1 Samuel 17:47 (DBY)

Passage

and all this congregation shall know that Jehovah saves not with sword and spear; for the battle is Jehovah's, and he will give you into our hands.

Nearby Context

1 Samuel 17:45 And David said to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with sword, and with spear, and with javelin; but I come to thee in the name of Jehovah of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.

1 Samuel 17:46 This day will Jehovah deliver thee up into my hand; and I will smite thee, and take thy head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the camp of the Philistines this day to the fowl of the heavens and to the wild beasts of the earth. And all the earth shall know that Israel has a God;

1 Samuel 17:47 and all this congregation shall know that Jehovah saves not with sword and spear; for the battle is Jehovah's, and he will give you into our hands.

1 Samuel 17:48 And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and advanced to meet David, that David hasted, and ran towards the ranks to meet the Philistine.

1 Samuel 17:49 And David put his hand into the bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, and the stone sank into his forehead; and he fell on his face to the earth.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "congregation", "shall", "jehovah", "saves", "sword", "spear", "battle", and "jehovah's". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "congregation" and "shall", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 46's "This day will Jehovah deliver thee up..." into verse 48's "And it came to pass when the...", so "congregation" and "shall" 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 "congregation" and "shall" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.