Soon the Israelite and Philistine forces stood facing each other, army against army.
Parallel translations
- WEB Israel and the Philistines put the battle in array, army against army.
- KJV For Israel and the Philistines had put the battle in array, army against army.
- BSB And Israel and the Philistines arrayed in formation against each other.
- NKJV For Israel and the Philistines had drawn up in battle array, army against army.
- NASB Israel and the Philistines drew up in battle formation, army against 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
Israel and the Philistines draw up their lines, army facing army. The tension of imminent battle builds, yet no one steps forward.
Overview
The two armies stand arrayed against each other, poised but stalemated by Goliath's challenge. The verse heightens the drama and exposes the paralysis gripping Israel. Human strength and military formation are useless without faith, setting the stage for God to win the victory through an unexpected servant rather than conventional warfare.
Cross-references & the web
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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 17:21 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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