The Meaning of 1 Samuel 17:35 Explained

1 Samuel 17:35

KJV: And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.

YLT: and I have gone out after him, and smitten him, and delivered out of his mouth, and he riseth against me, and I have taken hold on his beard, and smitten him, and put him to death.

Darby: And I went after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth; and when he arose against me, I seized him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.

ASV: I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth; and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And I went out  after  him, and smote  him, and delivered  [it] out of his mouth:  and when he arose  against me, I caught  [him] by his beard,  and smote  him, and slew  him. 

What does 1 Samuel 17:35 Mean?

Context Summary

1 Samuel 17:31-40 - David Trusts His Former Deliverer
David was conducted into Saul's presence-his soul aglow with heroic faith-avowing that he was willing to go alone to fight the Philistine. Saul, however, had no thought of power save that which comes from long practice, 1 Samuel 17:33, or from helmets and coats of mail, 1 Samuel 17:38-39; so he endeavored to dissuade the stripling. It was no small temptation to David to take a lower ground and retreat from his offer. Let us never listen to flesh and blood! They always say to us, after the manner of Peter at Caesarea Philippi, when our Lord spoke of His crucifixion and death, "This shall not be unto thee; spare thyself." See Psalms 20:7-8.
The point of David's narrative of his encounter with the lion and the bear was entirely lost on Saul. The king regarded these exploits as solely the result of superior agility and sinewy strength. He did not fathom David's meaning when the lad ascribed his success to the direct interposition of Jehovah, 1 Samuel 17:37. Already the underlying note of Psalms 27:1-14 may have been haunting the young psalmist's soul. Saul had no idea that faith opens new sources of power, touches new stops in the great organ, and accomplishes alliance with the Almighty. See Matthew 16:22. [source]

Chapter Summary: 1 Samuel 17

1  The armies of the Israelites and Philistines being ready to battle
4  Goliath challenges a combat
12  David, sent by his father to visit his brothers, takes the challenge
28  Eliab chides him
30  He is brought to Saul
32  shows the reason of his confidence
38  and slays the giant
55  Saul takes notice of David

What do the individual words in 1 Samuel 17:35 mean?

and I went out after it and struck it and delivered [the lamb] from its mouth and when it arose against me and I caught [it] by its beard and struck and killed it
וְיָצָ֧אתִי אַחֲרָ֛יו וְהִכִּתִ֖יו וְהִצַּ֣לְתִּי מִפִּ֑יו וַיָּ֣קָם עָלַ֔י וְהֶחֱזַ֙קְתִּי֙ בִּזְקָנ֔וֹ וְהִכִּתִ֖יו וַהֲמִיתִּֽיו

וְיָצָ֧אתִי  and  I  went  out 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: יׄוצֵאת 
Sense: to go out, come out, exit, go forth.
אַחֲרָ֛יו  after  it 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: אַחַר 
Sense: after the following part, behind (of place), hinder, afterwards (of time).
וְהִכִּתִ֖יו  and  struck  it 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular, third person masculine singular
Root: נָכָה  
Sense: to strike, smite, hit, beat, slay, kill.
וְהִצַּ֣לְתִּי  and  delivered  [the  lamb] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: נָצַל  
Sense: to snatch away, deliver, rescue, save, strip, plunder.
מִפִּ֑יו  from  its  mouth 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: פֶּה  
Sense: mouth.
וַיָּ֣קָם  and  when  it  arose 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: קוּם 
Sense: to rise, arise, stand, rise up, stand up.
עָלַ֔י  against  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
וְהֶחֱזַ֙קְתִּי֙  and  I  caught  [it] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: חָזַק  
Sense: to strengthen, prevail, harden, be strong, become strong, be courageous, be firm, grow firm, be resolute, be sore.
בִּזְקָנ֔וֹ  by  its  beard 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, common singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: זָקָן  
Sense: beard, chin.
וְהִכִּתִ֖יו  and  struck 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular, third person masculine singular
Root: נָכָה  
Sense: to strike, smite, hit, beat, slay, kill.
וַהֲמִיתִּֽיו  and  killed  it 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular, third person masculine singular
Root: מוּת  
Sense: to die, kill, have one executed.