1 Samuel 17:29 (ASV)

Passage

And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause?

Nearby Context

1 Samuel 17:27 And the people answered him after this manner, saying, So shall it be done to the man that killeth him.

1 Samuel 17:28 And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab`s anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why art thou come down? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thy heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle.

1 Samuel 17:29 And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause?

1 Samuel 17:30 And he turned away from him toward another, and spake after the same manner: and the people answered him again after the former manner.

1 Samuel 17:31 And when the words were heard which David spake, they rehearsed them before Saul; and he sent for him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "david", "said", "done", and "cause". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "david" and "said", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 28's "And Eliab his eldest brother heard when..." into verse 30's "And he turned away from him toward...", so "david" and "said" 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 "david" and "said" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.