1 Samuel 17:38 (DRB)

Passage

And Saul clothed David with his garments, and put a helmet of brass upon his head, and armed him with a coat of mail.

Nearby Context

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.

1 Samuel 17:39 And David having girded his sword upon his armour, began to try if he could walk in armour: for he was not accustomed to it. And David said to Saul: I cannot go thus, for I am not used to it. And he laid them off,

1 Samuel 17:40 And he took his staff, which he had always in his hands: and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them into the shepherd's scrip, which he had with him, and he took a sling in his hand, and went forth against the Philistine.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "saul", "clothed", "david", "garments", "helmet", "brass", "upon", and "head". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "saul" and "clothed", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 37's "And David said The Lord who delivered..." into verse 39's "And David having girded his sword upon...", so "saul" and "clothed" 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 "saul" and "clothed" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.