(17:12-13) Now David was the son of an Ephrathite named Jesse, who was from Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons, and in Saul’s time he was very old. 13 Jesse’s three oldest sons had followed Saul to the war: The firstborn was Eliab; the second, Abinadab; and the third, Shammah.
Jesse’s three oldest sons were warriors with Saul. But none of them volunteered for this duty. They were conscripted.
“Jesse had eight sons.” The parallel passage states that Jesse had seven sons—not eight (1 Chron. 2:13). Bergen[] wonders if one of the sons died as a minor. Hence, he wouldn’t make it into the genealogical record.
(17:14-15) David was the youngest. The three oldest followed Saul, 15 but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.
David is the last person the reader would think would volunteer for this duty. He is the youngest of Jesse’s sons, and he was a shepherd boy.
(17:16) For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand.
Goliath “took his stand” in the same way that the kings of the Earth are said to “take their stand” against God: “The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the LORD and against His Anointed” (Ps. 2:2 NASB).
James is an elder at Dwell Community Church, where he teaches classes in theology, apologetics, and weekly Bible studies.
