1 Samuel 17:13 (DRB)

Passage

And his three eldest sons followed Saul to the battle: and the names of his three sons that went to the battle, were Eliab, the firstborn, and the second, Abinadab, and the third Samma:

Nearby Context

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

1 Samuel 17:12 Now David was the son of that Ephrathite, of Bethlehem Juda, before mentioned, whose name was Isai, who had eight sons, and was an old man in the days of Saul, and of great age among men.

1 Samuel 17:13 And his three eldest sons followed Saul to the battle: and the names of his three sons that went to the battle, were Eliab, the firstborn, and the second, Abinadab, and the third Samma:

1 Samuel 17:14 But David was the youngest. So the three eldest having followed Saul,

1 Samuel 17:15 David went, and returned from Saul, to feed his father's flock at Bethlehem.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "three", "eldest", "sons", "followed", "saul", "battle", and "names". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "three" and "eldest", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "Now David was the son of that..." into verse 14's "But David was the youngest So the...", so "three" and "eldest" 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 "three" and "eldest" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.