For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening to take his stand.
Parallel translations
- WEB The Philistine came near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days.
- KJV And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days.
- NKJV And the Philistine drew near and presented himself forty days, morning and evening.
- NASB And the Philistine came forward morning and evening, and took his stand for forty days.
- NLT For forty days, every morning and evening, the Philistine champion strutted in front of the Israelite army.
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 taunts Israel twice a day for forty days, displaying relentless intimidation. The prolonged challenge exposes Israel's fear and the absence of any deliverer.
Overview
For forty days the Philistine champion presents himself, paralyzing Israel's army with dread. The number forty often marks a period of testing in Scripture, and here it sets the stage for God to act through an unlikely deliverer. The standoff highlights the people's need for a champion who fights in faith, ultimately fulfilled in Christ, who confronts our greatest enemy on our behalf.
Cross-references & the web
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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 17:16 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
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