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Greetings! This week’s blog is a little late… I was plugging in some last-minute details here when our internet service provider went down for the better part of last night. Not only was I unable to finish and publish this post, but I also couldn’t find a recipe for dinner nor watch anything on television. Even my new cell phone couldn’t entertain me beyond reading the novel I’d downloaded for a trip earlier this month. Obviously, our service has been restored, but what a lesson in electronic dependency!

Last Week’s Work

LITERAL CONTEXT/WRITING TYPE

The most prevalent writing type I observed in 1 Samuel 17 and its literal context is narrative writing about Saul and David, the first two kings of Israel.

In Chapter 15, I discovered the disobedience that led God to reject Saul as king over Israel. In the next chapter, Samuel told Saul he’d lose the throne but did not divulge to Saul the full identity of his successor. I wonder if this news explains why Saul hadn’t addressed Goliath’s challenge in the 40 days prior to David’s visit: was he so distraught or remorseful for the disobedience that he couldn’t muster the strength to stand against the giant?

Moreover, when David approached Saul with intent to fight Goliath, Saul may not have realized that the youth before him was destined to take his place as king and commander of Israel’s army! I found one other verse that caught my attention in chapter 16: my ESV reads the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David when Samuel anointed him king. I’m no monarch, but I believe I know what that feels like, and it’s awesome! 

HISTORICAL CONTEXT

We don’t know for sure who wrote 1 Samuel, but it’s possible the prophet himself wrote at least some of it, and it was written soon after David’s reign ended in 971 BC. According to the ESV Global Study Bible introduction, its purpose is to recount the establishment of a kingdom in Israel and the rise of David to replace Saul. I believe it’s an accurate, first-person account of what took place in Israel at that time.

INTERLINEAR RESEARCH

This time, I concentrated on just two areas: unpacking the frequent use of army/armies in vv21, 26, 36, and 45; and the names of God in vv26, 36, and 45.

On Bible Hub, I noticed there was no number attribute (singular or plural) assigned to H4634, maarakah, translated army (v21 only) and armies (vv26, 36, and 45). In v21, it’s singular and describes the Philistine and Israeli militias. In vv26, 36, and 45, however, the word is rendered plural, and I can’t see anything in the words or their immediate context that might explain why. What I did notice, though, is that the statements in 26, 36, and 45 are all David’s, and each time, he indicates the armies are of God, either identified as the Living God (H2416 H430) or the LORD of Hosts (H3068 H6635). I think that’s significant: it speaks to me of Israel’s army plus at least one other army—maybe of angels or other supernatural beings? Of course, with God, who needs anything more than a shepherd boy with a sling and a stone? Finally, I appreciated the detail I discovered for YHWH Tsaba (Lord of Hosts) on biblehub.org, especially in the section called Topical Lexicon. There I discovered the first use of tsaba appears in Exodus 12:41, describing the redeemed nation of Israel as the hosts [plural!] of the LORD. Others (like our text) speak to the nation’s military endeavors and to protection by unseen fighters.

Dig-In Challenges

I’ve learned a lot, but I still want to dig deeper! If you want to, also, here’s a plan:

1. PRAY, of course.
2. REFINE: Consult a concordance or online cross-reference study tool [I’ll be starting here] to find and read through the available cross-references for your focus verse(s) and log what the Spirit shows you.
   NOTE: For your study, follow the above link, then use the Prev or Next buttons below the verse text to go to your focus verse(s).
3. REFINE: Next, compare at least a few other translations of your focus verse(s) and write about what you find in your study journal. I’ll be comparing ESV, AMP, NIV, NLT, and GNT starting with this biblehub.com page. After following this link, you can navigate to your verse(s) by entering the reference in the Enter Reference or Keyword box at the top of the page and clicking the spyglass icon there.
4. REFINE: Last, I plan to check a few commentaries on my focus verses from 1 Samuel 17. If you already have a favorite study Bible or commentary, feel free to review it, too. If you don’t, I recommend bibleref.com if you’re new to the Bible or Bible study: it’s easy to follow, and you can find information about the whole book and certain passages.
   If you’re looking for something with more detail, try checking the commentary section of StudyLight.org. There, you can access verse-by-verse commentaries on 1 Samuel 17 by clicking the box for your focus verse, then clicking the name of the commentary listed immediately under the text of the verse you chose. I recommend you review more than one commentary and listen to the Spirit’s guidance on them.

I encourage you to do what you can this week to dig deeper into God’s Word. I know you’ll find immense treasure there. And I hope you’ll check in with me again next week!