1 Samuel 17

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1 Samuel 17

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 Ephesdammim.

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.

4 And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits 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 greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders.

7 And the staff 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.

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.

12 Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehemjudah, 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 Eliab 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 Bethlehem.

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 of 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 carriage 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 living 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 will go and fight 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 youth, 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 delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver 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 dog, 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 name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.

46 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.

47 And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle 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 hastened, 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, Abner, 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 stripling 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 Bethlehemite.

Notes

Cross Reference

Commentary

Rashi

Verse 1

<html>At Ephes Damim. This was the name of the place.¹It literally means ‘no more blood’ because it was there that the bloodshed between the Bnei Yisroel and the Philistines ceased.—Radak</html>

Verse 4

<html>A champion. A mighty person who went out from his battalion, to stand between the two battalions.²Following the literal meaning of אִישׁ הַבֵּנַיִם as ‘the man of between.’ However, Maseches Sotah 42b states that the word הַבֵּנַיִם is from the root בנה, to build, i.e., he was as sturdy as a building.—Da’as Sofrim</html>

Verse 5

<html>Scaled armor. Like fish scales, made of iron, spread over the coat³Not only was Golyos impressive, but his armor also appeared impregnable. (another version: the holes of the coat), a scale [covering] each hole.</html>

Verse 6

<html>Copper shields. A sort of iron handle, extending from the helmet, opposite the nose, called nasal in O.F., and it reached his feet. A copper guard. Targum Yonoson renders, וּמְסַחֲפָא דִּנְחָשָׁא נָפֵיק מִן קוֹלְסָא וּמְטַל בֵּין כַּתְפוֹהִי, meaning, 'a sort of copper javelin, protruding from the helmet, and extending between his shoulders,' to protect his neck from [injury by] the sword.⁴Others translate ‘a copper javelin slung between his shoulders’ because he held other weapons in his hands.</html>

Verse 7

<html>Like a weaver's beam. Targum Yonoson renders, 'like a weaver's beam', ensouble in O.F. Six hundred shekel. All shekels mentioned in the Nevi'im, are 'maneh.'</html>

Verse 8

<html>Why should you go out. [Why should] all of you go out to wage war? Let one representing all of you fight against me, and on the condition specified, i.e., “if he will be able to fight me, etc.” Am I not the Philistine. I am neither an officer over a hundred, nor an officer over a thousand. I am a Philistine like one of the others, even though I have fought many wars for them. I killed Chofni and Pinchas, and I captured the Ark, while you have become servants to Shaul, and he never saved you with his might. Choose for yourselves. Choose [בָּרְרוּ] for yourselves. A man. Shaul, and let him come down to me.</html>

Verse 12

<html>Ephrathite. Beis Lechem is located in the land of Ephros.⁵See Bereishis 35:19. And he had eight sons. And that which is stated, 'Otzem, the sixth, Dovid the seventh,'⁶I Divrei Hayomim 2:15. and no more is stated. This may be reconciled that one died childless and therefore, he was not mentioned there. Among the elders. Counted in the gatherings of important people.⁷ See Maseches Berachos 58a, which states that wherever Yishay went he was accompanied by a large crowd.</html>

Verse 14

<html>Dovid was the youngest. Who had previously been in Shaul's palace to play music before him.</html>

Verse 15

<html>Dovid would go. Would always go back and forth from Shaul to his father's house.⁸Dovid was not permanently assigned to be with Shaul. Dovid played music for Shaul when the evil spirit rested upon him. At all other times he would return home to tend his father’s sheep.</html>

Verse 16

<html>Morning and evening. Our Rabbis said, to prevent them from reciting 'shema.'⁹See Maseches Sotah 42b.</html>

