Bible Strands
1 Samuel 17:23
And as he was speaking with them, suddenly the champion named Goliath, the Philistine from Gath, came forward from the ranks of the Philistines and shouted his usual words, which David also heard.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — David has just arrived at the front line and is speaking with his brothers when Goliath steps forward from the Philistine ranks to shout his daily challenge. David is present in the assembly and hears the champion’s repeated taunts.
The words — The phrase וְהִנֵּה אִישׁ הַבְּנַיִם (ve-hinnēh ’îš hab-bənayyim) literally means “and behold, the man of the champions,” marking Goliath’s sudden emergence as a designated combatant. The verb עוֹלֶה (‘oleh) indicates he was “coming up” from the ranks to face Israel.
The thread — The narrative explicitly links this moment to the initial challenge recorded in 1 Samuel 17:8, where Goliath first addressed the Israelite ranks with the same demands. The text returns to this pattern in 1 Samuel 17:32–40 when David responds to the repeated taunts.
Why it lands — The text places David directly in the path of a terror that paralyzed the army, requiring him to evaluate the situation against his prior knowledge of God’s deliverance. It demands a reader recognize that hearing a familiar threat does not excuse passive observation but invites active response.
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 as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them.
Cross-references
- 1 Samuel 17:8 And Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and array yourselves for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose one of your men and have him come down against me.