1 Samuel 17:49 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.

NIV: Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.

NASB: And David put his hand into his bag and took from it a stone and slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead. And the stone penetrated his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.

CSB: David put his hand in the bag, took out a stone, slung it, and hit the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown to the ground.

NLT: Reaching into his shepherd’s bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it with his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face down on the ground.

KJV: And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.

NKJV: Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth.

After building up to the confrontation between David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17:1–10, 23, 31–47), the action of the battle itself is contained in just a few verses. David and the champion of the Philistines have apparently charged each other. David has moved quickly because of his youth and not being weighed down by armor or weapons (1 Samuel 17:48). In the most literal terms, we're not told that this was the first or only action of the battle. But, given how quickly it occurs, it seems likely that the contest was over in a single step.

Despite common myths, David is not a small child armed with a slingshot. He was probably a teenager. He has experience with dangerous combat (1 Samuel 17:34–35). Slings in that era were legitimate weapons (Judges 20:16; 1 Chronicles 12:2). They were long straps used to throw stones which could be the size of a human fist—though the typical rock was about the size of a large coin. An effectively used sling could crack like a bullwhip as the stone was released. David has carefully chosen his ammunition (1 Samuel 17:40). He seems to know exactly what is about to happen. The lesson of this story is not that God provided a supernatural miracle, but that He only required someone to act without fear.

Scripture offers only the bare details of the incredibly brief battle. David has run forward, closing distance between Goliath and his shield bearer (1 Samuel 17:7). Most likely, the Philistine sees David's staff (1 Samuel 17:43) but might not have noticed the sling. A slinger could spin the rock around before releasing it, but it could also be thrown in a single motion, much like a baseball pitcher. In this case, however, the projectile is a solid rock being fired at close range.

With a well-aimed shot, David hits the giant in one of the places not well-protected by armor. Likely, this was at the top of the nose, or as the expression says, "right between the eyes." The rock hits hard enough to "sink in," which means impacting with enough force to cave in the giant's skull. Whether this is immediately fatal or not, it's a knockout blow that drops the Philistine face-down in the dirt. David will waste no time in making good on his prior threat (1 Samuel 17:46).

Goliath's earlier description (1 Samuel 17:5–6) reminds some of a serpent, evoking the idea of humanity's great enemy, Satan (Genesis 3:1). That David wins by crushing this "serpent's" head also mirrors those ideas (Genesis 3:15; Revelation 12:9; 20:2).

First Samuel 17:41–54 describes a world-renowned fight. Goliath is a Philistine giant armed with massive weapons. David is a teenager armed only with his shepherd's sling: a long leather strap used to throw hand-sized stones at deadly speed. Goliath mocks David, and the Lord. David replies by expressing faith and vowing to cut off Goliath's head. As the two approach each other, David slings a stone into Goliath's forehead, crushing the giant's skull. The Philistine falls, and David runs up to remove Goliath's sword, making good on his promise to behead the enemy. The Philistine army panics, flees, and the Israelite army follows to complete the victory.

David, delivering food to his brothers at the Israelite army camp, hears the Philistine Goliath's defiant challenge. Single man combat could decide the battle, but no Israelite wanted to face the massive warrior. David is appalled that a Philistine would defy the armies of the living God. He volunteers to fight, and King Saul agrees. Before the battle, David declares that the Lord will give victory and thereby show the world that there is a God in Israel. David quickly kills and beheads Goliath. The Israelites chase the Philistines back to their own territory and plunder their camp. David brings Goliath's head to Saul.

Saul was made king of Israel (1 Samuel 9—10) and had many early successes (1 Samuel 11—14). However, his disobedience resulted in God's plan for a different king (1 Samuel 15). The prophet Samuel anointed David as this future monarch (1 Samuel 16:11–13). David has been serving as a musician for Saul (1 Samuel 16:18–21) and comes visit his brothers during a standoff between Israelite and Philistine forces. This leads to the famous story of David and Goliath. David's victory publicly triggers his rise to power, paralleled by Saul's collapse. In the end, Saul will die in disgrace (1 Samuel 31:4–7) and David will be appointed the new king of Israel (1 Samuel 2:45:1–3).

First Samuel introduces the key figures who led Israel after the era of the judges. The books of 1 and 2 Samuel were originally part of a single text, split in certain translations shortly before the birth of Christ. Some of the Bible’s most famous characters are depicted in this book. These including the prophet Samuel, Israel’s first king, Saul, her greatest king, David, and other famous names such as Goliath and Jonathan. By the end of this book, Saul has fallen; the book of 2 Samuel begins with David’s ascension to the throne.