1 Samuel 17:4

1 Samuel 17:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.
• New International Version (NIV)A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.

Context of 1 Samuel 17:4

2And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched by the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines. 3And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them. And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 5And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. 6And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders.

1 Samuel 17:4 word by word

וַיֵּצֵ֤א אִֽישׁ־הַבֵּנַ֙יִם֙ מִמַּחֲנ֣וֹת פְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים גָּלְיָ֥ת שְׁמ֖וֹ מִגַּ֑ת גָּבְה֕וֹ שֵׁ֥שׁ אַמּ֖וֹת וָזָֽרֶת׃Read the interlinear

• And there went outיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: comeH3318
• a championבֵּנַיִםbênayim · championH1143
• a championאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• out of the campמַחֲנֶהmachăneh · campH4264
• of the Philistinesפְּלִשְׁתִּיpelishtîy · PhilistineH6430
• namedשֵׁםshêm · nameH8034
• Goliathגׇּלְיַתgolyath · GoliathH1555
• of Gathגַּתgath · GathH1661
• whose heightגֹּ֫בַהּgôbahh · heightH1363
• sixשֵׁשׁshêsh shishshâh · sixH8337
• cubitsאַמָּה'ammâh · cubitH520
• and a spanזֶ֫רֶתzereth · spanH2239

Cross-references for 1 Samuel 17:4

• 1 Samuel 17:23And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them.
• 1 Samuel 21:9And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me.
• 2 Samuel 21:19And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaare–oregim, a Beth–lehemite, slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.
• 1 Chronicles 20:5And there was war again with the Philistines; and Elhanan the son of Jair slew Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spear staff was like a weaver’s beam.
• 1 Samuel 27:4And it was told Saul that David was fled to Gath: and he sought no more again for him.
• Joshua 11:22There was none of the Anakims left in the land of the children of Israel: only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod, there remained.
• 2 Samuel 21:16And Ishbi–benob, which was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of brass in weight, he being girded with a new sword, thought to have slain David.
• 1 Chronicles 20:4And it came to pass after this, that there arose war at Gezer with the Philistines; at which time Sibbechai the Hushathite slew Sippai, that was of the children of the giant: and they were subdued.
• Deuteronomy 3:11For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants; behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man.
• 1 Chronicles 11:23And he slew an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits high; and in the Egyptian’s hand was a spear like a weaver’s beam; and he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and slew him with his own spear.
• Amos 2:9Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath.

Commentaries on 1 Samuel 17:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4There went out a champion - Our word champion comes from campus, the field; Campio est enim ille qui pugnat in campo, hoc est, in castris, "Champion is he, properly, who fights in the field; i.e., in camps." A man well skilled in arms, strong, brave, and patriotic. But is this the meaning of the original הבנים איש ish habbenayim, a middle man, the man between two; that is, as here, the man who undertakes to settle the disputes between two armies or…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4A champion - literally, “a man between the two camps:” i. e., one who did not fight in the ranks like an ordinary soldier, but came forth into the space between the hostile camps to challenge the mightiest man of his enemies to come and fight him. Goliath of Gath - One of the places mentioned in Joshua 11:22 as still retaining a remnant of the sons of Anak; Gaza and Ashdod being the others. The race of giants (the Rephaim, from רפא râphâ' ) is mentioned…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4champion: In ancient times, opposing forces would sometimes let chosen individuals from each side settle a conflict. This reduced casualties and other costs. This type of combat is shown in 2 Samuel 2:12–17. Gath was one of five Philistine cities known for having giants as citizens (2 Samuel 21:15–22).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 4-114-11. a champion--Hebrew, a "man between two"; that is, a person who, on the part of his own people, undertook to determine the national quarrel by engaging in single combat with a chosen warrior in the hostile army.Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Samuel 17:4

• Gath
• Measure

In the dictionaries

• Gath
• Goliath
• Philistines
• Gath, Gittite
• Arise
• Assay
• Carriage
• Cause
• Champion
• Coat

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