When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.
Parallel translations
- WEB When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.
- BSB On hearing the words of the Philistine, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and greatly afraid.
- NKJV When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.
- NASB When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and very fearful.
- NLT When Saul and the Israelites heard this, they were terrified and deeply shaken.
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
Saul and all Israel are dismayed and terrified at Goliath's challenge. Israel's fear exposes the failure of faith under its rejected king.
Overview
The paralyzing fear of Saul and the army reveals a people trusting in human strength rather than in God. Saul, the tall king who should have led, is as cowed as everyone else. This vacuum of faith and courage sets the stage for David, the man after God's own heart, to act in confident trust.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Josh 1:9Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
- Deut 31:8And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
- Ps 27:1The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
- Prov 28:1The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.
- Isa 57:11And of whom hast thou been afraid or feared, that thou hast lied, and hast not remembered me, nor laid it to thy heart? have not I held my peace even of old, and thou fearest me not?
- Isa 51:12–13I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass;
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 17:11 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.