1 Samuel 17:12

DAVID COMES TO THE BATTLE LINES AND HEARS GOLIATH'S BLASPHEMOUS TAUNT

"Now David was the son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, named Jesse, who had eight sons. In the days of Saul, the man was already old and advanced in years. The three eldest sons of Jesse had followed Saul to the battle; and the names of the three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the first-born, and next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. David was the youngest; the three eldest followed Saul, But David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem. For forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand, morning and evening. And Jesse said to David his son, "Take for your brothers an ephah of parched grain, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp for your brothers; also take these ten cheeses to the commander of their thousand. See how your brothers fare, and bring some token from them." Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. And David rose early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took the provisions, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the encampment as the host was going forth to the battle line, shouting the war cry. And Israel and the Philistines drew up for the battle, army against army. And David left the things in charge of the keeper of the baggage, and went and greeted his brothers. As he talked with them, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines, and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him."

"David was the son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem" (1 Samuel 17:12). The correct translation of this was given by Keil, "David was the son of THAT Ephratite,"[11] thus referring to Jesse who was introduced in the preceding chapter. This shows the continuity of the narrative and frustrates the false charges of "diverse sources."

"David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father's sheep" (1 Samuel 17:15). This verse solves much of the difficulty that some have found in understanding this narrative. The time element is not stated here; but the strong probability is that years passed between that time when David was used for playing the lyre for Saul, and this event, much later, when David fought Goliath. These were crucial years in David's life, during which he passed from adolescence to vigorous and full-grown manhood. If, in the meanwhile, David had grown a full beard, that would be reason enough why neither Saul nor Abner recognized him when he went out to fight Goliath.

"Ten cheeses to the commander of their thousand" (1 Samuel 17:18). "The Hebrew word for `thousand' here is [~'eleph], which may also refer to some division of the army."[12] In this fact may lie the solution to the problem of many of the numbers given in O.T. accounts which appear in the eyes of some scholars to be `exaggerated,' or `unrealistic.'