1 Samuel 17:3
in 1 Samuel 17The Philistines stood on one hill and the Israelites stood on another, with the valley between them.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them.
KJV
And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them.
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This verse in 1 Samuel 17
Commentary
7 notes on this verseAnd the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side, Before the Israelites are said to encamp in or by the valley; but here they are said to take the higher ground, and face the Philistines, who were on a mountain or hill on the other side over against them, which Kimchi reconciles thus; the whole or the grand army lay encamped in the valley, and, they that were set in array, or the first ranks, the first battalion, ascended the mountain to meet the Philistines.
This site's exposition
with the valley between them
Two armies hold two mountainsides with the valley floor between, and neither will cross. Surveyors of the Elah valley describe a deep ravine down its middle with vertical sides and a bed strewn with water-worn stones, a valley within the valley, which explains both the long stalemate and where David's stones came from.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
Yet there stands Goliath, monstrous in his pride, swollen with his earthly power, confident that he can do everything by himself, with his head, hands and entire body clad in much bronze, having his own armor bearer behind him who, though he does not himself …
The Medieval Church1 voice
And the Philistines stood on the mountain on this side, etc. And even to this day, unclean spirits contending against the Church stand lifted up with proud boasting, after the example of that first proud one, of whom it is written in the Revelation of …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Business is a good antidote against melancholy. Let the mind have something without to fasten on and employ itself about, and it will be the less in danger of preying upon itself. God, in mercy to Israel, suspended the judgment for a while; for how distracted must the affairs of the public have been if at this juncture the prince had been distracted!
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
(In the middle of the broad open valley 1Sa 17:2 is a deep trench 1Sa 17:3 with vertical sides, a valley within a valley: the sides and bed of the trench are strewn with water-worn pebbles. (Conder.))
The Philistines stood on a mountain - These were two eminences or hills, from which they could see and talk with each other.
The words behind it
12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וּפְלִשְׁתִּ֞ים | ufelishtim | and [the] Philistines | H6430 → | 287 times |
| עֹמְדִ֤ים | ʾomedim | [were] standing | H5975 → | 521 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| הָהָר֙ | hahar | the mountain | H2022 → | 546 times |
| מִזֶּ֔ה | mizeh | from this | H2088 → | 1180 times |
| וְיִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל | veyisrael | and Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| עֹמְדִ֥ים | ʾomedim | [were] standing | H5975 → | 521 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| הָהָ֖ר | hahar | the mountain | H2022 → | 546 times |
| מִזֶּ֑ה | mizeh | from this | H2088 → | 1180 times |
| וְהַגַּ֖יְא | vehagay' | and the valley | H1516 → | 59 times |
| בֵּינֵיהֶֽם׃ | beineihem | [was] between them | H996 → | 407 times |
וּפְלִשְׁתִּ֞יםand [the] Philistines
ufelishtimH6430 →287 times
עֹמְדִ֤ים[were] standing
ʾomedimH5975 →521 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
הָהָר֙the mountain
haharH2022 →546 times
מִזֶּ֔הfrom this
mizehH2088 →1180 times
וְיִשְׂרָאֵ֛לand Israel
veyisraelH3478 →2507 times
עֹמְדִ֥ים[were] standing
ʾomedimH5975 →521 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
הָהָ֖רthe mountain
haharH2022 →546 times
מִזֶּ֑הfrom this
mizehH2088 →1180 times
וְהַגַּ֖יְאand the valley
vehagay'H1516 →59 times
בֵּינֵיהֶֽם׃[was] between them
beineihemH996 →407 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
Where this verse is studied
About 1 Samuel
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; 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 Paulus Orosius, DEFENSE AGAINST THE PELAGIANS 2.