By James M. Rochford

Unless otherwise stated, all citations are taken from the New International Version (NIV).

1 Samuel 17 (David and Goliath)

Summary: In the valley of Elah, the armies of Israel and the Philistines face each other across the divide (v.4). The Philistine champion, Goliath, challenges any Israelite to single combat, with the outcome determining victory for the victor’s army (17:8-10).

For forty days, Goliath’s taunts paralyze Saul and the Israelites (17:11). Despite Saul’s stature and expectation to fight, David steps forward, having been trained by God through his experience of shepherding his sheep, even encountering lions and bears (17:34).

In defiance of Goliath’s mockery, David declares, “You come to me with sword, spear, and 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” (17:45). David defeats Goliath with a stone and beheads him with the champion’s own sword, causing the Philistines to flee in fear (17:51). Inspired by David’s faith and bravery, the Israelites pursue and rout the Philistines, securing a decisive victory (17:52). David’s courageous act becomes a rallying point that energizes the entire Israelite army.

(17:1-3) Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled at Sokoh in Judah. They pitched camp at Ephes Dammim, between Sokoh and Azekah. ² Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines. ³ The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with the valley between them.

The Philistines and Israelites squared off opposite one another across the valley of Elah.

Goliath: the scariest opponent you could imagine

(17:4) A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span.

The term “champion” (ʾîš-habbēnayim) literally means “the man between two [armies].”^[1] He was the man an army would in single-man combat to decide the fate of the battle.

(1 Sam. 17:4) Are descriptions of biblical giants like Goliath believable? The Masoretic Text states that Goliath is six cubits and a span (NASB). This would make him 9 feet 9 inches tall. We should consider several observations:

First, many texts state that Goliath wasn’t this tall. The Septuagint, the Dead Sea Scrolls (4QSam^a), and Josephus (Antiquities 6.171) all state that Goliath was four cubits and a span (or 6 feet 9 inches tall). Textual scholars of the OT have long recognized that the text of Samuel is difficult—especially when it comes to the transmission of numbers. If so, this would mean that Goliath was simply tall—not 9 feet tall. The difficulty with holding this view is the fact that Goliath’s armor and weapons are enormous (e.g. 200 lbs armor and a 15 lbs spearhead!).

Second, others argue that Goliath may have had a medical condition that gave him his massive height. Two medical conditions lead to extreme sizes in humans: (1) gigantism and (2) acromegaly. Several people throughout history have grown to extreme heights as a result of gigantism (e.g. Potsdam Giants, Daniel Cajanus, Andre the Giant, Robert Wadlow, John Middleton). While gigantism and acromegaly often lead to clumsy and uncoordinated people (e.g. Robert Wadlow), this is not always the case. The soldiers in the Potsdam Giants, Andre the Giant, and Big Show are all examples of incredibly strong and coordinated men who were highly athletic. Furthermore, Goliath isn’t depicted as a coordinated warrior. David’s agility and skill may have helped him in this physical contest.

Third, and finally, the biblical account is far more plausible than other religions. Giants exist across the spectrum of world religions. Jainism teaches that different eras in history result in humans being as small as two feet tall and as large as six miles tall! In Norse mythology, Ymir (the grandfather of Odin) was so large that the Planet Earth is made of his corpse. The biblical descriptions pale in comparison.

(17:5) He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels.

5,000 shekels would be roughly 125 pounds.^[2]

(17:6) On his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back.

“Greaves” protected his shins.

(17:7) His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer went ahead of him.

A “weaver’s rod” had a cord tied around it, so that it could be thrown farther and more accurately.^[3] Goliath had additional weapons that are not mentioned here (e.g. his sword, v.45). This is the “longest description of military attire in the Old Testament.” The goal of these details is to demonstrate that Goliath was “invincible.”^[4] Yet, Bergen adds, “The reader has just been warned against paying undue attention to outward appearances. The detailed description of Goliath’s external advantages here suggests that chap. 17 was intended in part to serve as an object lesson in the theology of the previous chapter (cf. 16:7).”^[5]

(17:8) Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me.”

Goliath was looking at this battle from a humanistic perspective. He calls the soldiers “servants of Saul,” rather than servants of God.

