1 Samuel 17:14 (DRB)

Passage

But David was the youngest. So the three eldest having followed Saul,

Nearby Context

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.

1 Samuel 17:16 Now the Philistine came out morning and evening, and presented himself forty days.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "And his three eldest sons followed Saul..." into verse 15's "David went and returned from Saul to...", so "david" and "youngest" 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 "youngest" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.