battle cry.
David entrusted his flocks to another shepherd and traveled to the front lines.
21 Israel and the Philistines drew up their battle lines opposite one another.
David observed the battle lines of the two armies.
22 After David had entrusted his cargo to the care of the supply officer, he ran to the battlefront. When he arrived, he asked his brothers how they were doing.
David reported to the supply officer and then went to the front line to visit his three brothers.
23 As he was speaking with them, the champion named Goliath, the Philistine from Gath, was coming up from the battle lines of the Philistines. He spoke the way he usually did, and David heard it.
David heard the taunts of Goliath.
24 When all the men of Israel saw this man, they retreated from his presence and were very afraid.
David observed the fear of the Israelite soldiers.
25 The men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who is coming up? He does so to defy Israel. But the king will make the man who can strike him down very wealthy! He will give him his daughter in marriage, and he will make his father’s house exempt from tax obligations in Israel.”
Even though Saul offered his daughter in marriage and family tax-exemption, he could not find an Israelite champion to stand up and fight against Goliath.
26 David asked the men who were standing near him, “What will be done for the man who strikes down this Philistine and frees Israel from this humiliation? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he defies the armies of the living God?”
David wanted to know the details of the reward. In his eyes, Goliath was an uncircumcised Philistine who humiliated Israel and defied the armies of “the living God." Jehovah was a real God who was alive. Dagon was nothing but an idol made of wood or stone.
27 The soldiers told him what had been promised, saying, “This is what will be done for the man who can strike him down.”
The soldiers gave David the details of the reward.
28 When David’s oldest brother Eliab heard him speaking to the men, he became angry with David and said, “Why have you come down here? To whom did you entrust those few sheep in the desert? I am familiar with your pride and deceit! You have come down here to watch the battle!”
David’s oldest brother was most likely frustrated after hearing the taunts of Goliath for forty consecutive days. He did not appreciate his little brother coming into a camp of war and speaking so confidently, especially when the entire camp was filled with fear. This attitude of the older brother demonstrated why he was not fit to be king of Israel.
29 David replied, “What have I done now? Can’t I say anything?”
David thought that his brother’s comments were unnecessary.
30 Then he turned from those who were nearby to someone else and asked the same question, but they gave him the same answer as before.
David asked the same question again, but to a different soldier.
31 When David’s words were overheard and reported to Saul, he called for him.
The conversation of David was reported to King Saul.
32 David said to Saul, “Don’t let anyone be discouraged. Your servant will go and fight this Philistine!”
David volunteered to fight against Saul.
33 But Saul replied to David, “You aren’t able to go against this Philistine and fight him! You’re just a boy! He has been a warrior from his youth!”
Saul told David that he would not stand a chance against such a powerful veteran soldier as Goliath. David was just a boy.
34 David replied to Saul, “Your servant has been a shepherd for his father’s flock. Whenever a lion or bear would come and carry off a sheep from the flock, 35 I would go out after it, strike it down, and rescue the sheep from its mouth. If it rose up against me, I would grab it by its jaw, strike it, and kill it.
David was a very skilled shepherd, especially with a sling. He had killed lions and bears who were stronger and quicker than Goliath.
36 Your servant has struck down both the lion and the bear. This uncircumcised Philistine will be just like one of them. For he has defied the armies of the living God!”
Goliath was not as powerful as the lion or bear. He had defied the armies of the living God. He could be slain, just as the lions and bears had been slain.
37 David went on to say, “The Lord who delivered me from the lion and the bear will also deliver me from the hand of this Philistine!” Then Saul said to David, “Go! The Lord will be with you.”
Once Samuel anointed David as king, he was immortal until he fulfilled this office. Jehovah had delivered David from the lion and the bear. To keep His promise of making David king, He would have to deliver David from Goliath as well.
38 Then Saul clothed David with his own fighting attire and put a bronze helmet on his head. He also put body armor on him.
Saul clothed David in his own body armor.
39 David strapped on his sword over his fighting attire and tried to walk around, but he was not used to them. David said to Saul, “I can’t walk in these things, for I’m not used to them.” So David removed them.
David was not trained in this kind of battle.
40 He took his staff in his hand, picked out five smooth stones from the stream, placed them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag, took his sling in hand, and approached the Philistine.
David was a shepherd who possessed outstanding sling skills. Since Goliath had four other brothers, David picked up five stones. He expected Goliath’s brothers to defend their brother’s honor. Eventually, David killed Goliath’s four brothers.
