1 Samuel 17:8
New International Version
Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me.

New Living Translation
Goliath stood and shouted a taunt across to the Israelites. “Why are you all coming out to fight?” he called. “I am the Philistine champion, but you are only the servants of Saul. Choose one man to come down here and fight me!

English Standard Version
He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me.

Berean Standard Bible
And Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and array yourselves for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose one of your men and have him come down against me.

King James Bible
And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me.

New King James Version
Then he stood and cried out to the armies of Israel, and said to them, “Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me.

New American Standard Bible
He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel and said to them, “Why do you come out to draw up in battle formation? Am I not the Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man as your representative and have him come down to me.

NASB 1995
He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel and said to them, “Why do you come out to draw up in battle array? Am I not the Philistine and you servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves and let him come down to me.

NASB 1977
And he stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, and said to them, “Why do you come out to draw up in battle array? Am I not the Philistine and you servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves and let him come down to me.

Legacy Standard Bible
And he stood and called out to the battle lines of Israel and said to them, “Why do you come out to arrange yourselves for battle? Am I not the Philistine and you slaves of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves and let him come down to me.

Amplified Bible
Goliath stood and shouted to the battle lines of Israel, saying to them, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not the Philistine and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves and have him come down to me.

Christian Standard Bible
He stood and shouted to the Israelite battle formations, “Why do you come out to line up in battle formation? ” He asked them, “Am I not a Philistine and are you not servants of Saul? Choose one of your men and have him come down against me.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
He stood and shouted to the Israelite battle formations: “Why do you come out to line up in battle formation?” He asked them, “Am I not a Philistine and are you not servants of Saul? Choose one of your men and have him come down against me.

American Standard Version
And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me.

Contemporary English Version
Goliath went out and shouted to the army of Israel: Why are you lining up for battle? I'm the best soldier in our army, and all of you are in Saul's army. Choose your best soldier to come out and fight me!

English Revised Version
And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Goliath stood and called to the Israelites, "Why do you form a battle line? Am I not a Philistine, and aren't you Saul's servants? Choose a man, and let him come down to [fight] me.

Good News Translation
Goliath stood and shouted at the Israelites, "What are you doing there, lined up for battle? I am a Philistine, you slaves of Saul! Choose one of your men to fight me.

International Standard Version
He stood still and called out to the ranks of Israel, "Why should you move into position for battle? Am I not a Philistine and you Saul's servants? Choose a man for yourselves to come down against me.

Majority Standard Bible
And Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, ?Why do you come out and array yourselves for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose one of your men and have him come down against me.

NET Bible
Goliath stood and called to Israel's troops, "Why do you come out to prepare for battle? Am I not the Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose for yourselves a man so he may come down to me!

New Heart English Bible
He stood and shouted to the armies of Israel, and said to them, "Why have you come out to set your battle in array? Am I not a Philistine, and you servants to Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me.

Webster's Bible Translation
And he stood and cried to the armies of Israel, and said to them, Why have ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me.

World English Bible
He stood and cried to the armies of Israel, and said to them, “Why have you come out to set your battle in array? Am I not a Philistine, and you servants to Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And he stands and calls to the ranks of Israel, and says to them, “Why do you come out to set in array for battle? [Am] I not the Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me;

Young's Literal Translation
And he standeth and calleth unto the ranks of Israel, and saith to them, 'Why are ye come out to set in array the battle? am not I the Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose for you a man, and let him come down unto me;

Smith's Literal Translation
And he will stand and call to the ranks of Israel, and say to them, Wherefore will ye come forth to arrange the battle? am not I of the rovers, and ye servants to Saul? select to yourselves a man, and he shall come down to me.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And standing he cried out to the bands of Israel, and said to them: Why are you come out prepared to fight? am not I a Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose out a man of you, and let him come down and fight hand to hand.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And standing still, he cried out to the battle lines of Israel, and he said to them: “Why have you arrived, prepared for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose one man from among you, and let him descend to do battle alone.

