1 Samuel 17:15 (WEB)

Passage

Now David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.

Nearby Context

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

1 Samuel 17:14 David was the youngest; and the three oldest followed Saul.

1 Samuel 17:15 Now David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.

1 Samuel 17:16 The Philistine came near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days.

1 Samuel 17:17 Jesse said to David his son, “Now take for your brothers an ephah of this parched grain, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers;

Study Lenses

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

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