The Meaning of 1 Samuel 17:46 Explained

1 Samuel 17:46

KJV: This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.

YLT: This day doth Jehovah shut thee up into my hand -- and I have smitten thee, and turned aside thy head from off thee, and given the carcase of the camp of the Philistines this day to the fowl of the heavens, and to the beast of the earth, and all the earth do know that God is for Israel.

Darby: This day will Jehovah deliver thee up into my hand; and I will smite thee, and take thy head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the camp of the Philistines this day to the fowl of the heavens and to the wild beasts of the earth. And all the earth shall know that Israel has a God;

ASV: This day will Jehovah deliver thee into my hand; and I will smite thee, and take thy head from off thee; and I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day unto the birds of the heavens, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel,

KJV Reverse Interlinear

This day  will the LORD  deliver  thee into mine hand;  and I will smite  thee, and take  thine head  from thee; and I will give  the carcases  of the host  of the Philistines  this day  unto the fowls  of the air,  and to the wild beasts  of the earth;  that all the earth  may know  that there is  a God  in Israel. 

What does 1 Samuel 17:46 Mean?

Context Summary

1 Samuel 17:41-54 - He Wins The Lord's Battle
David did not wait until his enemy had crossed the valley, but hastened to the streamlet to select the pebbles needed for his sling. Goliath scouted such a champion and cursed him. To this boasting and blaspheming, David opposed the name of Jehovah of Hosts-the unseen hosts of heaven, the twelve legions of angels, of which our Lord spoke. That God-the God of Israel-would assuredly take up the challenge, and vindicate His servant's faith. Thus all Gentile nations would see that the God of Israel was a living reality, while Israel also would learn the too-long-forgotten lesson that Jehovah saveth not by sword nor spear.
So confident was the Philistine that he did not trouble to draw his sword nor let down the visor of his helmet. One thrust of his heavy spear, he reckoned, was all that would be required. But in a moment more Goliath was lying helpless on the ground. It is thus that God's champions, in every age, have gone out against giant wrongs, as Luther against Tetzel, or Garrison against slavery; and it is thus that we may confidently over-throw the inbred sins that claim supremacy over our lives. [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 17:46 mean?

Day this will deliver you Yahweh into my hand and I will strike you and take - your head from you and I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines this to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth that may know all the earth that there is a God in Israel
הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֡ה יְסַגֶּרְךָ֩ יְהוָ֨ה בְּיָדִ֜י וְהִכִּיתִ֗ךָ וַהֲסִרֹתִ֤י אֶת־ רֹֽאשְׁךָ֙ מֵעָלֶ֔יךָ וְנָ֨תַתִּ֜י פֶּ֣גֶר מַחֲנֵ֤ה פְלִשְׁתִּים֙ הַזֶּ֔ה לְע֥וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וּלְחַיַּ֣ת הָאָ֑רֶץ וְיֵֽדְעוּ֙ כָּל־ הָאָ֔רֶץ כִּ֛י יֵ֥שׁ אֱלֹהִ֖ים לְיִשְׂרָאֵֽל

הַיּ֣וֹם  Day 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
הַזֶּ֡ה  this 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
יְסַגֶּרְךָ֩  will  deliver  you 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person masculine singular, second person masculine singular
Root: סָגוּר 
Sense: to shut, close.
יְהוָ֨ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
בְּיָדִ֜י  into  my  hand 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
וְהִכִּיתִ֗ךָ  and  I  will  strike  you 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular, second person masculine singular
Root: נָכָה  
Sense: to strike, smite, hit, beat, slay, kill.
וַהֲסִרֹתִ֤י  and  take 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: סוּר 
Sense: to turn aside, depart.
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.
רֹֽאשְׁךָ֙  your  head 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: רֹאשׁ 
Sense: head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning.
מֵעָלֶ֔יךָ  from  you 
Parse: Preposition-m, second person masculine 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.
וְנָ֨תַתִּ֜י  and  I  will  give 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
פֶּ֣גֶר  the  carcasses 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: פֶּגֶר  
Sense: corpse, carcass, monument, stela.
מַחֲנֵ֤ה  of  the  camp 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct
Root: מַחֲנֶה  
Sense: encampment, camp.
פְלִשְׁתִּים֙  of  the  Philistines 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine plural
Root: פְּלִשְׁתִּי  
Sense: an inhabitant of Philistia; descendants of Mizraim who immigrated from Caphtor (Crete?) to the western seacoast of Canaan.
הַזֶּ֔ה  this 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
לְע֥וֹף  to  the  birds 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: עֹוף  
Sense: flying creatures, fowl, insects, birds.
הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם  of  the  air 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: שָׁמַיִם  
Sense: heaven, heavens, sky.
וּלְחַיַּ֣ת  and  the  wild  beasts 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: חַי 
Sense: living, alive.
הָאָ֑רֶץ  of  the  earth 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
וְיֵֽדְעוּ֙  that  may  know 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: דָּעָה 
Sense: to know.
הָאָ֔רֶץ  the  earth 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
כִּ֛י  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
יֵ֥שׁ  there  is 
Parse: Adverb
Root: יֵשׁ  
Sense: being, existence, substance, there is or are.
אֱלֹהִ֖ים  a  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
לְיִשְׂרָאֵֽל  in  Israel 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.