Verse 18

<html>Cheeses. [Targum Yonoson renders] 'cheeses.' To the captain of the thousand. I say 'to the captain of that thousand to which his brothers belong,' for all the tribes had captains of thousands according to their thousands. But I have heard, that 'to the captain of the thousand' refers to Yonoson, concerning whom [Scripture] stated, 'And a thousand were with Yonoson in Givas Binyomin'.¹⁰Above 13:2. And take the tidings of their welfare. The assurance of their salvation and their welfare you shall take into your ears and to your heart, and tell it to me. And so did Targum Yonoson render, 'and their welfare you shall bring.' Tidings of their welfare. This is an expression of salvation, as in 'Assure your servant for good';¹¹Tehillim 119:122.garantis in O.F. Our Rabbis said [it means] that he should take a divorce from them, and deliver it to their wives, to break the connection [עֵרוּב] between him [husband] and her [wife].¹²It was customary for soldiers to divorce their wives upon leaving for war. This was done to spare the wives from any difficulty to remarry in case they did not return. See Maseches Kesubos 9b and Maseches Shabbos 56a.</html>

Verse 20

<html>To the barricade. They would form a circle around the camp, and whoever would go out [of the circle], either in front of, or behind the camp, would be endangered; in front [of the circle] he might be attacked by the men of the enemy armies, and behind [the circle] because he [apparently] seeks to desert.</html>

Verse 21

<html>Yisroel deployed. Referring to Yisroel's battalions.¹³That is why the feminine form [וַתַּעֲרֹךְ] is used because it is referring to מַעֲרָכָה which is grammatically feminine.</html>

Verse 22

<html>The keeper of the equipment. Of the soldiers.</html>

Verse 23

<html>From Philistines camp. [The text] is written מִמַּעֲרוֹת; our Rabbis expounded [from the word מַעֲרוֹת]¹⁴The root being ערה and the noun ערוה. See Rashi Vayikra 20:18. that one hundred men had relations with his [Golyas'] mother Orpoh, after she left Rus and her mother-in-law Naomi.¹⁵See Maseches Sotah 42b. Golyos was born from these relations and no one knew who fathered him so he became known as אִישׁ הַבֵּנַיִם ‘a man from between them.’ See above Verse 4. Da’as Sofrim suggests that מְעָרוֹת [=caves] may have been dug out in the mountain the Philistines as a defensive measure in the case of an attack by the Bnei Yisroel.</html>

Verse 25

<html>He will exempt. From the listed royal obligations.¹⁶See above 8:11–17 for details of these obligations.</html>

Verse 34

Verse 36

<html>Even the lion and the bear. These words [גַּם, אֶת, גַּם] are of inclusive nature, meaning a lion and its two whelps, and a bear and its two cubs.¹⁷And Dovid slew all six.</html>

Verse 37

<html>Adonoy Who saved me from the claws of the lion. I know that this incident did not occur to me for naught, but as an indication that in the future, I would be confronted with similar circumstances, as a salvation for Yisroel. I will therefore rely on this, and go out. And he was one of two righteous men, to whom [God] gave a hint, and they understood the matter, Dovid and Mordechai, as it is stated: “And every day Mordechai would walk before the courtyard…”¹⁸Megillas Esther 2:11. He said [to himself], 'It is not for naught that this righteous woman [Esther] has been taken into the bed of this uncircumcised one [Achashveirosh]. It can only mean that she is destined to stand up on behalf of Yisroel at a time of distress.'</html>

Verse 38

<html>Dovid in his own battle garments. They changed and became Dovid's size,¹⁹The word מַדָיו is derived from מִדָה [=measure]. since he had been anointed with the anointing oil,²⁰See Maseches Yevamos 76b. although they belonged to Shaul who was taller than all of the other people, from his shoulder and upward.²¹Above 9:2. And when Shaul noted this, he cast an envious glance toward him, and Dovid realized it.</html>

