Bible Strands
1 Samuel 17:14
And David was the youngest. The three oldest had followed Saul,
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator pauses the battlefield narrative to contrast David’s current location with his older brothers, who have already joined Saul’s forces near the valley.
The words — הַקָּטָן (ha-qatan) literally means “the youngest,” and הָלְכוּ אַחֲרֵי (halchu aḥarei) translates as “they had gone after” or “followed.”
The thread — This youngest-son motif recurs in 1 Samuel 16:11, where Jesse identifies David as the remaining son tending sheep, and aligns with the older-younger reversal pattern recorded in Genesis 25:23.
Why it lands — The text establishes David’s absence from the military roster before his introduction, requiring the reader to note that divine selection operates independently of birth order or human military logistics.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And David was the youngest: and the three eldest followed Saul.
Cross-references
- 1 Samuel 16:11 And Samuel asked him, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse replied, “but he is tending the sheep.” “Send for him,” Samuel replied. “For we will not sit down to eat until he arrives.”
- Genesis 25:23 and He declared to her: “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.”