1 Samuel 17:40 (ASV)

Passage

And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in the shepherd`s bag which he had, even in his wallet; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.

Nearby Context

1 Samuel 17:38 And Saul clad David with his apparel, and he put a helmet of brass upon his head, and he clad him with a coat of mail.

1 Samuel 17:39 And David girded his sword upon his apparel, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.

1 Samuel 17:40 And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in the shepherd`s bag which he had, even in his wallet; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.

1 Samuel 17:41 And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield went before him.

1 Samuel 17:42 And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and withal of a fair countenance.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "took", "staff", "hand", "chose", "five", "smooth", "stones", and "brook". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "took" and "staff", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 39's "And David girded his sword upon his..." into verse 41's "And the Philistine came on and drew...", so "took" and "staff" 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 "took" and "staff" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.