1 Samuel 17:54

1 Samuel 17:54

And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armour in his tent.

a. NLT: (David took the Philistine’s head to Jerusalem, but he stored the man’s armor in his own tent.)

b. NIV: David took the Philistine’s head and brought it to Jerusalem; he put the Philistine’s weapons in his own tent.

c. YLT: And David taketh the head of the Philistine, and bringeth it in to Jerusalem, and his weapons he hath put in his own tent.

d. Amplified Bible Classic:  David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent.

e. Septuagint: And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armour in his tent.

f. Stone Edition Torah/Prophets/Writings: David took the head of the Philistine, and [eventually] brought it to Jerusalem, and his weapons he put in his tent.

1. “And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem…”

a. David [1732 * David; or Daviyd] [Strong: from the same as 1730; loving; David, the youngest son of Jesse:--David.]

b. took [3947 * laqach] [Strong: a primitive root; to take (in the widest variety of applications):--accept, bring, buy, carry away, drawn, fetch, get, infold, X many, mingle, place, receive(-ing), reserve, seize, send for, take (away, -ing, up), use, win.]

c. the head [7218 * ro'sh] [Strong: from an unused root apparently meaning to shake; the head (as most easily shaken), whether literal or figurative (in many applications, of place, time, rank, itc.):--band, beginning, captain, chapiter, chief(-est place, man, things), company, end, X every (man), excellent, first, forefront, ((be-))head, height, (on) high(-est part, (priest)), X lead, X poor, principal, ruler, sum, top.]

d. of the Philistine [6430 * Plishtiy] [Strong: patrial from 6429; a Pelishtite or inhabitant of Pelesheth:--Philistine.]

e. and brought it [935 * bow’] [Strong: a primitive root; to go or come (in a wide variety of applications):--abide, apply, attain, X be, befall, + besiege, bring (forth, in, into, to pass), call, carry, X certainly, (cause, let, thing for) to come (against, in, out, upon, to pass), depart, X doubtless again, + eat, + employ, (cause to) enter (in, into, -tering, -trance, -try), be fallen, fetch, + follow, get, give, go (down, in, to war), grant, + have, X indeed, (in-)vade, lead, lift (up), mention, pull in, put, resort, run (down), send, set, X (well) stricken (in age), X surely, take (in), way.]

f. to Jerusalem [3389 * Yruwshalaim; or rarely Yruwshalayim] [Strong: a dual (in allusion to its two main hills (the true pointing, at least of the former reading, seems to be that of 3390)); probably from (the passive participle of) 3384 and 7999; founded peaceful; Jerushalaim or Jerushalem, the capital city of Palestine:--Jerusalem.]

1). This is the last mention of Goliath’s head. I am just going to repost what I have gathered and posted below in 1 Samuel 31 regarding the Philistines dismembering Saul and distributing his bodily members over the kingdom of the Philistines. This was typical of what the victors in a battle did.

a). 1 Samuel 31:8-10 And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen in mount Gilboa.

31:9 And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to publish it in the house of their idols, and among the people.

31:10 And they put his armour in the house of Ashtaroth: and they fastened his body to the wall of Bethshan.

b). 1 Chronicles 10:8-10 And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his sons fallen in mount Gilboa.

10:9 And when they had stripped him, they took his head, and his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to carry tidings unto their idols, and to the people.

10:10 And they put his armour in the house of their gods, and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon.

2). Though the bodies of his sons were also taken as trophies, it is not clear if their remains were used in the same manner, but they probably were. When Saul’s body was brought back, the bodies of his sons were also brought back.

a). 1 Chronicles 10:11, 12 And when all Jabeshgilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul,

10:12 They arose, all the valiant men, and took away the body of Saul, and the bodies of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh, and buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

3). Josephus says “…but David carried the head of Goliath into his own tent, but dedicated his sword to God, at the tabernacle.”

4). Alfred Edersheim, in his work, Bible History Old Testament, writes, “But the head of the Philistine he nailed on the gates of Jerusalem, right over in sight of the fort which the heathen Jebusites still held in the heart of the land.”

5). There are at least two schools of thought regarding David bringing Goliath’s head to Jerusalem.  One school of thought correctly points out that Jerusalem at that time was not under Israelite rule and that David brought the head of Goliath to Jerusalem to terrify the Jebusites. Another school of thought says this is meant to show a future event and that Goliaht’s head was kept by David and that when he eventually captured Jerusalem and moved his kingdom there he also brought Goliath’s head which was a skull by then to Jerusalem.

2. “…but he put his armour in his tent.”

a. but he put [7760 * suwm; or siym] [Strong: a primitive root; to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically):--X any wise, appoint, bring, call (a name), care, cast in, change, charge, commit, consider, convey, determine, + disguise, dispose, do, get, give, heap up, hold, impute, lay (down, up), leave, look, make (out), mark, + name, X on, ordain, order, + paint, place, preserve, purpose, put (on), + regard, rehearse, reward, (cause to) set (on, up), shew, + stedfastly, take, X tell, + tread down, ((over-))turn, X wholly, work.]

b. his armour [3627 *  kliy] [Strong: from 3615; something prepared, i.e. any apparatus (as an implement, utensil, dress, vessel or weapon):--armour ((-bearer)), artillery, bag, carriage, + furnish, furniture, instrument, jewel, that is made of, X one from another, that which pertaineth, pot, + psaltery, sack, stuff, thing, tool, vessel, ware, weapon, + whatsoever.]

c. in his tent [168 * 'ohel] [Strong: from 166; a tent (as clearly conspicuous from a distance):--covering, (dwelling)(place), home, tabernacle, tent.]

1)Some scholars teach that this “tent” was erected after he killed Goliath, which seems logical. The sword of Goliath eventually ended up in the city of Nob under the care of Ahimelech the priest. During the times David was fleeing from Saul, he recovered it there.

a). 1 Samuel 21:8, 9 And David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thine hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste.

21:9 And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me.

b). It is possible that perhaps the rest of the armor was there also but it is not mentioned, so we don’t know where the rest of the armor was or what happened to it.