The Meaning of 1 Samuel 17:38 Explained

1 Samuel 17:38

KJV: And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail.

YLT: And Saul clotheth David with his long robe, and hath put a helmet of brass on his head, and doth clothe him with a coat of mail.

Darby: And Saul clothed David with his dress, and put a helmet of bronze upon his head, and clothed him with a corselet.

ASV: And Saul clad David with his apparel, and he put a helmet of brass upon his head, and he clad him with a coat of mail.

Discover 1 Samuel 17:38

CONTEXT: What is the Context of 1 Samuel 17:38?

MEANING: What does 1 Samuel 17:38 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in 1 Samuel 17:38 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in 1 Samuel 17:38?

What is the context of 1 Samuel 17:38?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail.

What does 1 Samuel 17:38 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 Matthew 16:22.

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 Psalms 20:7-8. [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 17:38 mean?

So clothed Saul - David with his armor and he put a helmet bronze on his head and he clothed him with a coat of mail

וַיַּלְבֵּ֨שׁ שָׁא֤וּל אֶת־ דָּוִד֙ מַדָּ֔יו וְנָתַ֛ן ק֥וֹבַע נְחֹ֖שֶׁת עַל־ רֹאשׁ֑וֹ וַיַּלְבֵּ֥שׁ אֹת֖וֹ שִׁרְיֽוֹן

וַיַּלְבֵּ֨שׁ	So clothed
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular Root: לָבַשׁ Sense: to dress, wear, clothe, put on clothing, be clothed.
שָׁא֤וּל	Saul
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular Root: שָׁאוּל Sense: a Benjamite, son of Kish, and the st king of Israel.
אֶת־	-
Parse: Direct object marker Root: אֹות Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
דָּוִד֙	David
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular Root: דָּוִד Sense: youngest son of Jesse and second king of Israel.
מַדָּ֔יו	with his armor
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular Root: מַד Sense: measure, cloth garment.
וְנָתַ֛ן	and he put
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular Root: יָתַן Sense: to give, put, set.
ק֥וֹבַע	a helmet
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct Root: קֹובַע Sense: helmet.
נְחֹ֖שֶׁת	bronze
Parse: Noun, feminine singular Root: נְחֹשֶׁת Sense: copper, bronze.
רֹאשׁ֑וֹ	his head
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular Root: רֹאשׁ Sense: head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning.
וַיַּלְבֵּ֥שׁ	and he clothed
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular Root: לָבַשׁ Sense: to dress, wear, clothe, put on clothing, be clothed.
שִׁרְיֽוֹן	with a coat of mail
Parse: Noun, masculine singular Root: שִׁרְיָה Sense: body armour.

What are the major concepts related to 1 Samuel 17:38?

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