1 Samuel 17:15 (ASV)

Passage

Now David went to and fro from Saul to feed his father`s sheep at Beth-lehem.

Nearby Context

1 Samuel 17:13 And the three eldest sons of Jesse had gone after Saul to the battle: and the names of his three sons that went to the battle were Eliab the first-born, and next unto him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.

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

1 Samuel 17:15 Now David went to and fro from Saul to feed his father`s sheep at Beth-lehem.

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 grain, and these ten loaves, and carry [them] quickly to the camp to thy brethren;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "sheep", "david", "went", "saul", "feed", "father", and "beth-lehem". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "sheep" and "david", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "And David was the youngest and the..." into verse 16's "And the Philistine drew near morning and...", so "sheep" and "david" 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 "sheep" and "david" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.