ESTUDIO DEL VERSÍCULO
1 Samuel 17:47 — The Battle Is the LORD's
David proclaims to Goliath that Israel's deliverance does not come from weapons but from the LORD, whose battle this is.
Escritura
- 47.Y sabrá toda esta congregación que Jehová no salva con espada y con lanza; porque de Jehová es la batalla, y él os entregará en nuestras manos.and that all this assembly may know that Jehovah saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is Jehovah's, and he will give you into our hand.
Qué significa este pasaje
Verse 47 is the climactic theological claim of David's speech to Goliath. After naming the LORD of hosts as the one Goliath has defied (v. 45) and predicting that the outcome will display God's presence to all the earth (v. 46), David now states the principle behind the event: Jehovah saves (yōšîaʿ) 'not with sword and spear.' The verb for saving and the explicit denial of the two weapons just wielded by the Philistine (sword, spear, javelin) frame the contrast — human weaponry is set aside, and the act of deliverance is attributed solely to God.
The second half of the verse draws the conclusion: 'the battle is Jehovah's.' The noun 'battle' (milḥāmâ) is personified as belonging to the LORD, not to Israel or to Goliath. David then predicts the outcome — 'he will give you into our hand' — using a future tense that treats the outcome as already settled by divine decree. The plural 'you' indicates that the single combat with Goliath represents the whole Philistine force, so the claim is corporate and theological, not personal bravado.
The verse's purpose is not merely to encourage Israel but to make a public claim before 'all this assembly' (qāhal, the assembled host). The verb 'know' (yādaʿ) signals that the forthcoming victory is meant to be a demonstration of knowledge — the onlookers will learn, through the event itself, that salvation belongs to the LORD alone. This is why David's later victory with a sling (v. 50) confirms the claim: 'there was no sword in the hand of David.'
Contexto
In 1 Samuel 17, the Philistine army under Goliath has taunted Israel for forty days (vv. 16). David, sent by his father to supply his brothers and sent for by Saul, volunteers to fight (vv. 32–37). After Saul's armor is rejected (vv. 38–39), David approaches Goliath with a staff, a sling, and five stones (v. 40). Verse 47 is the theological hinge of the speech of vv. 45–47: David contrasts Goliath's weapons with the name of the LORD of hosts and declares that the battle belongs to God.
The verse is followed immediately by the combat itself (vv. 48–50), in which David strikes Goliath down with a single stone and the text underscores that no sword was in David's hand. The assembled armies and Philistine camp witness the result, fulfilling the 'know' language of vv. 46–47. The chapter closes with Israel pursuing the Philistines (v. 52) and Saul inquiring about David's identity (vv. 55–58).
Preguntas frecuentes
Why does David say 'the battle is Jehovah's' rather than 'the victory will be ours'?
David locates ownership of the conflict with God, not with Israel or with himself. By calling the battle Jehovah's, he denies any party — including Goliath's weaponry and Israel's army — the credit for the outcome. The verse frames the event as an act of God's saving rather than a contest of military strength.
How does verse 47 connect with verses 46 and 50?
Verse 46 promises that 'all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel,' and verse 47 makes the specific claim that the LORD does not save by sword and spear. Verse 50 then confirms the claim by stating that David prevailed with a sling and a stone 'and there was no sword in the hand of David.' The three verses together form a single argument: the predicted outcome and the reported outcome both demonstrate that salvation came from the LORD, not from human weaponry.
Who is the 'assembly' that David says will know the LORD saves?
The Hebrew word qāhal refers to the gathered body of Israelites present at the Vale of Elah, including Saul's army and David's brothers. David addresses the 'assembly' because the event is public: the two armies are encamped on opposite hills, and the outcome of the single combat will be witnessed by both sides. The 'knowing' is therefore public recognition, not a private spiritual insight.