Christian Standard Bible
1 Samuel 17:44
44“Come here,” the Philistine called to David, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts!”
1 Samuel 17:44 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.
- New International Version (NIV)“Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!”
- English Standard Version (ESV)The Philistine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field."
- New King James Version (NKJV)And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!”
Context of 1 Samuel 17:44
42When the Philistine looked and saw David, he despised him because he was just a youth, healthy and handsome. 43He said to David, “Am I a dog that you come against me with sticks?” Then he cursed David by his gods. “Come here,” the Philistine called to David, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts!” 45David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with a sword, spear, and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord of Armies, the God of the ranks of Israel — you have defied him. 46Today, the Lord will hand you over to me. Today, I’ll strike you down, remove your head, and give the corpses of the Philistine camp to the birds of the sky and the wild creatures of the earth. Then all the world will know that Israel has a God,
Read all of 1 Samuel 171 Samuel 17:44 word by word
וַיֹּ֥אמֶר הַפְּלִשְׁתִּ֖י אֶל־דָּוִ֑ד לְכָ֣ה אֵלַ֔י וְאֶתְּנָה֙ אֶת־בְּשָׂ֣רְךָ֔ לְע֥וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וּלְבֶהֱמַ֥ת הַשָּׂדֶֽה׃ סRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And the Philistineפְּלִשְׁתִּיpelishtîy · PhilistineH6430
- saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- to Davidדָּוִדdâvid dâvîyd · DavidH1732
- Comeיָלַךְyâlak · to walkH3212
- to me, and I will giveנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
- thy fleshבָּשָׂרbâώâr · fleshH1320
- unto the fowlsעוֹף‛ôph · birdH5775
- of the airשָׁמַיִםshâmayim shâmeh · heavenH8064
- and to the beastsבְּהֵמָהbehêmâh · animalH929
- of the fieldשָׂדֶהώâdeh ώâday · land: countryH7704
Cross-references for 1 Samuel 17:44
- 1 Kings 20:10Then Ben-hadad sent messengers to him and said, “May the gods punish me and do so severely if Samaria’s dust amounts to a handful for each of the people who follow me.”
- Proverbs 18:12Before his downfall a person’s heart is proud, but humility comes before honor.
- Ecclesiastes 9:11Again I saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift, or the battle to the strong, or bread to the wise, or riches to the discerning, or favor to the skillful; rather, time and chance happen to all of them.
- Jeremiah 9:23“‘This is what the Lord says: The wise person should not boast in his wisdom; the strong should not boast in his strength; the wealthy should not boast in his wealth.
- Ezekiel 28:2“Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, ‘This is what the Lord God says: Your heart is proud, and you have said, “I am a god; I sit in the seat of gods in the heart of the sea.” Yet you are a man and not a god, though you have regarded your heart as that of a god.
- Ezekiel 39:17“Son of man, this is what the Lord God says: Tell every kind of bird and all the wild animals, ‘Assemble and come! Gather from all around to my sacrificial feast that I am slaughtering for you, a great feast on the mountains of Israel; you will eat flesh and drink blood.
Commentaries on 1 Samuel 17:44
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 44Come to me, and I will give thy flesh - He intended, as soon as he could lay hold on him, to pull him to pieces.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 40-47Verses 40-47 The security and presumption of fools destroy them. Nothing can excel the humility, faith, and piety which appear in David's words. He expressed his assured expectation of success; he gloried in his mean appearance and arms, that the victory might be ascribed to the Lord alone.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 44A body left for scavengers like birds and wild animals was considered severely cursed (see Deuteronomy 21:23; 28:26).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 42-4742-47. the Philistine said ... said David to the Philistine--When the two champions met, they generally made each of them a speech, and sometimes recited some verses, filled with allusions and epithets of the most opprobrious kind, hurling contempt and defiance at one another. This kind of abusive dialogue is common among the Arab combatants still. David's speech, however, presents a striking contrast to the usual strain of these invectives. It was full…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Samuel 17:44
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 1 Samuel 17
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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