(17:9) “If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.”

This is an example from the ancient world of “representative warfare.” Just as Menelaus fought Paris (Homer Iliad bk. 3), these sort of acts “were not uncommon in ancient times.”^[6] Of course, as we see in this account, there was often a lack of sincerity in following through on the agreement.

(17:10) Then the Philistine said, “This day I defy the armies of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other.”

Again, Goliath’s fatal flaw was that he was focusing on fighting a “man,” not God himself.

(17:11) On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.

Every soldier in Israel was looking at this battle from a humanistic perspective as well. Consequently, they were “dismayed and terrified.” They were all trusting in self-effort and their own adequacy, rather than in the power of God.

Who will fight Goliath?

(17:12-13) Now David was the son of an Ephrathite named Jesse, who was from Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons, and in Saul’s time he was very old. ¹³ Jesse’s three oldest sons had followed Saul to the war: The firstborn was Eliab; the second, Abinadab; and the third, Shammah.

Jesse’s three oldest sons were warriors with Saul. But none of them volunteered for this duty. They were conscripted.

“Jesse had eight sons.” The parallel passage states that Jesse had seven sons—not eight (1 Chron. 2:13). Bergen^[7] wonders if one of the sons died as a minor. Hence, he wouldn’t make it into the genealogical record.

(17:14-15) David was the youngest. The three oldest followed Saul, ¹⁵ but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.

David is the last person the reader would think would volunteer for this duty. He is the youngest of Jesse’s sons, and he was a shepherd boy.

(17:16) For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand.

Goliath “took his stand” in the same way that the kings of the Earth are said to “take their stand” against God: “The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the LORD and against His Anointed” (Ps. 2:2 NASB).

David wasn’t looking for a fight, but he found one

(17:17-19) Now Jesse said to his son David, “Take this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp. ¹⁸ Take along these ten cheeses to the commander of their unit. See how your brothers are and bring back some assurance from them. ¹⁹ They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines.”

Were the brothers truly “fighting against the Philistines”? Later in the chapter, it seems they were actually hiding from Goliath. They accompanied Saul to battle (v.13), but as Saul refrained from engaging, so did the brothers. Instead, they remained on the edge of the Elah Valley, gripped by fear.

(17:20-21) Early in the morning David left the flock in the care of a shepherd, loaded up and set out, as Jesse had directed. He reached the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions, shouting the war cry. ²¹ Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines facing each other.

David could have left the fighting to the entire army, which was preparing itself for war.

(17:22-24) David left his things with the keeper of supplies, ran to the battle lines and asked his brothers how they were. ²³ As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it. ²⁴ Whenever the Israelites saw the man, they all fled from him in great fear.

Goliath’s voice was so loud and piercing that it interrupted David’s conversation. This is likely matched by the fact that the Hebrew army was dead quiet, listening to Goliath’s taunts. The entire Israelite army was afraid of Goliath. Just looking at him caused them to panic.

(17:25-26) Now the Israelites had been saying, “Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Israel. The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his family from taxes in Israel.”

²⁶ David asked the men standing near him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

Youngblood compares the Israelites lack of faith with David’s powerful faith:^[8]

(17:27) They repeated to him what they had been saying and told him, “This is what will be done for the man who kills him.”

The people don’t seem to hear the conviction in David’s words. They continue to focus on the temporal rewards.

Temporal rewards will motivate people to do many things. But they are limited. The problem with temporal rewards is that they don’t lead to the kind of courage and heroism needed to fight a giant. After all, what use are temporal rewards if you’re dead? Only eternal rewards would lead you to risk your life for the sake of God and his people.

(17:28) When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.”

Why is Eliab angry with David? Eliab was a seasoned warrior, and he was older than David. He probably felt threatened by David’s audacious faith.

(17:29) “Now what have I done?” said David. “Can’t I even speak?”

David points out that he was only asking questions. Is it wrong to question the ferocity of this Philistine through the eyes of faith?

(17:30) He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter, and the men answered him as before.

