Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Samuel 17:44
And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.
44. I will give thy flesh, &c.] Compare Hector’s defiance of Ajax in Hom. Il. XIII. 831:
“The flesh
Shall glut the dogs and carrion birds of Troy.”
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 44. Come to me, and I will give thy flesh] He intended, as soon as he could lay hold on him, to pull him to pieces.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
And the Philistine said to David, come to me,…. He seems to have stood still, disdaining: to take another step towards such a pitiful combatant, and therefore bids him come up to him, and he would soon dispatch him; unless he said this, because David was light and nimble, and he heavy and unwieldy because of his bigness, and the burden of armour on him, and therefore could not make such haste as he wished to destroy his adversary, of which he made no doubt:
and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field; the wild beasts he means; though Jarchi thinks he spoke improperly, since it is not the way of the beasts of the field, as sheep, oxen, c. to devour a man, or even to eat any flesh and therefore he observes, when David comes, he uses another word, which signifies the wild beasts of the earth, and so we render it, 1Sa 17:46; but Kimchi shows that even these are comprehended in the word here used, see Isa 18:6.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(44) Come to me.In similar terms Hector addresses Ajax
And thou imperious! if thy madness wait
The lance of Hector, thou shalt meet thy fate.
That giant corse, extended on the shore.
Shall largely feed the fowls with fat and gore.
Iliad, xiii. 1053.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
1Sa 17:44 And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.
Ver. 44. I will give thy flesh. ] This was to triumph before the victory, to sell the hide before he had taken the beast. The Goliath of Rome hath dealt no better by the bodies of various of God’s dear saints, than this captive here threateneth to do by David.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
field. Some codices, with Aramaean, Septuagint, and Vulgate, read “earth”.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Come to me: 1Ki 20:10, 1Ki 20:11, Pro 18:12, Ecc 9:11, Ecc 9:12, Jer 9:23, Eze 28:2, Eze 28:9, Eze 28:10, Eze 39:17-20
I will give: Parallel instances of vaunting occur in some writers of a more recent date. – The conspirators against the emperor Maximinus having slain him, his son, and several of his best friends, threw out their bodies to be devoured by dogs and the fowls of the air. This custom appears to have been frequently threatened; and, however shocking to human feelings, was often carried into effect.
Reciprocal: Gen 19:9 – Stand Gen 40:19 – and the birds Deu 28:26 – General 1Sa 14:12 – Come up to us 1Sa 17:46 – carcases 1Ki 20:18 – General 2Ki 18:23 – I will deliver Neh 4:2 – feeble Psa 12:3 – tongue Pro 30:17 – the ravens Isa 37:22 – hath despised Jer 34:20 – and their Eze 29:5 – I have Eze 32:4 – General Rev 19:18 – ye
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1Sa 17:44-45. Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air It will be a tender and delicate feast for them. With such confidence did he presume on his success! Thus the security and presumption of fools destroy them. Then said David, I come to thee in the name, &c. By a commission from Him who commands all creatures in heaven and earth, and who has called me to, and animated me for, this undertaking. I rely on him as thou dost on thy sword and spear.