1 Samuel 17:40 (DBY)

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 that he had, into the pocket; and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine.

Nearby Context

1 Samuel 17:38 And Saul clothed David with his dress, and put a helmet of bronze upon his head, and clothed him with a corselet.

1 Samuel 17:39 And David girded his sword upon his dress, and endeavoured to go; for he had not yet tried [it]. And David said to Saul, I cannot go in these; for I have never tried [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 that he had, into the pocket; and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine.

1 Samuel 17:41 And the Philistine came on and approached David; and the man that bore the shield was before him.

1 Samuel 17:42 And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he was a youth, and ruddy, and besides of a beautiful 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 approached...", 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.