1 Samuel 17:47

And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give you into our hands.

King James Version · Read in your translation · Open the Explore console

Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
assembly	הַקָּהָ֣ל ha.ka.Hal	H6951	assemblage (usually concretely) · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
know	וְיֵֽדְעוּ֙ ve.ye.de.'U	H3045	to know (properly · conjunction + verb, qal, 3rd person masculine plural
LORD	יְהוָ֑ה Yah.weh	H3068	Jehovah · proper noun, a title
saveth	יְהוֹשִׁ֣יעַ ye.ho.Shi.a'	H3467	properly · verb, hiphil imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
sword	בְּחֶ֥רֶב be.Che.rev	H2719	drought · preposition + noun, common feminine singular absolute
spear	וּבַחֲנִ֖ית u.va.cha.Nit	H2595	a lance (for thrusting · conjunction + preposition + noun, common feminine singular absolute
battle	הַמִּלְחָמָ֔ה ha.mil.cha.Mah	H4421	a battle (i.e. the engagement) · definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
LORD’s	לַֽיהוָה֙ la.Yah.weh	H3068	Jehovah · preposition + proper noun, a title
give	וְנָתַ֥ן ve.na.Tan	H5414	to give · conjunction + verb, qal sequential perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
hands	בְּיָדֵֽנוּ be.ya.De.nu	H3027	a hand (the open one (indicating power · preposition + noun, common both genders singular construct + pronominal suffix

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Psalms 44:6-7 For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me.
Zechariah 4:6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spir…
Hosea 1:7 But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the LORD their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by…
Proverbs 21:30-31 There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD.
1 Samuel 14:6 And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that t…
2 Chronicles 20:15-17 And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid…
Romans 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
2 Chronicles 14:11 And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: he…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Samuel 17:40-47

We are now coming near this famous combat, and have in these verses the preparations and remonstrances made on both sides. I. The preparations made on both sides for the encounter. The Philistine was already fixed, as he had been daily for the last forty days. Well might he go with his armour, for he had sufficiently proved it. Only we are told (Sa1 17:41) that he came on and drew near, a signal, it is likely, being given that his challenge was accepted, and, as if he distrusted his helmet and coat of mail, a man went before him, carrying his shield, for his own hands were full with his sword and spear, Sa1 17:45. But what arms and ammunition is David furnished with? Truly none but what he b…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Samuel 17:42

the Philistine said . . . said David to the Philistine--When the two champions met, they generally made each of them a speech, and sometimes recited some verses, filled with allusions and epithets of the most opprobrious kind, hurling contempt and defiance at one another. This kind of abusive dialogue is common among the Arab combatants still. David's speech, however, presents a striking contrast to the usual strain of these invectives. It was full of pious trust, and to God he ascribed all the glory of the triumph he anticipated.

Adam Clarke on 1 Samuel 17:47

For the battle is the Lord's - It is the Lord's war: you are fighting against him and his religion, as the champion of your party; I am fighting for God, as the champion of his cause.

John Gill on 1 Samuel 17:47

And all this assembly shall know,.... The congregation of Israel, and church of the living God, great part of which were now gathered together, and were spectators of this wonderful event: that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear; that is, by outward means and instruments, by arms and armed men; he does not save by them only, or by them always; he can save as well without them as with them: for the battle is the Lord's; it is under his direction; the issue and event of it depend on his will, and are owing to him; or, as the Targum,"from the Lord is the victory of wars,''it is he that gives it to whom he pleases: and he will give you into our hands; not only this Philistine into the h…

The Church Fathers

And we need only the Lord's goodness to stay the storm. Easy it is for him to stay it, but we are unworthy of the calm, yet the grace of his patience is enough for us, so that with good fortune by it we may get the better of our foes. So the divine apostle has taught us to pray "for he will with the temptation also make a way to escape that you may be able to bear it." But I beseech your godliness to stop the mouths of the objectors and make them understand that it is not for them who stand, as the phrase goes, out of range, to scoff at men fighting in the ranks and giving and receiving blows; for what does it matter which weapon the soldier uses to strike down his antagonists? Even the great David did not use a panoply when he killed the aliens' champion, and Samson killed thousands on one day with the jawbone of an ass. Nobody grumbles at the victory, nor accuses the conqueror of cowardice, because he wins it without brandishing a spear or covering himself with his shield or throwing darts or shooting arrows. The defenders of true religion must be criticized in the same way, nor must we try to find language which will stir strife, but rather arguments which plainly proclaim the truth and make those who venture to oppose it ashamed of themselves.
— Theodoret of Cyrus, LETTER 16

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

David — Beloved, the eighth and youngest son of Jesse, a citizen of Bethlehem. His father seems to have been a man in humble life. His mother’s name is not recorded. Some think she was the Nahash of 2 Sam.…
Elah, The Valley Of — (valley of the terebinth), the valley in which David killed Goliath. (1 Samuel 17:2,19) It lay somewhere near Socoh of Judah and Azekah, and was nearer Ekron than any other Philistine town. 1Sam. 17.
Elhanan — Whom God has graciously bestowed. (1.) A warrior of the time of David famed for his exploits. In the Authorized Version (2 Sam. 21:19) it is recorded that “Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim, a…
Philistines — (Gen. 10:14, R.V.; but in A.V., “Philistim”), a tribe allied to the Phoenicians. They were a branch of the primitive race which spread over the whole district of the Lebanon and the valley of the…
War — The Israelites had to take possession of the Promised Land by conquest. They had to engage in a long and bloody war before the Canaanitish tribes were finally subdued. Except in the case of Jericho…
Championship · .Goliath and David — .Goliath and David
Philistines · David: Slew Goliath the champion of — David: Slew Goliath the champion of
Sling · David kills Goliath with a — David kills Goliath with a
War · God in — God in

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

1 Samuel 17:47

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Samuel 17:40-47

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Samuel 17:42

Adam Clarke on 1 Samuel 17:47

John Gill on 1 Samuel 17:47

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

1 Samuel 17:47

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Samuel 17:40-47

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Samuel 17:42

Adam Clarke on 1 Samuel 17:47

John Gill on 1 Samuel 17:47

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Keil & Delitzsch on 1 Samuel 17:1-54

Tyndale Open Study Notes on 1 Samuel 17:45-47

Rashi on 1 Samuel 17:44