Old Testament Commentary - 1 Samuel 17

by Don R. Hender

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]	Commentary & Explanation	Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
CHAPTER 17 Israel and the Philistines engage in war—Goliath of Gath, a giant, defies Israel, and challenges any Israelite to personal combat—David goes against him in the name of the Lord—David slays Goliath with a sling and a stone—Israel defeats the Philistines.
1 NOW the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle, and were gathered together at Shochoh, which belongeth to Judah, and pitched between Shochoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. 2 And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched by the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines. 3 And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them.		14^a Zechariah 10:7 (6-12); D&C 109:60-61; D&C 133:34; TG Israel, Joseph, People of ^b Septuagint; crosing his hands
4 ¶ And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of ^aGath, whose height was six ^bcubits and a span. 5 And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. 6 And he had ^agreaves of brass upon his legs, and ^ba target of brass between his shoulders. 7 And the ^astaff of his spear was like a weaver's beam; and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him.		14^a Zechariah 10:7 (6-12); D&C 109:60-61; D&C 133:34; TG Israel, Joseph, People of ^b Septuagint; crosing his hands
8 And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. 9 If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us. 10 And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together. 11 When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.		14^a Zechariah 10:7 (6-12); D&C 109:60-61; D&C 133:34; TG Israel, Joseph, People of ^b Septuagint; crosing his hands
12 ¶ Now ^aDavid was the son of that Ephrathite^a of Beth-lehem-judah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons: and the man went among men for an old man in the days of Saul. 13 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 ^aEliab the firstborn, and next unto him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. 14 And David was the youngest: and the three eldest followed Saul. 15 But David went and returned from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Beth-lehem. Ephrathite Because of sectarian acceptance of the Jewish supplied qualification upon the name 'Ephrathite', traditional Christianity has lost to their understanding the Christ, while being of the bloodline of Judah was actually legally and rightfully of the house of Joseph through his son Ephraim. In effect, the Jews prescibe that the name 'Ephrathite' does mean the same as 'Ephraimite' is all cases except those which apply to the 'house of David', meaning when the word is used in Ruth 1:2 and 1 Samuel 17:12 it merely means being a citizen of the town of Ephrath, which they declare is the same as Bethlehem. In all other cases, the word Ephrathite does mean Ephraimite (In Jasher 81:54, in respect to Nun and Joshua they are Ephraimites with the name Ephrathite so stipulating. In Judges 12:5 Ephraimites are refered to as Ephrathites. In 1 Samuel 1:1 the father of Samuel. who is of the tribe of Levi, is stated as considered an Ephraimite by name of Ephrathite because his Levite family was established to dwell at Ramah, Mount Ephraim in the land of the tribe of Ephraim (See also Joshua 21:5 where a Levite is called of Judah as that is the land he was called to serve in). And in 1 Kings 11:26-28 Jeroboam is called Ephrathite meaning he is of the tribe of Ephraim or an Ephraimite.) Thus the inconsistence is more to hide that Obed, Jesse, David and the Messiah are Ephraimites being legally of Mahlon and Elimelech who were Ephrathites, meaning Ephraimites. The Jews have even gone so far as to give Boaz of Judah the 'right' of ancestry to Obed, Jesse, David and the Messiah over the legal and lawful ancestry by the Law of God as set out by Moses (see Deuteronomy 25:5-10), as they fail to even there consider the rightful parentage of Obed, Jesse and David as being the 'seed' of Mahlon the first husband of Ruth. This gives even further inferences to the question about 'Whose wife is she?' asked of the Savior in considerig the multiple marriages. It was not so much as 'whose wife' but who was Christ the descendant of Mahlon the Ephrathite of Boaz the Jew.	12^a son of that Ephrathite Now the father of David was Jesse who was the son of Obed who was the son of Ruth, Ruth being first the wife of Mahlon the son of Elimelech who where Ephrathites, and second in fulfillment of the law of marriage the wife of Boaz of Judah. Whereby Obed being the first born son of Boaz by Ruth, Obed was legally and rightfully the son of Mahlon that Ephrathite, the son of Elimelech. And though from the perspective of the 'Jewish' prepared Bible, where they record in the book of Ruth that Obed was the son of Boaz of Judah and forget the Law of Moses in the reality the Obed was legally and rightfully of the house of Mahlon and Elimelech. Thus in the Jewish preparation of the Bible they take from the house of Mahlon and Elimelech the honor of the legal and rightful ancestors of David and the kings who followed him, claiming by blood and not by law the right to David over the command of the Law of God. Yet in the book of 1 Samuel is preserved the fact that Jesse was considered of legal descent of Mahlon and Elimelech for there Samuel the prophet reports that 'David was son of that Ephrathite Jesse'. And Jesse was an Ephrathite and not a Judite being considered of the linage of Mahlon and Elimelech and not of Boaz, Boaz being the willing surrogate father to raise up seed to the dead, who was Mahlon and Elimelech. Thus is years later when Christ asks, 'Whose son is Christ?' The answer must not only consider that he is the Son of God, the Son of David, but also that he is the Son of Joseph by his son Ephraim.	14^a Zechariah 10:7 (6-12); D&C 109:60-61; D&C 133:34; TG Israel, Joseph, People of ^b Septuagint; crosing his hands
16 And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days. 17 And Jesse said unto David his son, Take now for thy brethren an ephah of this parched corn, and these ten loaves, and run to the camp to thy brethren; 18 And carry these ten cheeses unto the captain of their thousand, and look how thy brethren fare, and take their pledge. 19 Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.
20 ¶ And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the trench, as the host was going forth to the fight, and shouted for the battle. 21 For Israel and the Philistines had put the battle in array, army against army. 22 And David left his ^acarriage in the hand of the keeper of the carriage, and ran into the army, and came and saluted his brethren.
23 And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them. 24 And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid. 25 And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's house free in Israel.
26 And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the ^aliving God? 27 And the people answered him after this manner, saying, So shall it be done to the man that killeth him.
28 ¶ And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle. 29 And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause? 30 And he turned from him toward another, and spake after the same manner: and the people answered him again after the former manner. 31 And when the words were heard which David spake, they rehearsed them before Saul: and he sent for him.
32 ¶ And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant ^awill go and ^bfight with this Philistine. 33 And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a ^ayouth, and he a man of war from his youth.
34 And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: 35 And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. 36 Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. 37 David said moreover, The LORD that ^adelivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will ^bdeliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.
38 ¶ And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail. 39 And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.
40 And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine. 41 And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield went before him.
42 And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance. 43 And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a ^adog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.
45 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 ^aname of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. 46 This day will the LORD ^adeliver 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 ^bknow that there is a God in Israel. 47 And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the ^abattle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hands.
48 And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. 49 And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth. 50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.
51 Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled. 52 And the men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, until thou come to the valley, and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even unto Gath, and unto Ekron. 53 And the children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they spoiled their tents. 54 And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armour in his tent.
55 ¶ And when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said unto Abner, the captain of the host, ^aAbner, whose son is this youth? And Abner said, As thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell. 56 And the king said, Enquire thou whose son the ^astripling is. 57 And as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. 58 And Saul said to him, Whose son art thou, thou young man? And David answered, I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Beth-lehemite.