Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Samuel 17:51
Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.
51. their champion ] Their mighty man: a different word from that in 1Sa 17:4 ; 1Sa 17:23.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Champion – Quite a different word from that so rendered in 1Sa 17:4, 1Sa 17:23; better warrior.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 51. When the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.] They were panic-struck; and not being willing to fulfil the condition which was stipulated by Goliath, they precipitately left the field. The Israelites took a proper advantage of these circumstances, and totally routed their enemies.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
David took his sword; hence it appears that David was not a little man, as many fancy; but a man of considerable bulk and strength, because he was able to manage a giants sword; which also he did, both here and below, 1Sa 21:9.
Slew him.
Quest. How could this be, when he slew him before with the stone? 1Sa 17:50.
Answ. There he gives a general account of the event of the battle, and of the giants death; but here he gives a particular relation of the manner and instrument of his death. The stone threw him down to the earth, and bereaved him of the use of his sense and motion; but there remained some life in him, (as frequently doth in such cases,) which the sword took away, and so completed the work.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
51. cut off his headnot as anevidence of the giant’s death, for his slaughter had been effected inpresence of the whole army, but as a trophy to be borne to Saul. Theheads of slain enemies are always regarded in the East as the mostwelcome tokens of victory.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Therefore David ran and stood upon the Philistine,…. Upon his carcass, as it lay prostrate on the ground, and trampled on him, in just contempt of him who had defied, reproached, and despised the armies of Israel:
and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof; which no doubt was a very large one, and required a good deal of strength to unsheathe it, and use it; and therefore either David, though so very young, was naturally very strong, or he had at this time a more than ordinary measure of strength given him:
and slew him; for it seems that by the blow of the stone he was only stunned, and fell to the ground, but still had life in him, which David soon put an end to by his own sword:
and cut off his head therewith; by which it would appear to both armies looking on that his business was done, and he was thoroughly dispatched:
and when the Philistines saw their champion was dead; of which the cutting off his head was a demonstrative proof, and which they could discern at a distance:
they fled; being struck with a panic at this unexpected event, and no doubt by the Lord; for otherwise, had they given themselves the least time to reflect on their own numbers and strength, they had no just occasion to flee; their safety not depending on a single man, though ever so strong: upon this occasion David penned the ninth psalm; see Ps 9:1.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(51) And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.The Philistines had agreed to consider this single combat as decisive. They had no fears as to its result, and when they saw their boasted champion fall they were seized with a sudden panic. Their adversaries, the children of Israel, on the other hand, seeing the unarmed shepherd boy with the head of the great warrior who had so long defied them in his hand, felt that the old power had come back to them, and that once more their Invisible King was with them, so they at once, with an irresistible shout, charged their dismayed foes, and the battle, as far as the Philistines were concerned, became a total rout.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
The Routing Of The Philistines ( 1Sa 17:51-54 ).
Having brought the Philistine down David ran over to him and cut off his head with his own sword, and on seeing their champion humbled the Philistines had no further stomach for a fight. Terror appears to have taken hold of them, for they could no doubt see the Israelite army suddenly emboldened and ready to attack. And when they did so, what greater evidence of what the God of Israel could do to them did they need than this? They turned and fled leaving their baggage behind (wagons would only have delayed them). All defiance was over.
The exuberant Israelites meanwhile gave out a loud war-cry and chased after them, following them all the way to their own cities, slaughtering those who were too slow, after which they plundered the camp which the Philistines had left behind. And David, having cut off the head of his opponent took it up to Jerusalem of Judah, where the men of Judah regularly celebrated their triumphs (Jdg 1:7), while his armour he put in his own tent.
Analysis.
a
b And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. And the men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, until you come to Gai, and to the gates of Ekron (1Sa 17:51-52 a).
c And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even to Gath, and to Ekron (1Sa 17:52 b).
b And the children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they plundered their camp (1Sa 17:53).
a And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armour in his tent (1Sa 17:54).
Note that in ‘a’ David cuts off Goliath’s head, and in the parallel he brings it to Jerusalem. In ‘b’ the victorious Israelites chase the fleeing Philistines, and in the parallel they return from doing so and plunder their camp. Centrally in ‘c’ the Philistines, far from defying Israel and YHWH, are humiliated all the way home.
1Sa 17:51
‘ Then David ran, and stood over the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of its sheath, and slew him, and cut off his head with it. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.’