41 The Philistine kept coming closer to David, with his shield bearer walking in front of him.
Goliath approached David with his shield bearer in front.
42 When the Philistine looked carefully at David, he despised him, for he was only a ruddy and handsome boy.
Goliath noticed that he was fighting a boy.
43 The Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you are coming after me with sticks?” Then the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
Dogs were scavengers who traveled in packs and tore their victims to shreds with their teeth. A "dog" was also a euphemism for a homosexual temple prostitute. Both types of dogs were treated with contempt in ancient societies. Goliath violated the Abrahamic Covenant by calling God's anointed king a "dog".
44 The Philistine said to David, “Come here to me, so I can give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the field!”
Goliath was fighting a boy who was immortal until he was coronated as king.
45 But David replied to the Philistine, “You are coming against me with sword and spear and javelin. But I am coming against you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel’s armies, whom you have defied!
The Hebrew for “Lord of hosts” is יְהוָ֣ה צְבָאֹ֔ות (Jehovah Zavoat), meaning the Promise-Keeping-Covenant-Keeping God of the angelic army. David’s message to Goliath was that sword, spear, and javelin are no match for the God of the angelic army who made a promise to protect Israel. David informed Goliath that his mistake was that he denied the living God of Israel. Goliath’s god was not even alive. It was simply an idol made of stone or wood.
46 This very day the Lord will deliver you into my hand! I will strike you down and cut off your head. This day I will give the corpses of the Philistine army to the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the land. Then all the land will realize that Israel has a God
David informed Goliath that after his death, all of the Philistines would realize that the God of Israel was the one true God. The purpose of this encounter was to show Israel and the Philistines that Jehovah is in control of all things, including battles and history.
47 and all this assembly will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves! For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will deliver you into our hand.”
David was very confident as a teenager. He was telling this ten foot giant that this battle will be decided by Jehovah.
48 The Philistine drew steadily closer to David to attack him, while David quickly ran toward the battle line to attack the Philistine.
David was aggressive in his attack. It is important to note that he was fighting against a giant.
49 David reached his hand into the bag and took out a stone. He slung it, striking the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank deeply into his forehead, and he fell down with his face to the ground.
David was extremely skilled with the sling. He only needed one stone to strike Goliath in the forehead. Goliath fell facedown.
50 David prevailed over the Philistine with just the sling and the stone. He struck down the Philistine and killed him. David did not even have a sword in his hand.
David promised Goliath that he would cut off his head, but he did not have a sword. Skeptics point out that there seems to be a contradiction with 2 Samuel 21:19, where it says that a man named Elhanan killed Goliath. However, the translators most likely inserted that Elhanan killed “the brother of Goliath the Gittite,” because it is stated so in I Chronicles 20:5. Most likely an early copyist omitted the words “the brother of” from 2 Samuel 21:19.
51 David ran and stood over the Philistine. He grabbed Goliath’s sword, drew it from its sheath, killed him, and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they ran away.
David had to fulfill his own prophecy by killing Goliath with his own sword. The death of Goliath caused the Philistines to run away in fear.
52 Then the men of Israel and Judah charged forward, shouting a battle cry. They chased the Philistines to the valley and to the very gates of Ekron. The Philistine corpses lay fallen along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron.
The Israelite army charged forth, killing many of the Philistine soldiers.
53 When the Israelites returned from their hot pursuit of the Philistines, they looted their camp.
Israel plundered the Philistine camp. The Philistines felt the reverse effect of the Abrahamic Covenant. They wanted to kill and plunder Israel, but they were the ones who were killed and plundered by Israel.
54 David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, and he put Goliath’s weapons in his tent.
The head of Goliath was brought to Jerusalem. Since Jerusalem was not taken until the time of David, then this must be a reference to the Israelite portion of Jerusalem outside of the Jebusite fortress. David later brought Goliath’s sword to a sanctuary in Nob.
55 Now as Saul watched David going out to fight the Philistine, he asked Abner, the general in command of the army, “Whose son is this young man, Abner?” Abner replied, “As surely as you live, O king, I don’t know.”
Saul knew David, but he did not know his family line.
56 The king said, “Find out whose son this boy is!”
Saul knew David very well from contact with him in his court, but he had forgotten the name of David’s father. He needed the family name so that he could exempt his family from taxes.
57 So when David returned from striking down the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul. He still had the head of the Philistine in his hand.
General Abner brought David before King Saul.
58 Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” David replied, “I am the son of your servant Jesse in Bethlehem.”
Notice that David gave King Saul the name of his family. David’s family would be exempt from taxes.