1 Samuel 17:32
in 1 Samuel 17And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail on account of this Philistine. Your servant will go and fight him!”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.
KJV
And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.
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This verse in 1 Samuel 17
Commentary
5 notes on this verseAnd David said to Saul, let no man's heart fail because of him,.... The Philistine, though so gigantic, mighty, and blustering: this he said within himself, so Kimchi; as David perceived the hearts of most, if not all, did, since none dared to go out and fight him, but on the contrary fled from him: thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine; and therefore there need be no thought, care, or concern to look out for another man.
This site's exposition
Now David’s words were overheard and reported to Saul
on 1 Samuel 17:31-33
David's words travel up the chain of command because no one else in the camp is saying anything like them. Saul's objection is arithmetic, "You are just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth," and by the camp's arithmetic Saul is right. The chapter is built to show that the camp's arithmetic is the wrong ledger.
This site's exposition
Your servant will go and fight him
John Gill reports the medieval Jewish commentator David Kimchi, who read the first words as spoken within David himself after he saw every heart in the camp fail. To Saul he offers himself as your servant. The offer answers the terms of verse 9, one man to fight for all.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
To get clear of the objection Saul made against his undertaking. "Alas!" says Saul, "thou hast a good heart to it, but art by no means an equal match for this Philistine. To engage with him is to throw away a life which may better be reserved for more agreeable services.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — odd-straight-quotes
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
And David said - This properly connects with the eleventh verse.
The words behind it
15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֤אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| דָּוִד֙ | david | David | H1732 → | 999 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| שָׁא֔וּל | shaul | Saul | H7586 → | 402 times |
| אַל־ | ʾal- | may not | H408 → | 724 times |
| יִפֹּ֥ל | yipol | it fall | H5307 → | 435 times |
| לֵב־ | lev- | [the] heart of | H3820 → | 595 times |
| אָדָ֖ם | ʾadam | anyone | H120 → | 551 times |
| עָלָ֑יו | ʾalav | on him | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| עַבְדְּךָ֣ | ʾavdekha | servant your | H5650 → | 799 times |
| יֵלֵ֔ךְ | yelekh | he will go | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| וְנִלְחַ֖ם | venilcham | and he will fight | H3898 → | 177 times |
| עִם־ | ʾim- | with | H5973 → | 1050 times |
| הַפְּלִשְׁתִּ֥י | hapelishti | the Philistine | H6430 → | 287 times |
| הַזֶּֽה׃ | hazeh | <the> this | H2088 → | 1180 times |
וַיֹּ֤אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
דָּוִד֙David
davidH1732 →999 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
שָׁא֔וּלSaul
shaulH7586 →402 times
אַל־may not
ʾal-H408 →724 times
יִפֹּ֥לit fall
yipolH5307 →435 times
לֵב־[the] heart of
lev-H3820 →595 times
אָדָ֖םanyone
ʾadamH120 →551 times
עָלָ֑יוon him
ʾalavH5921 →5755 times
עַבְדְּךָ֣servant your
ʾavdekhaH5650 →799 times
יֵלֵ֔ךְhe will go
yelekhH1980 →1546 times
וְנִלְחַ֖םand he will fight
venilchamH3898 →177 times
עִם־with
ʾim-H5973 →1050 times
הַפְּלִשְׁתִּ֥יthe Philistine
hapelishtiH6430 →287 times
הַזֶּֽה׃<the> this
hazehH2088 →1180 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
Psalms 3:6I will not fear the myriads set against me on every side.
it leads to
- Romans 8:31
What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 27:1–3
The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— whom shall I dread?
- Psalms 118:10–12
All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the LORD I cut them off.
- Psalms 23:4
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
- 2 Kings 6:15–17
When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early in the morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. So he asked Elisha, “Oh, my master,…
- Romans 8:31
Through
Isaiah 35:4Say to those with anxious hearts: “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance. With divine retribution He will come to save you.”
it leads to
- James 5:7–9
Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer awaits the precious fruit of the soil—how patient he is for the fall and spring rains.
- Isaiah 41:10–14
Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My right hand…
- Zephaniah 3:16–17
On that day they will say to Jerusalem: “Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands fall limp.
- James 5:7–9
Where this verse is studied
About 1 Samuel

Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PersonUnited MonarchyDavidSecond king of united Israel, shepherd-turned-monarch, ancestor of the Messiah, and traditional author of many Psalms.
- PersonUnited monarchySaulIsrael's first king, head and shoulders above the people; began in humility, ended in rejection — sparing what God devoted, consul…
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Books of Samuel and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
