The Meaning of 1 Samuel 17:13 Explained

1 Samuel 17:13

KJV: And the three eldest sons of Jesse went and followed Saul to the battle: and the names of his three sons that went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next unto him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.

YLT: and the three eldest sons of Jesse go, they have gone after Saul to battle; and the name of his three sons who have gone into battle are Eliab the first-born, and his second Abinadab, and the third Shammah.

Darby: And the three eldest of the sons of Jesse had gone and followed Saul to the battle; and the names of his three sons that went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and the second to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.

ASV: And the three eldest sons of Jesse had gone after Saul to the battle: and the names of his three sons that went to the battle were Eliab the first-born, and next unto him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And the three  eldest  sons  of Jesse  went  [and] followed  Saul  to the battle:  and the names  of his three  sons  that went  to the battle  [were] Eliab  the firstborn,  and next  unto him Abinadab,  and the third  Shammah. 

What does 1 Samuel 17:13 Mean?

Context Summary

1Samuel 17:1-16 - Israel Defied By The Philistine Champion
When their king lost the special consciousness of God's presence and power, the whole kingdom became demoralized, and the Hebrews had the humiliation of hearing in silence a defiant challenge to "the armies of the living God." It looked as if the answer would have to go by default-that Jehovah was a God that could not save. The impotence of the Israelites made Goliath still more defiant. At first he came down from the ranks of his own camp on the southern side of the valley and walked vaingloriously through the level plain between the two hosts; but after forty days had passed, he became bolder and came up the slopes where Israel stood. At his approach they fled in terror. Measuring nine feet, nine inches, covered with mail, and carrying a spear, the head of which weighed eighteen pounds, the giant must have seemed very formidable to the men of Israel. And are there not giants equally determined and terrible that threaten us, in national and individual experience, and find us unable to cope with them? We need David's God and David's faith! [source]

Chapter Summary: 1Samuel 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 17:13 mean?

And had gone three sons of Jesse the oldest to follow after Saul to the battle And the names of three his sons who went to the battle [were] Eliab the firstborn and next to him Abinadab and the third Shammah
וַיֵּ֨לְכ֜וּ שְׁלֹ֤שֶׁת בְּנֵֽי־ יִשַׁי֙ הַגְּדֹלִ֔ים הָלְכ֥וּ אַחֲרֵי־ שָׁא֖וּל לַמִּלְחָמָ֑ה וְשֵׁ֣ם ׀ שְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת בָּנָ֗יו אֲשֶׁ֤ר הָלְכוּ֙ בַּמִּלְחָמָ֔ה אֱלִיאָ֣ב הַבְּכ֗וֹר וּמִשְׁנֵ֙הוּ֙ אֲבִ֣ינָדָ֔ב וְהַשְּׁלִשִׁ֖י שַׁמָּֽה

וַיֵּ֨לְכ֜וּ  And  had  gone 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
שְׁלֹ֤שֶׁת  three 
Parse: Number, masculine singular construct
Root: מִשְׁלֹשׁ 
Sense: three, triad.
בְּנֵֽי־  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
יִשַׁי֙  of  Jesse 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישַׁי 
Sense: son of Boaz and the father of king David.
הַגְּדֹלִ֔ים  the  oldest 
Parse: Article, Adjective, masculine plural
Root: גָּבֹול 
Sense: great.
הָלְכ֥וּ  to  follow 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
אַחֲרֵי־  after 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אַחַר 
Sense: after the following part, behind (of place), hinder, afterwards (of time).
שָׁא֖וּל  Saul 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁאוּל  
Sense: a Benjamite, son of Kish, and the st king of Israel.
לַמִּלְחָמָ֑ה  to  the  battle 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִלְחָמָה  
Sense: battle, war.
וְשֵׁ֣ם ׀  And  the  names 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: שֵׁם  
Sense: name.
שְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת  of  three 
Parse: Number, masculine singular construct
Root: מִשְׁלֹשׁ 
Sense: three, triad.
בָּנָ֗יו  his  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
הָלְכוּ֙  went 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
בַּמִּלְחָמָ֔ה  to  the  battle 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִלְחָמָה  
Sense: battle, war.
אֱלִיאָ֣ב  [were]  Eliab 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֱלִיאָב  
Sense: son of Helon, leader of Zebulun in the wilderness.
הַבְּכ֗וֹר  the  firstborn 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: בְּכֹר  
Sense: firstborn, firstling.
וּמִשְׁנֵ֙הוּ֙  and  next  to  him 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: מִשְׁנֶה  
Sense: double, copy, second, repetition.
אֲבִ֣ינָדָ֔ב  Abinadab 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲבִינָדָב  
Sense: a man of Gibeah who sheltered the ark.
וְהַשְּׁלִשִׁ֖י  and  the  third 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Number, ordinal masculine singular
Root: שְׁלִישִׁי 
Sense: third, one third, third part, third time.
שַׁמָּֽה  Shammah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: שַׁמָּה  
Sense: son of Reuel, grandson of Esau, and a chief of Edom.