1 Samuel 17:25
in 1 Samuel 17Now the men of Israel had been saying, “Do you see this man who keeps coming out to defy Israel? To the man who kills him the king will give great riches. And he will give him his daughter in marriage and exempt his father’s house from taxation in Israel.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father’s house free in Israel.
KJV
And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father’s house free in Israel.
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This verse in 1 Samuel 17
Commentary
6 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Free in Israel - In all the other passages (fifteen) where this word occurs, it means free, as opposed to being a slave (Deu 15:12-13, Deu 15:18, etc.) Here it may imply a freedom from all such services and burdens as are spoken of in 1Sa 8:11-17.
This site's exposition
To the man who kills him the king will give great riches
on 1 Samuel 17:25-27
Saul has posted a price, great riches, his daughter, and his father’s house exempt from taxation. David’s question turns the camp’s words inside out, the soldiers saying "this man" and David saying "this uncircumcised Philistine," and the armies of Israel become "the armies of the living God" in his mouth. It is the first theological sentence spoken in the chapter, and it comes from its youngest man.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church2 voices
Therefore, the man who strikes him, the king will enrich, etc. They say, the man who will overthrow the kingdom of the devil, the entire people of Israel acknowledges, distinguished above all nations by royal and priestly mystery, as the possessor of all the riches …
And one of the Israelites said: Have you seen? etc. One of the Israelites, asking whether he saw David or the Philistine; those who were awaiting the redemption of Israel, already illuminated by the miracles at the Lord's birth, with a careful mind inquired whether …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
How much concerned David was to assert the honour of God and Israel against the impudent challenges of this champion. He asked what reward was promised to him that should slay this Philistine (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
And the men of Israel said,....
The words behind it
30 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֣אמֶר׀ | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אִ֣ישׁ | ʾish | [the] man of | H376 → | 1663 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| הַרְּאִיתֶם֙ | hareitem | ¿ have you seen | H7200 → | 1300 times |
| הָאִ֤ישׁ | haish | the man | H376 → | 1663 times |
| הָֽעֹלֶה֙ | haoleh | who comes up | H5927 → | 890 times |
| הַזֶּ֔ה | hazeh | <the> this | H2088 → | 1180 times |
| כִּ֛י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| לְחָרֵ֥ף | lecharef | to defy | H2778 → | 41 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| עֹלֶ֑ה | ʾoleh | [he is] coming up | H5927 → | 890 times |
| וְֽ֠הָיָה | vehayah | and it will be | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| הָאִ֨ישׁ | haish | the man | H376 → | 1663 times |
| אֲשֶׁר־ | ʾasher- | who | H834 → | 5497 times |
| יַכֶּ֜נּוּ | yakenu | he will strike down him | H5221 → | 499 times |
| יַעְשְׁרֶ֥נּוּ | ya'sherenu | he will make rich him | H6238 → | |
| הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ׀ | hamelekh | the king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| עֹ֣שֶׁר | ʾosher | rich[es] | H6239 → | |
| גָּד֗וֹל | gadol | great | H1419 → | 526 times |
| וְאֶת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| בִּתּוֹ֙ | bito | daughter his | H1323 → | 588 times |
| יִתֶּן־ | yiten- | he will give | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| ל֔וֹ | lo | to <the> him | ||
| וְאֵת֙ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| בֵּ֣ית | beit | [the] house of | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| אָבִ֔יו | ʾaviv | father his | H1 → | 1212 times |
| יַעֲשֶׂ֥ה | yaaseh | he will make | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| חָפְשִׁ֖י | chafeshi | free | H2670 → | |
| בְּיִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ | beyisrael | in Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר׀and he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
אִ֣ישׁ[the] man of
ʾishH376 →1663 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֗לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
הַרְּאִיתֶם֙¿ have you seen
hareitemH7200 →1300 times
הָאִ֤ישׁthe man
haishH376 →1663 times
הָֽעֹלֶה֙who comes up
haolehH5927 →890 times
הַזֶּ֔ה<the> this
hazehH2088 →1180 times
כִּ֛יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
לְחָרֵ֥ףto defy
lecharefH2778 →41 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֖לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
עֹלֶ֑ה[he is] coming up
ʾolehH5927 →890 times
וְֽ֠הָיָהand it will be
vehayahH1961 →3559 times
הָאִ֨ישׁthe man
haishH376 →1663 times
אֲשֶׁר־who
ʾasher-H834 →5497 times
יַכֶּ֜נּוּhe will strike down him
yakenuH5221 →499 times
יַעְשְׁרֶ֥נּוּhe will make rich him
ya'sherenuH6238 →
הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ׀the king
hamelekhH4428 →2525 times
עֹ֣שֶׁרrich[es]
ʾosherH6239 →
גָּד֗וֹלgreat
gadolH1419 →526 times
וְאֶת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
בִּתּוֹ֙daughter his
bitoH1323 →588 times
יִתֶּן־he will give
yiten-H5414 →2011 times
ל֔וֹto <the> him
lo
וְאֵת֙and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
בֵּ֣ית[the] house of
beitH1004 →2046 times
אָבִ֔יוfather his
ʾavivH1 →1212 times
יַעֲשֶׂ֥הhe will make
yaasehH6213 →2628 times
חָפְשִׁ֖יfree
chafeshiH2670 →
בְּיִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃in Israel
beyisraelH3478 →2507 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Revelation 2:7He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to eat from the tree of life in the…
it leads to
- Revelation 2:17
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will give the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone…
- Revelation 2:11
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who overcomes will not be harmed by the second death.
- Matthew 11:15
He who has ears, let him hear.
- Matthew 13:43
Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
- Revelation 13:9
He who has an ear, let him hear:
- Revelation 2:17
Through
Revelation 3:5Like them, he who overcomes will be dressed in white. And I will never blot out his name from the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before My Father and His…
it leads to
- Matthew 10:32
Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father in heaven.
- Revelation 21:27
But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who practices an abomination or a lie, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
- Luke 12:8
I tell you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will also confess him before the angels of God.
- Matthew 10:32
Where this verse is studied
About 1 Samuel

This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Bede, Commentary on Samuel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and W. G. Blaikie, The First Book of Samuel (Expositor's Bible).
