1 Samuel 17:44

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

42As he came nearer, the Philistine looked carefully at David. He saw that David was no more than a healthy, handsome boy. That made him laugh at David. 43He said to David, ‘Do you think that I am just a dog? Can you knock me down with a little stick?’ Then he prayed to his gods that they would curse David. The Philistine said to David, ‘Come nearer to me. I will feed the birds and the wild animals with your dead body.’ 45David said to him, ‘You have come to fight against me with a sword, a knife and a spear. But I come to fight against you with the authority of the Lord Almighty. He is the God who leads Israel's army, and you have insulted him! 46Today the Lord will make me strong to win against you. I will knock you down and I will cut off your head. Today I will feed the birds and the wild animals with the dead bodies of the Philistine soldiers. Then everyone on the earth will know that there is a God who takes care of Israel.

1 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 men with another message to Ahab. He said, ‘I promise that my soldiers will completely destroy Samaria! There will be nothing left! There will not even be enough dirt to fill the hands of each of my soldiers. I pray that the gods will punish me very much if that does not happen!’
• Proverbs 18:12If you become proud, something will soon destroy you. But if you are humble, you will soon receive honour.
• Ecclesiastes 9:11I have seen another thing that happens here on the earth. The runner who runs fastest does not always win the race. The strongest soldiers do not always win the battle. Very wise people do not always have food to eat. Very clever people do not always become rich. People who have learned many things are not always successful. Yes, anything may happen to anyone at any time.
• Jeremiah 9:23The Lord says, ‘Wise people should not be proud of their wisdom. Powerful people should not be proud of their power. And rich people should not be proud that they are rich.
• Ezekiel 28:2‘Son of man, say this to the ruler of Tyre. “This is what the Almighty Lord says: You are a very proud man. You say, ‘I am a god and Tyre is my throne. I rule over all the seas around me.’ But, whatever you think, you are only a man. You are not a god.
• Ezekiel 39:17Son of man, this is what the Lord God says: Shout to all kinds of birds and wild animals, “Come here from all the country to eat the meal that I have prepared for you. It is a great sacrifice on Israel's mountains. There you will eat meat and you will 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

• Armies
• Championship
• Courage
• Decision
• Sling

In the dictionaries

• David
• Arise
• Assay
• Carriage
• Cause
• Coat
• Elhanan
• Naughtiness
• Prevail
• Rehearse

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