Bible Strands
1 Samuel 17:35
I went after it, struck it down, and delivered the lamb from its mouth. If it reared up against me, I would grab it by its fur, strike it down, and kill it.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — David speaks to King Saul, recounting his past experience as a shepherd defending his father’s flock from wild animals. This testimony occurs during their initial meeting before David volunteers to face Goliath.
The words — The Hebrew verb יָצָאתִי (ya.Tza.ti) means "I went out," describing David’s active pursuit of the predator. The verb הֶחֱזַקְתִּי (he.che.Zak.ti) translates literally to "I took hold," emphasizing physical grip and control during the struggle.
The thread — This shepherd motif echoes in Amos 3:12, where God compares His rescue of Israel to a shepherd snatching prey from a lion’s mouth. The pattern of divine deliverance through human weakness also appears in 2 Timothy 4:17, where the Lord strengthens a vulnerable messenger.
Why it lands — The text states that God stands by and strengthens the vulnerable to accomplish His purpose. It requires the reader to trust that past obedience in hidden tasks prepares one for visible confrontation.
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 I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.
Cross-references
- Amos 3:12 This is what the LORD says: “As the shepherd snatches from the mouth of the lion two legs or a piece of an ear, so the Israelites dwelling in Samaria will be rescued having just the corner of a bed or the cushion of a couch.
- 2 Timothy 4:17 But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message would be fully proclaimed, and all the Gentiles would hear it. So I was delivered from the mouth of the lion.
- Judges 14:5 Then Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother and came to the vineyards of Timnah. Suddenly a young lion came roaring at him,
- Psalms 91:13 You will tread on the lion and cobra; you will trample the young lion and serpent.
- Daniel 6:22 My God sent His angel and shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, for I was found innocent in His sight, and I have done no wrong against you, O king.”
- Acts 28:4 When the islanders saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “Surely this man is a murderer. Although he was saved from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.”
- 2 Samuel 23:20 And Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a man of valor from Kabzeel, a man of many exploits. He struck down two champions of Moab, and on a snowy day he went down into a pit and killed a lion.