God’s Word Translation
1 Samuel 17:44
44“Come on,” the Philistine told David, “and I’ll give your body to the birds.”
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 got a good look at David, he despised him. After all, David was a young man with a healthy complexion and good looks. 43The Philistine asked David, “Am I a dog that you come to ⌞attack⌟ me with sticks?” So the Philistine called on his gods to curse David. “Come on,” the Philistine told David, “and I’ll give your body to the birds.” 45David told the Philistine, “You come to me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Armies, the God of the army of Israel, whom you have insulted. 46Today the Lord will hand you over to me. I will strike you down and cut off your head. And this day I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals. The whole 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 Benhadad sent Ahab the following message: “May the gods strike me dead if there will be enough dust left from Samaria to give a handful to each soldier who follows me.”
- Proverbs 18:12Before destruction a person’s heart is arrogant, but humility comes before honor.
- Ecclesiastes 9:11I saw something else under the sun. The race isn’t ⌞won⌟ by fast runners, or the battle by heroes. Wise people don’t necessarily have food. Intelligent people don’t necessarily have riches, and skilled people don’t necessarily receive special treatment. But time and unpredictable events overtake all of them.
- Jeremiah 9:23This is what the Lord says: Don’t let wise people brag about their wisdom. Don’t let strong people brag about their strength. Don’t let rich people brag about their riches.
- Ezekiel 28:2“Son of man, tell the ruler of Tyre, ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: In your arrogance you say, “I’m a god. I sit on God’s throne in the sea.” But you’re only human and not a god, although you think you are a god.
- Ezekiel 39:17“Son of man, this is what the Almighty Lord says: Tell every kind of bird and every wild animal, ‘Assemble, and come together from all around for the sacrifice that I’m preparing for you. It will be a huge feast on the mountains of Israel. You can eat meat and drink blood there.
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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