1 Samuel 17:55 (DRB)

Passage

Now at the time that Saul saw David going out against the Philistines, he said to Abner, the captain of the army: Of what family is this young man descended, Abner? And Abner said: As thy soul liveth, O king, I know not.

Nearby Context

1 Samuel 17:53 And the children of Israel returning, after they had pursued the Philistines, fell upon their camp.

1 Samuel 17:54 And David taking the head of the Philistine, brought it to Jerusalem: but his armour he put in his tent.

1 Samuel 17:55 Now at the time that Saul saw David going out against the Philistines, he said to Abner, the captain of the army: Of what family is this young man descended, Abner? And Abner said: As thy soul liveth, O king, I know not.

1 Samuel 17:56 And the king said: Inquire thou, whose son this young man is.

1 Samuel 17:57 And when David was returned, after the Philistine was slain, Abner took him, and brought him in before Saul, with the head of the Philistine in his hand.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "time", "saul", "david", "going", "against", "philistines", "said", and "abner". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "time" and "saul", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 54's "And David taking the head of the..." into verse 56's "And the king said Inquire thou whose...", so "time" and "saul" 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 "time" and "saul" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.