1 Samuel 17:12 (DBY)

Passage

Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem-Judah whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons; and the man was old in the days of Saul, advanced [in years] among men.

Nearby Context

1 Samuel 17:10 And the Philistine said, I have defied the ranks of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.

1 Samuel 17:11 And Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, and they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

1 Samuel 17:12 Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem-Judah whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons; and the man was old in the days of Saul, advanced [in years] among men.

1 Samuel 17:13 And the three eldest of the sons of Jesse had gone and followed Saul to the battle; and the names of his three sons that went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and the second to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.

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

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "david", "ephrathite", "bethlehem-judah", "whose", "name", "jesse", "eight", and "sons". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "david" and "ephrathite", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "And Saul and all Israel heard these..." into verse 13's "And the three eldest of the sons...", so "david" and "ephrathite" 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 "ephrathite" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.