The Church Fathers on this verse

1 Kingdoms (1 Samuel) 17:50Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

And David prevailed over the Philistine, with a sling and a stone, and he struck, and slew the Philistine. And as David had no sword in his hand,

Douay-Rheims

וַיֶּחֱזַ֨ק דָּוִ֤ד מִן־הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי֙ בַּקֶּ֣לַע וּבָאֶ֔בֶן וַיַּ֥ךְ אֶת־הַפְּלִשְׁתִּ֖י וַיְמִיתֵ֑הוּ וְחֶ֖רֶב אֵ֥ין בְּיַד־דָּוִֽד׃

Hebrew (Masoretic text)

The Church Fathers on this verse

One Church Father comments on this verse

John Chrysostom

4th centuryChurch Father

It is truly remarkable to observe how a warrior equipped with weapons was defeated by a man without arms, a seasoned fighter brought down by someone whose experience was solely that of a shepherd. What caused this to occur? The answer lies in the fact that David was bolstered by divine assistance, whereas Goliath lacked such support, which led to his defeat at the hands of David.

Cross references

Passages read together with this verse.