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David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, and he put Goliath’s weapons in his own tent.
1 Samuel 17:54 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armor in his tent.
  • KJV And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armour in his tent.
  • NKJV And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent.
  • NASB And David took the Philistine’s head and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his weapons in his tent.
  • NLT (David took the Philistine’s head to Jerusalem, but he stored the man’s armor in his own tent.)

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

David brings Goliath's head to Jerusalem and keeps the armor in his tent. He preserves a lasting witness to the Lord's victory.

Overview

David takes the giant's head to Jerusalem and stores his armor, memorializing the deliverance. The mention of Jerusalem, not yet Israel's capital, anticipates David's future reign there. The trophies of the defeated enemy stand as a testimony that the Lord saved His people, much as the cross stands as the abiding sign of Christ's conquest.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 3

  • Exod 16:33So Moses told Aaron, “Take a jar and fill it with an omer of manna. Then place it before the LORD to be preserved for the generations to come.”
  • 1 Sam 21:9The priest replied, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here; it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want, you may take it. For there is no other but this one.” And David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.”
  • Josh 4:7–8you are to tell them, ‘The waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters were cut off.’ Therefore these stones will be a memorial to the Israelites forever.”

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — 1 Samuel videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on 1 Samuel 17:54YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on 1 SamuelMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

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 17:54 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.