What is the meaning of 1 Samuel 17:27? The people told him about the offer • David has just arrived at the front lines (1 Samuel 17:22) and is trying to understand why Israel is allowing Goliath to taunt them. • The “people” are the soldiers near David; they repeat what Saul has announced in verse 25—great riches, the king’s daughter in marriage, and tax‐free status for the hero’s family. • Their words highlight Saul’s reliance on earthly incentives rather than personal faith to confront the giant, a contrast to passages where leaders themselves step forward in faith (Joshua 10:24–25). • By recording this conversation, the Spirit shows how human motivations often revolve around reward, yet God looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7; cf. Matthew 6:19–21). about the offer, saying • The phrase “saying” signals an emphatic, repeated report; multiple eyewitnesses confirm Saul’s pledge, fulfilling the principle that “every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses” (Deuteronomy 19:15; 2 Corinthians 13:1). • Repetition underscores the seriousness of the king’s promise and the desperation of Israel’s army (1 Samuel 17:11). • It also sets up David’s later appeal when he reminds Saul that he has already killed lion and bear and trusts the Lord to deliver him from Goliath (verses 34–37), showing that faith, not incentives, ultimately moves him. “That is what will be done for the man who kills him.” • The soldiers quote the king verbatim, as if reciting a royal proclamation (compare Esther 6:6–9, where a reward is carefully detailed). • The promised reward is tangible, yet David’s focus quickly shifts to the spiritual issue: “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (verse 26). • Scripture often pairs earthly reward with a higher purpose—Abram declining the king of Sodom’s riches to keep God’s glory spotless (Genesis 14:22–23), Moses choosing “the reproach of Christ” over Egyptian treasures (Hebrews 11:24–26). • Here, the verse reminds us that God may use human incentives, but He ultimately seeks servants whose chief reward is His honor (Psalm 19:9–11; 1 Corinthians 9:24–27). summary 1 Samuel 17:27 captures the soldiers’ repetition of Saul’s reward offer. The line exposes Israel’s fear, Saul’s reliance on material motivation, and the contrast between human incentives and genuine faith. David hears the same promise everyone else hears, yet his heart is fixed on defending God’s name. In the larger narrative, the verse prepares us to see that the true victory—and the true reward—belong to those who trust the living God rather than earthly gain. |
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