Bible Strands
1 Samuel 17:50
Thus David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records the immediate conclusion of David’s engagement with the Philistine champion at the Valley of Elah.
The words — וַ/יֶּחֱזַ֨ק (va/i.ye.che.Zak) = “he prevailed” or “he was strong,” paired with בַּ/קֶּ֣לַע (ba./Ke.la') = “with the sling,” specify the unexpected instruments of defeat.
The thread — The narrative contrast with 1 Samuel 17:39 (rejecting conventional armor) and 1 Samuel 17:51 (using the enemy’s sword to finish the kill) frames the event, while Judges 15:15 echoes the pattern of victory through unconventional means.
Why it lands — It demands recognition that deliverance operates through provided tools rather than assumed strength, requiring the reader to abandon reliance on standard military expectations.
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
So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.
Cross-references
- Judges 15:15 He found the fresh jawbone of a donkey, reached out his hand and took it, and struck down a thousand men.
- 1 Samuel 17:39 David strapped his sword over the tunic and tried to walk, but he was not accustomed to them. “I cannot walk in these,” David said to Saul. “I am not accustomed to them.” So David took them off.
- 1 Samuel 21:9 The priest replied, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here; it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want, you may take it. For there is no other but this one here.” And David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.”
- 1 Samuel 23:21 “May you be blessed by the LORD,” replied Saul, “for you have had compassion on me.
- Judges 3:31 After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath. And he too saved Israel, striking down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad.
- 1 Samuel 13:22 So on the day of battle not a sword or spear could be found in the hands of the troops with Saul and Jonathan; only Saul and his son Jonathan had weapons.