1 Samuel 17:16 (KJV)

Passage

And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days.

Nearby Context

1 Samuel 17:14 And David was the youngest: and the three eldest followed Saul.

1 Samuel 17:15 But David went and returned from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.

1 Samuel 17:16 And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days.

1 Samuel 17:17 And Jesse said unto David his son, Take now for thy brethren an ephah of this parched corn, and these ten loaves, and run to the camp to thy brethren.

1 Samuel 17:18 And carry these ten cheeses unto the captain of their thousand, and look how thy brethren fare, and take their pledge.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "philistine", "drew", "near", "morning", "evening", "presented", "himself", and "forty". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "philistine" and "drew", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "But David went and returned from Saul..." into verse 17's "And Jesse said unto David his son...", so "philistine" and "drew" belong inside that flow. In 1 Samuel context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "philistine" and "drew" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.