1 Samuel 17:15 (DBY)

Passage

But David went and returned from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem.

Nearby Context

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.

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 to David his son, Take, I pray, for thy brethren, this ephah of parched [corn] and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to thy brethren;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "sheep", "david", "went", "returned", "saul", "feed", "father's", and "bethlehem". 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.