David apparently was going around and asking about this to multiple groups of men. Maybe he was trying to get them to step up and do something, rather than taking on this role himself. Instead, all the soldiers were repeating the same message: Saul will pay a lot for anyone who will kill Goliath. So far, there were no takers.

Saul hears about David’s zeal

(17:31-32) What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, and Saul sent for him. ³² David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.”

Saul hears about David’s faith, and David volunteers himself.

(1 Sam. 17:31ff) Is this story of David and Goliath a Sunday school myth? No. Many of the features of this account fit with the history at the time, adding to the plausibility of this narrative (e.g. duels like this were common, slings were fierce weapons, David refused armor in favor of agility, etc.). Of course, while there is a strong plausibility structure to this narrative, the message is not that David was an expert stone-thrower. The message is that David trusted God to win this battle.

(17:33) Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.”

“Young man.” David must’ve been under the age of 20, because this was when men could join the military (Num. 1:3; 26:2).

The pronouns “you” (David) and “he” (Goliath) are empathetic in the Hebrew.^[9] It’s as if Saul is asking, “Do you really think you can beat him?” Saul calls David a “young man,” and so does Goliath (v.42). David got no support from either his king or the enemy—only discouragement. As it turns out, David had experience as a warrior (1 Sam. 16:18).

David trusted God because God had protected him in the past

(17:34-37) But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, ³⁵ I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. ³⁶ Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. ³⁷ The LORD who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”

Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you.”

David had experience in seeing God use him to protect sheep from lions and bears. David looked at God’s faithfulness in the past, and this built his faith in God for the future. Saul heard something in this young man’s words and spirit that allowed him to concede.

(17:38) Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head.

Saul didn’t understand that this battle wouldn’t be won through the sword or the spear, but with the power of God. Saul gave David his own clothes. Saul did this “since it was believed that to wear the clothing of another was to be imbued with his essence and to share his very being.”^[10] This could have also been a “calculated” maneuver on Saul’s part to “bind Saul to David [so] that Saul would be able to take credit for, or at least to share in, David’s victory.”^[11]

Goliath and David exchange their final words

(17:39) David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them.

“I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off.

David rejected this armor, because he had not “tested” them (NASB). By contrast, David had tested the faithfulness of the Lord in the wilderness, and he found God faithful. But as for the armor and weapons, David didn’t use these.

(17:40) Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.

This sling and stones were not wimpy weapons. These rocks were roughly the size of tennis balls,^[12] and soldiers used these weapons in ancient warfare. David used strategy as well as spirituality to win this battle.

(17:41-42) Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. ⁴² He looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he despised him.

Goliath agreed with Saul that David was “little more than a boy” (cf. v.33). He could only see the externals—not the heart (1 Sam. 16:7). And pride came before his great fall (Prov. 16:18). Baldwin writes, “There could hardly have been a greater contrast than that between the heavily armed Goliath, with all his protective gear, and David, who looked entirely vulnerable and so easy to defeat that Goliath took the selection of the youth as an insult.”^[13]

(17:43-44) He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

⁴⁴ “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!”

“Am I a dog?” Dogs were not household pets in these days. These were despised animals that would be chased away with a simple stick.

“The Philistine cursed David by his gods.” This means that Goliath called on the name of his god to kill David. This shows that this was both a physical and a spiritual battle. The content of the curse was that David would become food for the birds and the beasts of the field. David redirects this curse back at Goliath (v.46).

The use of a “curse” (qālal) against the Israelites harkens back to the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 12:1-3). There, God promised to “bless those who bless you” and “curse those who curse you.” Bergen comments, “readers knowledgeable of the Torah would know that by cursing this son of Abraham, Goliath was bringing down the Lord’s curse on himself (cf. Gen 12:3)—a favorable outcome to the battle (from an Israelite perspective!) was thus assured.”^[14]

(17:45) 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.”

“Sword and spear and javelin.” These weapons weren’t common in Israel because of the Philistine banishment of metallurgy (1 Sam. 13:19, 22).

The “you” (Goliath) and “I” (David) are empathic in the Hebrew.^[15] David is taunting Goliath back by considering Goliath a mere flea compared to God Almighty.

