And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.
Parallel translations
- WEB The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky, and to the animals of the field.”
- BSB “Come here,” he called to David, “and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!”
- NKJV And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!”
- NASB The Philistine also said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the wild animals.”
- NLT “Come over here, and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals!” Goliath yelled.
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 threatens to feed David's flesh to the birds and beasts. His boastful menace expresses the pride that precedes his fall.
Overview
The giant's grisly taunt declares his certainty of victory and his contempt for David. His arrogant boasting will be ironically reversed when his own body and the Philistine dead become carrion. The scene shows that human pride against God's purposes is doomed, however fearsome it appears.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Ezek 28:9–10Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee, I am God? but thou shalt be a man, and no God, in the hand of him that slayeth thee.
- 1 Kgs 20:10–11And Benhadad sent unto him, and said, The gods do so unto me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me.
- Prov 18:12Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour is humility.
- 1 Sam 17:46This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.
- 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:
- Ezek 28:2Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God:
- Eccl 9:11–12I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.
- Ezek 39:17–20And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood.
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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 17:44 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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