1 Samuel 17:35
in 1 Samuel 17I went after it, struck it down, and delivered the lamb from its mouth. If it reared up against me, I would grab it by its fur, strike it down, and kill it.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth; and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.
KJV
And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.
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This verse in 1 Samuel 17
Commentary
9 notes on this verseBut as David who took hold of the beard seized the lion, so let us beg the spiritual David, Christ, when taking hold of the lion, to abolish also every Sanhedrin of beasts.
This site's exposition
whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock
on 1 Samuel 17:34-37
David’s argument is testimony, that "The LORD, who delivered me from the claws of the lion and the bear, will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine" as well. Past deliverance is the ground of present faith, and the shepherd’s unseen faithfulness was the training of a king. Saul’s blessing, "may the LORD be with you," gives official leave in words whose weight he no longer carries.
This site's exposition
delivered the lamb from its mouth
Adam Clarke reads the two kills as two separate times, the lion chased down and the bear taken when it reared up. Origen of Alexandria saw Christ, the spiritual David, taking hold of the lion. The shepherd risked himself for one lamb.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
When David had been anointed by blessed Samuel before he came here, he had killed a lion and a bear without any weapons, as he himself told King Saul. Both the lion and the bear typified the devil, for they had been strangled by the …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
He could not see a lamb in distress but he would venture his life to rescue it. This temper made him fit to be a king, to whom the lives of subjects should be dear and their blood precious ( Ps. lxxii. 14 ), and fit to be a type of Christ, the good Shepherd, who gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them in his bosom ( Isa. xl.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
And I went out after him,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
The slaying of the lion and the bear mentioned here, must have taken place at two different times; perhaps the verse should be read thus: I went out after him, (the lion). and smote him, etc. And when he (the bear) rose up against me, I caught him by the beard and slew him.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
a lion, and a bear--There were two different rencontres, for those animals prowl alone. The bear must have been a Syrian bear, which is believed to be a distinct species, or perhaps a variety, of the brown bear.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
His beard - Put here for his throat, or under jaw; neither lion nor bear has a beard properly speaking.
The words behind it
11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְיָצָ֧אתִי | veyatzati | and I went out | H3318 → | 1067 times |
| אַחֲרָ֛יו | ʾacharav | after it | H310 → | 715 times |
| וְהִכִּתִ֖יו | vehikitiv | and I struck it | H5221 → | 499 times |
| וְהִצַּ֣לְתִּי | vehitzalti | and I rescued [it] | H5337 → | 212 times |
| מִפִּ֑יו | mipiv | from mouth its | H6310 → | 498 times |
| וַיָּ֣קָם | vaiyakom | and it rose up | H6965 → | 628 times |
| עָלַ֔י | ʾalai | on me | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| וְהֶחֱזַ֙קְתִּי֙ | vehechezakti | and I took hold | H2388 → | 291 times |
| בִּזְקָנ֔וֹ | bizkano | on beard its | H2206 → | |
| וְהִכִּתִ֖יו | vehikitiv | and I struck it | H5221 → | 499 times |
| וַהֲמִיתִּֽיו׃ | vahamitiv | and I killed it | H4191 → | 839 times |
וְיָצָ֧אתִיand I went out
veyatzatiH3318 →1067 times
אַחֲרָ֛יוafter it
ʾacharavH310 →715 times
וְהִכִּתִ֖יוand I struck it
vehikitivH5221 →499 times
וְהִצַּ֣לְתִּיand I rescued [it]
vehitzaltiH5337 →212 times
מִפִּ֑יוfrom mouth its
mipivH6310 →498 times
וַיָּ֣קָםand it rose up
vaiyakomH6965 →628 times
עָלַ֔יon me
ʾalaiH5921 →5755 times
וְהֶחֱזַ֙קְתִּי֙and I took hold
vehechezaktiH2388 →291 times
בִּזְקָנ֔וֹon beard its
bizkanoH2206 →
וְהִכִּתִ֖יוand I struck it
vehikitivH5221 →499 times
וַהֲמִיתִּֽיו׃and I killed it
vahamitivH4191 →839 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 91:13You will tread on the lion and cobra; you will trample the young lion and serpent.
it leads to
- Luke 10:19
Behold, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will harm you.
- Daniel 6:22
My God sent His angel and shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, for I was found innocent in His sight, and I have done no wrong against you, O…
- Mark 16:18
they will pick up snakes with their hands, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not harm them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will be made well.”
- 1 Samuel 17:37
David added, “The LORD, who delivered me from the claws of the lion and the bear, will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” “Go,” said Saul, “and may the LORD be with…
- Romans 16:20
The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
- Luke 10:19
Through
Daniel 6:22My God sent His angel and shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, for I was found innocent in His sight, and I have done no wrong against you, O…
it leads to
- 2 Timothy 4:17
But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message would be fully proclaimed, and all the Gentiles would hear it. So I was delivered from the mouth of…
- Hebrews 11:33
who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions,
- Psalms 91:11–13
For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.
- 2 Timothy 4:17
Where this verse is studied
About 1 Samuel
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Caesarius of Arles, SERMON 121.4; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Origen of Alexandria, FRAGMENTS ON JEREMIAH 28.1 and W. G. Blaikie, The First Book of Samuel (Expositor's Bible).