1 Samuel 17:54

54. David took the head… and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armour in his tent According to some critics this verse is utterly irreconcilable with the context, and is, therefore, to be regarded as the interpolation of a later hand. But what are the difficulties? (1.) Jerusalem was then in the hands of the Jebusites, and remained so until a much later day, when David himself conquered them. 2 Samuel 5:7. But this is no good reason why the head of the Philistine might not have been taken there; for, according to Judges 1:21, the Benjamites occupied Jerusalem in common with the Jebusites. But if this were not now the case, and the Jebusites were in possession of the whole city, David, passing by Jerusalem on his return from the battle, might have thought to awe the Jebusite stronghold by placing Goliath’s ghastly head in sight of them. (2.) Another difficulty is that David could have had no tent in the camp. The tent his brothers occupied, however, may not improperly have been spoken of as his tent. But his tent, in which he put the giant’s armour, more probably refers to David’s home in Beth-lehem, not to an army tent. That this is a common meaning of the word tent a reference to 1 Samuel 4:10; 1 Samuel 13:2; Joshua 22:7, and 1 Kings 12:16, will abundantly show. This verse simply informs the reader what became of Goliath’s head and armour; but we are not necessarily to suppose that the facts recorded took place immediately after the battle, or even that David did these things in his own person. Various displays may have been made of the head before it was brought to Jerusalem, and also of the armour before it was taken to David’s home. From chap. 1 Samuel 21:9, we learn that at a later day Goliath’s sword was kept at Nob in care of the priests.