Verse 39

<html>But he did not want to go out. Targum Yonoson renders “and he did not want to go.”²²Although וַיאֶׁל usually means ‘he wanted’ as in Shemos 2:21. There are words which have two opposite definitions, as in “will cut off [מְסָעֵף] a branch,”²³Yeshayahu 10:33. [derived from סָעִיף, a branch]. [Also,] “and he will uproot you [וְשֵׁרֶשְׁךְ] from the land of the living,” [derived from שׁוֹרֶש, a root].²⁴Tehillim 52:7. For he was not accustomed. I.e., because he was not accustomed. For I am not accustomed. [Targum renders] 'for their is no miracle [נֵס] in them,' [meaning] there will be no praise for the miracle in this manner.²⁵Dovid wanted it to be clear to all that his victory was achieved solely by the intervention of ה׳. Another explanation why Dovid refused to wear Shaul’s battle garments was because he feared that by doing so would arouse Shaul’s jealousy thereby aggravating Shaul.—Da’as Sofrim Another explanation of ,וַיאֶׁל לָלֶכֶת is, 'he wanted to go, and to try [wearing Shaul's battle garments],' but when he saw that they were too heavy for him, he took them off.</html>

Verse 40

<html>Smooth stones. Thin and smooth stones. And in his pouch. [Targum Yonoson renders] 'and in his pack.'</html>

Verse 44

<html>And to the cattle of the field. It is not customary for cattle to eat human flesh. Dovid said [to himself], 'This one's mind is already deranged; He is mine.' Dovid [seeing this] said, 'and I will offer the carcasses of the Philistine camp …and to the beasts of the earth.'</html>

Verse 49

<html>And he fell face downward. He should have fallen backwards since he had been struck on his forehead.²⁶The impact should have made him fall backwards. But, in order that Dovid should not be troubled to walk [the extra distance] and cut off his head, for Dovid now saved twelve amos and two zeres; for his height was six amos and a zeres, Dovid saved [walking] his entire height back and hs entire height forward.²⁷Another reason why he fell face downward is because ה׳ had decreed that the mouth that blasphemed shall lick the dust of the earth.</html>

Verse 53

<html>From pursuing. Meaning the same as מִרְדׂף [=pursuing] as in “you have pursued [דָלַקְתָּ] me.”²⁸Bereishis 31:36</html>

Verse 55

<html>Whose son is this youth. Our Rabbis said, “Did he not recognize him? Is it not stated, “He loved him very much and he became his arms bearer”?²⁹Above 16:21. Ralbag suggests that Dovid would now marry his daughter and Shaul therefore inquired about his genealogy. But, he saw him behaving in a kingly manner. Shaul said, 'If he comes from the family of Peretz, he will become king, for the king may break fences to make way for himself, and no one may object. If, however, he comes from the family of Zerach, he will become an important person. Do'eg said to him, 'Before you ask whether or not he is descended from a family which qualifies him for the throne, ask whether or not he is qualified to enter [by marriage] into the congregation [of Yisroel], because he is descended from Rus the Mo'avite.' Avneir responded to him, 'We have learned that an Ammonite [is forbidden]³⁰Devarim 23:4. but not a female Ammonite [the same holding true for a female Moavite].' So Doeg said to him, 'If so, only a male momzer and not a momzeres [=female momzer] should be foridden.' He replied, 'It is stated here, “because they did not meet you with bread and water,³¹Ibid., Verse 5. and it is not customary for a woman to do so.”' He said to him, 'Men should have met men, and women should have met women [with bread and water].' Avneir became silent. Then Shaul said to him”: Ask whose son this young man is. Above it is written 'הַנַּעַר'³² Verse 55. and here it is written 'הָעָלֶם'. He said to him, “This law has escaped your memory [נִתְעַלְּמָה]. Go out and ask in the house of study,” as it is stated in [Maseches] Yevomos.³³</html>

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Table of Contents

1 Samuel 17

1 Samuel 17

Notes

Cross Reference

Commentary

Rashi

Verse 1

Verse 4

Verse 5

Verse 6

Verse 7

Verse 8

Verse 12

Verse 14

Verse 15

Verse 16

Verse 18

Verse 20

Verse 21

Verse 22

Verse 23

Verse 25

Verse 34

Verse 36

Verse 37

Verse 38

Verse 39

Verse 40

Verse 44

Verse 49

Verse 53

Verse 55