1 Samuel - Odessa, Missouri Community of Christ

2007 Edition Dr. Constable's Notes on 1 Samuel 71The stone that hit Goliath in the forehead evidently only knocked him out. David thenapproached the fallen giant, slew him with his own sword, and cut off his head. 219 Verse50 seems to be a summary of the whole encounter. Verses 49 and 51 apparently describewhat happened blow by blow. By cutting off Goliath's head David completed theexecution of the giant and demonstrated to everyone present that he really was dead. Likethe image of Dagon, that had previously fallen before the ark and had its head broken off(5:4), so Dagon's champion now suffered the same fate.The Israelites chased the fleeing Philistines back home to their towns. The townsmentioned stood to the north and northwest of the battlefield (v. 52). David took Goliath'shead as a trophy of war to Jerusalem and put the giant's weapons in his own tenttemporarily (v. 54). They became memorials of God's great deliverance on this occasion.It is unclear whether David took the giant's head to Jerusalem, which was still a Jebusitecity, immediately or if he took it there later when David captured Jerusalem and made ithis capital. Goliath's sword eventually went to Nob near Jerusalem (21:1-9). The centralsanctuary may have stood there even at this time.Saul needed to know the name of David's father to deliver the prize that he had promisedto anyone who would defeat Goliath (v. 25). Perhaps he had never asked David about thisbefore or had forgotten whose son he was. Another explanation of Saul's strangeignorance is that the events of chapter 17 may have been chronologically before those ofchapter 16. Another possibility is that Saul's words could have been an idiom for, "Whatis his background?" Perhaps the writer included this reference to David's family in thetext because David's trust and obedience resulted in his family enjoying special blessingsfrom God through Saul. Verses 55-58 focus on the question of whose son David was.This event proved that David was a true son of God who had the reputation and interestsof his Father and his Father's people at heart.David emerges as superior to Saul as well as Goliath in this story. We have already seenthat Yahweh was superior to Dagon (chs. 4—6). David's victory over Goliath was amajor step toward Israel's throne for him. It was a turning point in his life. God did notbase David's election for salvation on David's conduct. God chooses whom He will tosave. However, God did choose David to serve as Israel's king because of David'sconduct, which resulted from his devoted heart. God promotes the faithful to higherpositions of service (cf. Luke 19:12-27)."His victory that day in the valley of Elah made a national hero of him, aswell as entitling him to the hand of the king's daughter in marriage; but italso evoked jealous feelings in Saul, thus indirectly setting in motion theevents which fill the rest of 1 Samuel." 220In applying this story, I believe it is legitimate to see Goliath as representing the manyenemies that frustrate individual believers as we seek to live for God. However, I believe219 Baldwin, p. 128; Ariella Deem, "'And the Stone Sank Into His Forehead': A Note on 1 Samuel xvii 49,"Vetus Testamentum 28:3 (1978):350.220 Gordon, p. 153.