1 Samuel 17:29 (YLT)

Passage

And David saith, `What have I done now? is it not a word?'

Nearby Context

1 Samuel 17:27 And the people speak to him according to this word, saying, `Thus it is done to the man who smiteth him.'

1 Samuel 17:28 And Eliab, his eldest brother, heareth when he speaketh unto the men, and the anger of Eliab burneth against David, and he saith, `Why <FI>is<Fi> this--thou hast come down! and to whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I have known thy pride, and the evil of thy heart--for, to see the battle thou hast come down.'

1 Samuel 17:29 And David saith, `What have I done now? is it not a word?'

1 Samuel 17:30 And he turneth round from him unto another, and saith according to this word, and the people return him word as the first word.

1 Samuel 17:31 And the words which David hath spoken are heard, and they declare before Saul, and he receiveth him;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "david", "saith", "done", and "word". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "david" and "saith", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 28's "And Eliab his eldest brother heareth when..." into verse 30's "And he turneth round from him unto...", so "david" and "saith" 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 "saith" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.