1 Samuel 17:5-6

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Samuel 17:1-11

It was not long ago that the Philistines were soundly beaten, and put to the worse, before Israel, and they would have been totally routed if Saul's rashness had not prevented; but here we have them making head again. Observe, I. How they defied Israel with their armies, 1 Sam. 17:1. They made a descent upon the Israelites? country, and possessed themselves, as it should seem, of some part of it, for they encamped in a place which belonged to Judah. Israel's ground would never have been... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 17:5

And he had an helmet of brass upon his head ,.... This was a piece of armour, which covered the head in the day of battle; these were usually made of the skins of beasts, of leather, and which were covered with plates of iron, or brass; and sometimes made of all iron, or of brass F7 Vid. Lydium "de re militari": l. 3. c. 5. p. 63. ; as this seems to have been: and he was armed with a coat of mail ; which reached from the neck to the middle, and consisted of various plates of brass... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 17:6

And he had greaves of brass upon his legs ,.... Which were a sort of boots, or leg harnesses, which covered the thighs and legs down to the heels; such as Iolaus F11 Hesiod. Scutum Herc. ver. 122. and the Grecians usually wore, as described by Homer; which are supposed to be double the weight of the helmet, reckoned at fifteen pounds, so that these must weigh thirty pounds of avoirdupois weight: and a target of brass between his shoulders ; the Targum is,"a spear or shield of... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 17:5

He was armed with a coat of mail - The words in the original, קשקשים שרון shiryon kaskassim , mean a coat of mail formed of plates of brass overlapping each other, like the scales of a fish, or tiles of a house. This is the true notion of the original terms. With thin plates of brass or iron, overlapping each other, were the ancient coats of mail formed in different countries; many formed in this way may be now seen in the tower of London. The weight - five ... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 17:6

Greaves of brass upon his legs - This species of armor may be seen on many ancient monuments. It was a plate of brass (though perhaps sometimes formed of laminae or plates, like the mail) which covered the shin or fore part of the leg, from the knee down to the instep, and was buckled with straps behind the leg. From ancient monuments we find that it was commonly worn only on one leg. Vegetius, de Re Militari, says, Pedites Scutati etiam ferreas ocreas in dextris cruribus... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 17:1-11

Aggression not defence. The facts are— 1 . The armies of Israel and Philistia are drawn up in array, with a valley between them. 2 . A gigantic champion, heavily armed and proud of his strength, challenges any one of Saul's army to a personal encounter, and with lofty words defies the armies of Israel. 3 . Saul and his men are in great fear. The episode given by the sacred writer is one of those occurrences likely to arise under the conditions of ancient warfare. It must be... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 17:4-7

A champion. Literally, "a man of the two middles," i.e. one who enters the space between the two armies in order to decide the contest by a single combat. Of Gath. In Joshua 11:21 this town is mentioned, together with Gaza and Ashdod, as still having among its inhabitants men of the race of Anak. Whose height was six cubits and a span. In our measure his height was eight feet five and one-third inches; for the cubit is sixteen inches, and the span (really the hand-breadth) is five... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 1 Samuel 17:5

Coat of mail - Or “breastplate of scales.” A kind of metal shirt, protecting the back as well as the breast, and made of scales like those of a fish; as was the corselet of Rameses III, now in the British Museum. The terms, helmet, coat, and clothed (armed the King James Version) are the same as those used in Isaiah 59:17.Five thousand shekels - Probably about 157 pounds avoirdupois (see Exodus 38:12). It is very probable that Goliath’s brass coat may have been long preserved as a trophy, as we... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 1 Samuel 17:6

A target ... - Rather, “a javelin.” as in 1 Samuel 17:45, and placed between the shoulders, as the quiver was. read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - 1 Samuel 17:5-7

1 Samuel 17:5-7. He was armed with a coat of mail Made of plates of brass laid over one another like the scales of a fish. Five thousand shekels of brass The common shekel contained a fourth part of an ounce; and so five thousand shekels made one thousand two hundred and fifty ounces, or seventy-eight pounds; which weight was not unsuitable to a man of such vast strength as his height speaks him to have been. Greaves Boots. The staff of his spear like a weaver’s beam On which the... read more

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