New American Bible
He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel: “Why come out in battle formation? I am a Philistine, and you are Saul’s servants. Choose one of your men, and have him come down to me.

New Revised Standard Version
He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And he stood and cried to the armies of Israel, and said to them, Why have you come out to set your battle in array? Am I not a Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, that he may come out against me.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And he stood and he called to the ranks of Israel and said to them: “Why are you going out to arrange war? Behold, I am a Philistine and you are Servants of Shaul. Choose for you a man that he will go out against me
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them: 'Why do ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And he stood and cried to the army of Israel, and said to them, Why are ye come forth to set yourselves in battle array against us? Am not I a Philistine, and ye He brews of Saul? Choose for yourselves a man, and let him come down to me.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Goliath's Challenge
7The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. In addition, his shield bearer went before him. 8And Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and array yourselves for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose one of your men and have him come down against me. 9If he is able to fight me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and labor for us.”…

Cross References
Judges 9:28
Then Gaal son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal, and is not Zebul his officer? You are to serve the men of Hamor, the father of Shechem. Why should we serve Abimelech?

2 Kings 18:23-24
Now, therefore, make a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria. I will give you two thousand horses—if you can put riders on them! / For how can you repel a single officer among the least of my master’s servants when you depend on Egypt for chariots and horsemen?

Isaiah 36:8-9
Now, therefore, make a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria. I will give you two thousand horses—if you can put riders on them! / For how can you repel a single officer among the least of my master’s servants when you depend on Egypt for chariots and horsemen?

Numbers 13:31-33
But the men who had gone up with him replied, “We cannot go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are!” / So they gave the Israelites a bad report about the land that they had spied out: “The land we explored devours its inhabitants, and all the people we saw there are great in stature. / We even saw the Nephilim there—the descendants of Anak that come from the Nephilim! We seemed like grasshoppers in our own sight, and we must have seemed the same to them!”

Deuteronomy 1:28
Where can we go? Our brothers have made our hearts melt, saying: ‘The people are larger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the heavens. We even saw the descendants of the Anakim there.’”

1 Samuel 14:6
Jonathan said to the young man bearing his armor, “Come, let us cross over to the outpost of these uncircumcised men. Perhaps the LORD will work on our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few.”

1 Samuel 17:10
Then the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day! Give me a man to fight!”

1 Samuel 17:26
David asked the men who were standing with him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Just who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

1 Samuel 17:36
Your servant has killed lions and bears; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.”

1 Samuel 17:45
But David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

1 Samuel 17:47
And all those assembled here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give all of you into our hands.”

2 Samuel 21:21
and when he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of David’s brother Shimei killed him.

2 Samuel 23:9-10
Next in command was Eleazar son of Dodo the Ahohite. As one of the three mighty men, he went with David to taunt the Philistines who had gathered for battle at Pas-dammim. The men of Israel retreated, / but Eleazar stood his ground and struck the Philistines until his hand grew weary and stuck to his sword. The LORD brought about a great victory that day. Then the troops returned to him, but only to plunder the dead.

2 Samuel 23:16
So the three mighty men broke through the Philistine camp, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem, and brought it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out to the LORD,

1 Chronicles 11:12-14
Next in command was Eleazar son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men. / He was with David at Pas-dammim when the Philistines gathered there for battle. At a place with a field full of barley, the troops fled from the Philistines. / But Eleazar and David stationed themselves in the middle of the field and defended it. They struck down the Philistines, and the LORD brought about a great victory.


Treasury of Scripture

And he stood and cried to the armies of Israel, and said to them, Why are you come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and you servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me.

servants to Saul

1 Samuel 17:26
And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?

1 Samuel 8:17
He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants.

2 Samuel 11:11
And Uriah said unto David, The ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in tents; and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open fields; shall I then go into mine house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? as thou livest, and as thy soul liveth, I will not do this thing.

