And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.

1 SAMUEL 17:35KJV
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1 Samuel 17:35 (KJV)

What does 1 Samuel 17:35 mean?

In 1 Samuel 17:35, David tells King Saul how he defended a sheep taken from his flock. David describes pursuing the animal that seized it, rescuing the sheep, and fighting the attacker when it turned on him.

The words “out of his mouth” picture a rescue at close range. When the animal rose against David, he seized it by the beard. David tells Saul this account as he offers to fight Goliath, the Philistine warrior.

The Hebrew behind 1 Samuel 17:35

  • “delivered” — נָצַל (natsal): This word can mean to snatch away or rescue. Here it describes David pulling the sheep from the attacker’s grasp.
  • “beard” — זָקָן (zaqan): This word can refer to hair on the chin or jaw. It gives a vivid picture of where David gripped the animal during the struggle.

Why 1 Samuel 17:35 matters

  • David’s account shows that his work as a shepherd involved more than watching the flock. His words “I went out after him” show that he pursued the attacker to recover a sheep.
  • David gives Saul a reason to take his offer seriously despite his youth. In verse 33, Saul objects that David is young, but David answers with an account of facing dangerous animals.
  • The fight with the animal is part of David’s explanation of why he is willing to face Goliath. In verse 37, David also credits the Lord with rescuing him from the lion and the bear.

Where else these words appear

“beard” Hebrew H2206 · used in 18 verses

  • Leviticus 13:29 If a man or woman have a plague upon the head or the beard;
  • 1 Samuel 21:13 And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.
  • Psalms 133:2 It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;