1 Samuel 17:31 (DRB)

Passage

And the words which David spoke were heard, and were rehearsed before Saul.

Nearby Context

1 Samuel 17:29 And David said: What have I done? is there not cause to speak?

1 Samuel 17:30 And he turned a little aside from him to another: and said the same word. And the people answered him as before.

1 Samuel 17:31 And the words which David spoke were heard, and were rehearsed before Saul.

1 Samuel 17:32 And when he was brought to Saul, he said to him. Let not any man's heart be dismayed in him: I thy servant will go, and will fight against the Philistine.

1 Samuel 17:33 And Saul said to David: Thou art not able to withstand this Philistine, nor to fight against him: for thou art but a boy, but he is a warrior from his youth.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "words", "david", "spoke", "heard", "rehearsed", "before", and "saul". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "words" and "david", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 30's "And he turned a little aside from..." into verse 32's "And when he was brought to Saul...", so "words" 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 "words" and "david" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.