And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent.
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.
- BSB David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, and he put Goliath’s weapons in his own 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 16:33Moses said to Aaron, “Take a pot, and put an omer-full of manna in it, and lay it up before Yahweh, to be kept throughout your generations.”
- 1 Sam 21:9The priest said, “Behold, the sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the valley of Elah, is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you would like to take that, take it; for there is no other except that here.” David said, “There is none like that. Give it to me.”
- Josh 4:7–8then you shall tell them, ‘Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of Yahweh’s covenant. When it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.’”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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.