For I thy servant have killed both a lion and a bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be also as one of them. I will go now, and take away the reproach of the people: for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, who hath dared to curse the army of the living God?
1 Samuel 17:34 And David said to Saul: Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, or a bear, and took a ram out of the midst of the flock:
1 Samuel 17:35 And I pursued after them, and struck them, and delivered it out of their mouth: and they rose up against me, and I caught them by the throat, and I strangled, and killed them.
1 Samuel 17:36 For I thy servant have killed both a lion and a bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be also as one of them. I will go now, and take away the reproach of the people: for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, who hath dared to curse the army of the living God?
1 Samuel 17:37 And David said: The Lord who delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said to David: Go, and the Lord be with thee.
1 Samuel 17:38 And Saul clothed David with his garments, and put a helmet of brass upon his head, and armed him with a coat of mail.
The verse centers on "servant", "killed", "both", "lion", "bear", "uncircumcised", "philistine", and "shall". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "servant" and "killed", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 35's "And I pursued after them and struck..." into verse 37's "And David said The Lord who delivered...", so "servant" and "killed" 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 "servant" and "killed" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.