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1 Samuel 17
1. The armies of the Israelites and Philistines being ready to battle
4. Goliath challenges a combat
12. David, sent by his father to visit his brothers, takes the challenge
28. Eliab chides him
30. He is brought to Saul
32. shows the reason of his confidence
38. and slays the giant
55. Saul takes notice of David














Goliath stood
The Hebrew word for "stood" is "עָמַד" (amad), which conveys the idea of taking a firm position. Goliath's standing is not just a physical posture but a demonstration of his defiance and confidence. In the historical context, standing in battle was a sign of readiness and challenge. Goliath's stature and armor would have been intimidating, symbolizing the Philistine threat to Israel.

called out
The phrase "called out" comes from the Hebrew "קָרָא" (qara), meaning to call or proclaim. This is not a mere shout but a formal challenge, akin to a herald's announcement. In ancient warfare, champions often issued challenges to avoid mass bloodshed, and Goliath's call was a strategic psychological tactic to instill fear.

to the ranks of Israel
The "ranks" refers to the organized military lines of Israel. The Hebrew "מַעֲרָכָה" (ma'arakhah) indicates a structured formation, highlighting the Israelites' preparation for battle. However, Goliath's challenge exposes their vulnerability and fear, as they lack a champion to match his might.

Why do you come out to line up in battle formation?
This rhetorical question underscores Goliath's disdain and confidence. The Philistine warrior mocks the Israelites' readiness, questioning their courage and purpose. Historically, this reflects the common practice of psychological warfare, where demoralizing the enemy was as crucial as physical combat.

Am I not a Philistine
The term "Philistine" is derived from "פְּלִשְׁתִּי" (Pelishti), referring to the sea peoples who settled in the coastal regions of Canaan. Goliath's identity as a Philistine emphasizes the longstanding enmity between the Philistines and Israelites. His question implies superiority, as the Philistines were often technologically and militarily advanced.

and are you not the servants of Saul?
By calling the Israelites "servants of Saul," Goliath diminishes their identity, reducing them to mere followers of a king rather than a people of God. This phrase challenges Saul's leadership and the Israelites' faith, as their king should be leading them in battle, yet they are paralyzed by fear.

Choose a man for yourselves
The directive "choose" (בָּחַר, bachar) is a call to action, urging the Israelites to select a champion. This reflects the ancient custom of representative combat, where individual warriors fought on behalf of their armies. The challenge is both a test of Israel's courage and a taunt, as Goliath doubts they have anyone capable of facing him.

and have him come down to me
The phrase "come down" (יָרַד, yarad) suggests descending from a higher position, possibly the Israelite camp on a hill. This not only describes the physical movement but also symbolizes the daunting task of confronting Goliath. The challenge is clear: face the giant on his terms, in the valley where he holds the advantage.

(8) Am not I a Philistine?--The literal rendering here gives a far more forcible reading: Am not I the Philistine? the famous warrior whom you know too well? The Targum of Jonathan adds here the proud boast of the giant warrior that it was he who had slain Hophni and Phinehas (the sons of Eli, the high priest), and had carried the Ark to the temple of Dagon. This Targum, although comparatively a late compilation, doubtless embodied many ancient national traditions.

And ye servants to Saul.--Thus taunting the soldiers of Israel with the memory of the former glory of their king. Will none of the famous servants of the warrior king dare to meet me?

Must we not deem it probable that the fact of the separation of the prophet from the king had been made public in Philistia, and that the present daring challenge was owing to their knowledge that the Spirit of the Lord--whom we know these enemies of the Hebrews dreaded with so awful a dread--had departed from Saul and his armies?

