This week I have attached a document to the email to help you get a sense of documentation issues with the chapter. The .PDF file is the text of 1 Samuel 17 translated from the Greek version of the Hebrew Scriptures (Septuagint or LXX). This Greek text may preserve an older reading from the Hebrew Scriptures that the Hebrew text normally used. It's not certain, it's possible. Read this together with what have in our modern translations, and take careful note of the differences.
Read this chapter in as many translations as you have available. The differences may surprise you. Look up strange word usage in a concordance (like Strong's). Be sure to take notes on what you find as you read through, jot down questions and the answers you come up with.
After reading through several times, go back through again using the questions below:
- Why do you think all the detail about who was on which hill across which valley might be important?
- If a cubit is about 18 inches and a span is about 6, how many fingers does he have on his left hand? (2 Samuel 21:20 - you thought I was kidding didn't you?)
- If a "shekel" is about .5 oz, then about how heavy was Goliath's armor in lbs.?
- How heavy would the head of his spear be?
- Why do you think the ranks of Israel fled from one Philistine?
- Why would we be 're-introduced' to David in verse 12?
- If David goes back and forth from Saul to the flock, how known would he be by Saul?
- Why would the giant come out every day, all day, for forty days? What's he and the Philistines doing?
- Why do you think would Jesse send supplies to the commander of his sons, not just his sons?
- If David leaves early, and arrives as the giant is coming out, how long was his trip?
- Think about the 'scuttlebutt' in the ranks as the giant comes out. Saul has raised the stakes for a champion, everyone's talking about it, so why doesn't someone try for it? What's the assumption in the ranks?
- Why might David want to hear the same spiel over and over?
- Why, if David was anointed right in front of him, would his brother be all upset by David now?
- How put off by his older brother is David?
- David volunteers to fight the giant. What experience has he had with giants?
- What do you think of David's lion and bear fighting technique?
- What would David have been using against the lion and bear?
- If he's not wearing armor, what advantage would he have over the giant?
- David picks up 5 stones not 1. In light of 2 Samuel 21, why might that have been a good idea? What's he ready for?
- Back to taunting again. Why is David's taunt so much better than the giants?
- Look at verse 49 in the attachment. How does that help explain what the stone did to the giant?
- How did Goliath die?
- Where do you think the shield guy was?
- What does David do with the giant's stuff, like his head and his weapons?
- Why would Saul not know David? Why wouldn't Abner?
- When David appears before Saul, where is the giant head now?
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