And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield went before him.
Parallel translations
- WEB The Philistine walked and came near to David; and the man who bore the shield went before him.
- BSB Now the Philistine came closer and closer to David, with his shield-bearer before him.
- NKJV So the Philistine came, and began drawing near to David, and the man who bore the shield went before him.
- NASB Then the Philistine came and approached David, with the shield-bearer in front of him.
- NLT Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him,
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 advances toward David, his shield-bearer going before him. The imposing approach of the heavily armed champion heightens the contrast with the unarmored shepherd.
Overview
The Philistine, preceded by his shield-bearer, moves menacingly toward David. The detail emphasizes Goliath's formidable armament against David's apparent vulnerability. The lopsided contest, by every human measure, sets the stage for God to display that the battle is His, won not by might but by faith.
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 17:41 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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