Verses 8-11. - He stood and cried unto the armies. Literally, "the ranks," the word being the noun formed from the verb translated set in array, just below. The same word is used throughout (see vers. 10, 20, 21, 22, 26, 45). Am not I a Philistine? Hebrew, "the Philistine," the champion on their side. I defy the armies. Hebrew, "I have cast scorn or insult upon the ranks of Israel this day." The sense is not so much that he defied them as that they were dishonoured by not accepting his challenge. They were dismayed. That is, terrified, and made uncertain what to do (comp. Jeremiah 1:36). We have seen from Mr. Condor's account that each army held an impregnable position on the two sides of the ravine, which neither could cross without the certainty of being defeated in the attempt by the other side. Under such circumstances there seemed no way of deciding the contest except by a single combat. But though Saul and his warriors were too terrified at Goliath's appearance to venture to meet him, still they held their ground for forty days, inasmuch as it was evidently impossible for him to cross the ravine clad in such cumbrous armour, nor did the Philistines venture to make the attempt, us the Israelites would have taken them at a manifest disadvantage. DAVID'S VISIT TO THE CAMP (vers. 12-31). The Vatican codex of the Septuagint omits the whole of this section, and it was inserted in the Alexandrian copy by Origen. It is found, however, in the other versions; and possibly this treatment of David's history as of a person unknown, just after the account given of him in ch. 16, did not seem so strange to readers in old time as it does to us, with whom reading is so much more easy an accomplishment. It is, nevertheless, one of the many indications that the Books of Samuel, though compiled from contemporaneous documents, were not arranged in their present form till long afterwards. It was only gradually that Samuel's schools dispersed throughout the country men trained in reading and writing, and trained up scholars capable of keeping the annals of each king's reign. The Books of Kings were, as we know, compiled from these annals; but probably at each prophetic school there would be stored up copies of Psalms written for their religious services, ballads such as those in the Book of Jashar, and in the Book of the Wars of Jehovah, narratives of stirring events like this before us, and histories both of their own chiefs, such as was Samuel, and afterwards Elijah and Elisha, and also of the kings. There is nothing remarkable, therefore, at finding information repeated; and having had in the previous narrative an account of a passing introduction of David to Saul as a musician, which led to little at the time, though subsequently David stood high in Saul's favour because of his skill upon the harp, we here have David's introduction to Saul as a warrior.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
And [Goliath] stood
וַֽיַּעֲמֹ֗ד (way·ya·‘ă·mōḏ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5975: To stand, in various relations

and shouted
וַיִּקְרָא֙ (way·yiq·rā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7121: To call, proclaim, read

to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

the ranks
מַעַרְכֹ֣ת (ma·‘ar·ḵōṯ)
Noun - feminine plural construct
Strong's 4634: An arrangement, a pile, a military array

of Israel,
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל (yiś·rā·’êl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3478: Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc

“Why
לָ֥מָּה (lām·māh)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

do you come out
תֵצְא֖וּ (ṯê·ṣə·’ū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 3318: To go, bring, out, direct and proxim

and array yourselves
לַעֲרֹ֣ךְ (la·‘ă·rōḵ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 6186: To set in a, row, arrange, put in order

for battle?
מִלְחָמָ֑ה (mil·ḥā·māh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 4421: A battle, war

Am I
אָנֹכִ֣י (’ā·nō·ḵî)
Pronoun - first person common singular
Strong's 595: I

not
הֲל֧וֹא (hă·lō·w)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

a Philistine,
הַפְּלִשְׁתִּ֗י (hap·pə·liš·tî)
Article | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 6430: Philistines -- inhabitants of Philistia

and are you
וְאַתֶּם֙ (wə·’at·tem)
Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - second person masculine plural
Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you

not servants
עֲבָדִ֣ים (‘ă·ḇā·ḏîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 5650: Slave, servant

of Saul?
לְשָׁא֔וּל (lə·šā·’ūl)
Preposition-l | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 7586: Saul -- first king of Israel, also an Edomite and two Israelites

Choose
בְּרוּ־ (bə·rū-)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 1262: To select, to feed, to render clear

one of your men
אִ֖ישׁ (’îš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

and have him come down
וְיֵרֵ֥ד (wə·yê·rêḏ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3381: To come or go down, descend

against me.
אֵלָֽי׃ (’ê·lāy)
Preposition | first person common singular
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to


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OT History: 1 Samuel 17:8 He stood and cried to the armies (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa)
1 Samuel 17:7
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