So he ran over to where the Philistine had fallen, stood over him, took out the Philistine’s own sword from its sheath, and slew him and cut off his head. The Philistines were meanwhile struck with awe and terror. They could hardly conceive how it had happened. And recognising that the gods must be against them, and that the Israelite army, whom they could see mobilising, would soon arrive in strength, they turned and fled. Of what use fighting when even the gods seemed against them? They would simply be cut to pieces.
1Sa 17:52
‘ And the men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, until you come to Gai, and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even to Gath, and to Ekron.’
Having watched in silence the unexpected turn of events the men of Israel in their turn became exultant. Most of them probably could not believe their eyes. The huge warrior who had defied them day after day now lay dead, slain by an Israelite shepherd boy. It was clear that YHWH was fighting with them and was on their side. And they arose and yelled their war cries, and then pursued the Philistines all the way to Gai, to the very gates of Ekron. And as they pursued they put the stragglers to the sword, and wounded men fell down by the road to Shaaraim, all the way to Gath and Ekron. And what a story they would have to tell.
Gai means ‘valley’. It was possibly the name given to a town situated in a well known valley, or to a prominent valley which had become known as ‘The Valley’. ‘The road to Shaaraim’ would be a recognised highway. The picture of wounded men falling by the wayside all along the route is in contrast with their previous defiance. They are defiant no longer. (The whole makes an interesting comparison with how the statue of Dagon also lost its head and fell before the Ark in 1Sa 5:4).
1Sa 17:53
‘ And the children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they plundered their camp.’
Once the chase was over the children of Israel then returned from chasing the Philistines, and plundered their camp and all their wagons, filled with praise to YHWH.
1Sa 17:54
‘ And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem, and he put his armour in his tent.’
And David meanwhile took the head of the Philistine back to his shepherd’s tent which was by Jerusalem where he had been pasturing his sheep (Bethlehem was only five miles from Jerusalem), and he put the Philistine’s armour in his tent. He would certainly get a nice feeling every time he looked at it, and it would remind him of YHWH’s goodness in giving him victory.
“Brought it to Jerusalem.” If David’s shepherd encampment was near Jerusalem it make perfect sense for him to bring Goliath’s head back to his tent along with his armour. However, there are grounds elsewhere for seeing Jerusalem of Judah as the place to which men of Judah regularly brought the trophies of victory. See, for example, Jdg 1:7, where after they had defeated Adoni-bezek the men of Judah ‘brought him to Jerusalem’ (the part of Jerusalem occupied by Judah). Thus it may be that that was why David of Judah saw this as the place to which to bring his trophy.
There appears to have been a threefold Jerusalem, for it was on the border of Judah and Benjamin and covered a wise area. There was the unconquered Jebusite citadel on the highest hill of Jerusalem, which would later fall to David, and then there was a Benjaminite Jerusalem (Jdg 1:21) and a Jerusalem belonging to Judah (Jdg 1:7-8), both of which were necessarily on other hilltops outside the citadel.
Others see ‘and brought it to Jerusalem’ as referring to what David did later in the future after he had captured the Jerusalem fortress. But Jerusalem of Judah had been held by them for a long time and was clearly seen by them as important (Jdg 1:8) so that there is no reason why David should not be seen as visiting Jerusalem in Saul’s day, especially if the people of Judah saw it as their main city.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
1Sa 17:51 Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.
Ver. 51. And cut off his head therewith. ] Propriis pennis configimur, said Julian the apostate, when the Christians confuted the heathens by their own arts and authors. The Papists may say as much when we bring the canons, decrees, and testimonies of the Fathers against them. Learned Whitaker tells Campian – the Pope’s champion – very truly, Patres in maximis sunt nostri; in multis varii; in minimis, vestri. The Fathers are, mostly what, on our side.
And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.
a Tertul.
b Hist. Gallic.
c Paul. Jov.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
drew it out; showing that Goliath had not deigned to do so.
champion. Hebrew. gibbor = mighty man. App-14. Not the same word as in 1Sa 17:4 and 1Sa 17:23.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
his sword: 1Sa 21:9, 2Sa 23:21, Est 7:10, Psa 7:15, Psa 7:16, Heb 2:14
cut off: 1Sa 17:46
fled: Heb 11:34
Reciprocal: 1Sa 31:9 – cut off 1Ch 11:23 – slew him Est 7:9 – Hang him thereon Joh 16:33 – I
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1Sa 17:51. David took his sword Hence it appears that David was not a little man, as many fancy, but a man of considerable bulk and strength, because he was able to manage a giants sword. The stone threw him down to the earth, and bereaved him of sense and motion; but there remained some life in him, which the sword took away, and so completed the work. God is greatly glorified when his proud enemies are cut off with their own sword.