1 Samuel

1 Samuel 17:12–15

¹²Now David was the son of a man named Jesse, an Ephrathite from Bethlehem of Judah who had eight sons. And in the days of Saul, Jesse was old and well along in years.^d ¹³The three older sons of Jesse had followed Saul into battle: The firstborn was Eliab, the second was Abinadab, and the third was Shammah. ¹⁴And David was the youngest.

The three oldest had followed Saul, ¹⁵but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s sheep in Bethlehem.

Footnotes

d 17:12 LXX and Syriac; Hebrew he had become advanced among men

Read all of 1 Samuel 17

Word by word

Each English word or phrase beside the Hebrew it translates, in the order of the English. Choose a number to open that word’s study.

1 Samuel 17:12

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
Now David	וְדָוִד֩	wə·ḏā·wiḏ	Conjunctive waw; Noun - proper - masculine singular	H1732 David
was the son	בֶּן־	ben-	Noun - masculine singular construct	H1121 son
of a man	אִ֨ישׁ	’îš	Noun - masculine singular	H376 man
named	וּשְׁמ֣וֹ	ū·šə·mōw	Conjunctive waw; Noun - masculine singular construct; third person masculine singular	H8034 name
Jesse	יִשַׁ֔י	yi·šay	Noun - proper - masculine singular	H3448 Jishai
an Ephrathite	אֶפְרָתִ֜י	’ep̄·rā·ṯî	Noun - proper - masculine singular	H673 Ephrathite
from Bethlehem	לֶ֙חֶם֙	le·ḥem	Preposition; Noun - proper - feminine singular	H1035 Beth-Lechem
of Judah	יְהוּדָ֔ה	yə·hū·ḏāh	Noun - proper - masculine singular	H3063 Judah
who had	וְל֖וֹ	wə·lōw	Conjunctive waw; Preposition; third person masculine singular
eight	שְׁמֹנָ֣ה	šə·mō·nāh	Number - masculine singular	H8083 eight
sons	בָנִ֑ים	ḇā·nîm	Noun - masculine plural	H1121 son
And in the days	בִּימֵ֣י	bî·mê	Preposition-b; Noun - masculine plural construct	H3117 day
of Saul	שָׁא֔וּל	šā·’ūl	Noun - proper - masculine singular	H7586 Shaul
was old	זָקֵ֖ן	zā·qên	Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular	H2204 be or become old
and well along	בָּ֥א	bā	Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular	H935 come in, come, go in, go

1 Samuel 17:13

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
The three	שְׁלֹ֤שֶׁת	šə·lō·šeṯ	Number - masculine singular construct	H7969 a three, triad
older	הַגְּדֹלִ֔ים	hag·gə·ḏō·lîm	Article; Adjective - masculine plural	H1419 great
sons	בְּנֵֽי־	bə·nê-	Noun - masculine plural construct	H1121 son
of Jesse	יִשַׁי֙	yi·šay	Noun - proper - masculine singular	H3448 Jishai
had followed	הָלְכ֥וּ	hā·lə·ḵū	Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural	H1980 go, come, walk
Saul	שָׁא֖וּל	šā·’ūl	Noun - proper - masculine singular	H7586 Shaul
into battle	לַמִּלְחָמָ֑ה	lam·mil·ḥā·māh	Preposition-l, Article; Noun - feminine singular	H4421 battle, war
The firstborn	הַבְּכ֗וֹר	hab·bə·ḵō·wr	Article; Noun - masculine singular	H1060 first-born
Eliab	אֱלִיאָ֣ב	’ĕ·lî·’āḇ	Noun - proper - masculine singular	H446 Eliab
the second	וּמִשְׁנֵ֙הוּ֙	ū·miš·nê·hū	Conjunctive waw; Noun - masculine singular construct; third person masculine singular	H4932 double, copy, second
Abinadab	אֲבִ֣ינָדָ֔ב	’ă·ḇî·nā·ḏāḇ	Noun - proper - masculine singular	H41 Abinadab
and the third	וְהַשְּׁלִשִׁ֖י	wə·haš·šə·li·šî	Conjunctive waw, Article; Number - ordinal masculine singular	H7992 third
Shammah	שַׁמָּֽה׃	šam·māh	Noun - proper - masculine singular	H8048 Shammah

1 Samuel 17:14

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
And David	וְדָוִ֖ד	wə·ḏā·wiḏ	Conjunctive waw; Noun - proper - masculine singular	H1732 David
was the youngest	הַקָּטָ֑ן	haq·qā·ṭān	Article; Adjective - masculine singular	H6996 small, young, unimportant
The three	וּשְׁלֹשָׁה֙	ū·šə·lō·šāh	Conjunctive waw; Number - masculine singular	H7969 a three, triad
oldest	הַגְּדֹלִ֔ים	hag·gə·ḏō·lîm	Article; Adjective - masculine plural	H1419 great
had followed	הָלְכ֖וּ	hā·lə·ḵū	Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural	H1980 go, come, walk
Saul	שָׁאֽוּל׃ס	šā·’ūl	Noun - proper - masculine singular	H7586 Shaul

1 Samuel 17:15

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
but David	וְדָוִ֛ד	wə·ḏā·wiḏ	Conjunctive waw; Noun - proper - masculine singular	H1732 David
went back and forth	הֹלֵ֥ךְ	hō·lêḵ	Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular	H1980 go, come, walk
from	מֵעַ֣ל	mê·‘al	Preposition-m	H5921 height
Saul	שָׁא֑וּל	šā·’ūl	Noun - proper - masculine singular	H7586 Shaul
to tend	לִרְע֛וֹת	lir·‘ō·wṯ	Preposition-l; Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct	H7462 pasture, tend, graze
his father’s	אָבִ֖יו	’ā·ḇîw	Noun - masculine singular construct; third person masculine singular	H1 father
sheep	צֹ֥אן	ṣōn	Noun - common singular construct	H6629 small cattle, sheep and goats, flock, flocks
in Bethlehem	לָֽחֶם׃	lā·ḥem	Noun - proper - feminine singular	H1035 Beth-Lechem

Cross-references

Other passages that speak to the same thing. Point at one to read it.

1 Samuel 17:12 Genesis 35:19 · 1 Samuel 16:10–11 · 1 Samuel 16:18 · Ruth 4:22 · 1 Chronicles 2:13–16 · 1 Samuel 17:58 · Matthew 2:6 · Matthew 1:6 · 1 Samuel 16:1 · Luke 3:31–32

1 Samuel 17:13 1 Chronicles 2:13

1 Samuel 17:14 1 Samuel 16:11

1 Samuel 17:15 1 Samuel 16:11

Cross-references from OpenBible.info, used under CC BY 4.0. The best-supported references for each verse are shown.

Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible.