And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.
Parallel translations
- WEB The Philistine said, “I defy the armies of Israel today! Give me a man, that we may fight together!”
- BSB Then the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day! Give me a man to fight!”
- NKJV And the Philistine said, “I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.”
- NASB Then the Philistine said, “I have defied the ranks of Israel this day! Give me a man, so that we may fight together.”
- NLT I defy the armies of Israel today! Send me a man who will fight me!”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Goliath defies the armies of Israel and demands a man to fight. His taunt is ultimately a challenge against Israel's God.
Overview
Goliath's defiance, repeated morning and evening, is not merely against Israel's soldiers but against the living God they represent. His blasphemous challenge frames the conflict as a contest over whose God is supreme. David will rightly perceive this as an affront to the LORD that demands an answer.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- 1 Sam 17:25–26And 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.
- 1 Sam 17:45Then 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.
- 1 Sam 17:36Thy 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.
- Neh 2:19But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king?
- 2 Sam 21:21And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimeah the brother of David slew him.
- Num 23:7–8And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel.
- Job 40:9–12Hast thou an arm like God? or canst thou thunder with a voice like him?
- Ps 9:4–5For thou hast maintained my right and my cause; thou satest in the throne judging right.
- Prov 16:18Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
- Dan 4:37Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.
- Jer 9:23Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:
- 2 Sam 23:9And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines that were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone away:
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The rise of the anointed king after Israel's failed first choice points to the true Anointed One (Messiah means 'anointed'), the shepherd-king after God's own heart from Bethlehem.
How 1 Samuel 17:10 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.