1 Samuel 17:15 (LSB)

Passage

but David went back and forth from Saul to shepherd his father’s flock at Bethlehem.

Nearby Context

1 Samuel 17:13 And the three older sons of Jesse had gone. They had gone after Saul to the battle. And the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and the second to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.

1 Samuel 17:14 But David was the youngest. Now the three oldest had gone after Saul,

1 Samuel 17:15 but David went back and forth from Saul to shepherd his father’s flock at Bethlehem.

1 Samuel 17:16 Then the Philistine approached, morning and evening, for forty days and took his stand.

1 Samuel 17:17 Then Jesse said to David his son, “Take now for your brothers an ephah of this roasted grain and these ten loaves and run to the camp to your brothers.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "david", "went", "back", "forth", "saul", "shepherd", "father", and "flock". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "david" and "went", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "But David was the youngest Now the..." into verse 16's "Then the Philistine approached morning and evening...", so "david" and "went" 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 "went" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.