Bible Strands
1 Samuel 17:58
“Whose son are you, young man?” asked Saul. “I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem,” David replied.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Saul asks David, the young man who just returned with Goliath’s head, for his lineage immediately after Abner brings him into the king’s presence. David responds by identifying himself as the son of Jesse, a servant of Saul from Bethlehem.
The words — The Hebrew בֶּן־ (ben-) means “son of,” establishing David’s genealogical claim, while הַנַּעַר (ha-na’ar) literally translates to “the youth,” highlighting his age relative to the king.
The thread — This identification echoes the earlier introduction of Jesse’s family in Bethlehem (1 Samuel 17:12) and the servant’s testimony about Jesse’s son who plays the harp (1 Samuel 16:18).
Why it lands — The exchange requires the reader to recognize that royal favor and divine appointment often bypass established hierarchies by grounding authority in humble, documented lineage rather than political status.
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 Saul said to him, Whose son art thou, thou young man? And David answered, I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Beth–lehemite.
Cross-references
- 1 Samuel 17:12 Now David was the son of a man named Jesse, an Ephrathite from Bethlehem of Judah who had eight sons. And in the days of Saul, Jesse was old and well along in years.
- 1 Samuel 16:18 One of the servants answered, “I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the harp. He is a mighty man of valor, a warrior, eloquent and handsome, and the LORD is with him.”