(17:46-47) “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. ⁴⁷ All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

This would be a good time for David to cower in fear. But instead, he ups the ante. David includes the entire Philistine army—not just Goliath. The purpose of the battle is not self-glorification, but rather so that “the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.”

David kills Goliath

(17:48-49) As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. ⁴⁹ Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.

This battle is incredibly short. Just two verses explain what happened!

“The stone sank into his forehead.” This is much like Luke Skywalker firing two proton torpedoes into a vent that destroyed the Death Star. Goliath was covered with armor and a massive shield, but David targeted his one vulnerable spot. He was also fulfilling a “stoning” of one who blasphemes God (Lev. 24:16).

Could a stone really render this man unconscious? These sling-stones travelled at a surprisingly fast velocity (~100-150 mph). The stone didn’t kill Goliath (v.51), but it did render him unconscious.

(17:50-51) So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him. ⁵¹ David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and drew it from the sheath. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran.

David had predicted that he would cut off Goliath’s head (v.46). At the time, this must’ve seemed impossible, because David wasn’t carrying a sword. Here is the great twist: David didn’t kill Goliath with his own sword, but with the Philistine’s sword. David likely “ran” to decapitate Goliath before the giant regained consciousness.

(1 Sam. 17:50) Who killed Goliath—David or Elhanan?

(17:52) Then the men of Israel and Judah surged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath and to the gates of Ekron. Their dead were strewn along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron.

David’s heroic act of faith galvanized the Israelites into battle. The Israelites chased the men all the way to Goliath’s hometown (Gath).

(17:53) When the Israelites returned from chasing the Philistines, they plundered their camp.

The Philistines fled so quickly that they left their tents full of their stuff, and the Israelites looted their money and goods as the spoils of war.

(17:54) David took the Philistine’s head and brought it to Jerusalem; he put the Philistine’s weapons in his own tent.

Jerusalem wasn’t under Israel’s control at this time, so critics argue that this is anachronistic. However, Youngblood argues that David was placing the head in Jerusalem to scare the Jebusites, who controlled Israel.^[16] It’s as if David was saying, “Look who has already fallen… And guess who’s next?”

Saul’s perspective

(17:55) As Saul watched David going out to meet the Philistine, he said to Abner, commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is that young man?”

Abner replied, “As surely as you live, Your Majesty, I don’t know.”

This predates the events in verse 54. Saul took notice of this brave young man, who trusted in God.

(17:56-58) The king said, “Find out whose son this young man is.”

⁵⁷ As soon as David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with David still holding the Philistine’s head.

⁵⁸ “Whose son are you, young man?” Saul asked him.

David said, “I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem.”

Even though Saul already knew David was his court musician, he didn’t recognize him as a warrior until this moment. He was likely inquiring about his family of origin because he promised his daughter to him. Incidentally, Saul gains a new respect for David.

Concluding insights

We shouldn’t judge the radical faith of others. David’s brother was angry that David wanted to show faith in God (v.28). Sometimes, it’s easy to judge zealous believers for being self-righteous or super-spiritual, but in this case, David’s brother was absolutely wrong. David was in the right, and his brother was being cynical, judgmental, and frankly, sinful.

Large spiritual victories come after long times of faithfulness. It takes preparation to quietly follow and trust God over the years (v.34). Are you content guarding a little flock of sheep? Are you faithful with the little flock God has given you, or are you too busy daydreaming over doing “big” things like saving the nation of Israel from a nine-foot giant? Believers often daydream about being the next Billy Graham, but are they content to faithfully lead a small group of people from the “lions” and “bears” daily?

David was quick to point out that God was the one who would accomplish this battle—not himself (v.46). This was because earlier “the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David” (1 Sam. 16:13).

David was very different from Saul. David didn’t trust in his own power, but God’s power. Saul wants the credit for himself, but David gives the credit to God.

^[1] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 695.

^[2] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 695.

^[3] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 696.

^[4] Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 190.

^[5] Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 190.

^[6] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 693.

^[7] Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 191.

^[8] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 697.

^[9] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 699.

^[10] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 699.

^[11] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 700.

^[12] Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 194.

^[13] Joyce G. Baldwin, 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 137.

^[14] Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 195.

^[15] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 701.

^[16] Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 703.