1 Samuel 17:38 (YLT)

Passage

And Saul clotheth David with his long robe, and hath put a helmet of brass on his head, and doth clothe him with a coat of mail.

Nearby Context

1 Samuel 17:36 Both the lion and the bear hath thy servant smitten, and this uncircumcised Philistine hath been as one of them, for he hath reproached the ranks of the living God.'

1 Samuel 17:37 And David saith, `Jehovah, who delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, He doth deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.' And Saul saith unto David, `Go, and Jehovah is with thee.'

1 Samuel 17:38 And Saul clotheth David with his long robe, and hath put a helmet of brass on his head, and doth clothe him with a coat of mail.

1 Samuel 17:39 And David girded his sword above his long robe, and beginneth to go, for he hath not tried <FI>it<Fi> ; and David saith unto Saul, `I am not able to go with these, for I had not tried;' and David turneth them aside from off him.

1 Samuel 17:40 And he taketh his staff in his hand, and chooseth for him five smooth stones from the brook, and putteth them in the shepherds' habiliments that he hath, even in the scrip, and his sling <FI>is<Fi> in his hand, and he draweth nigh unto the Philistine.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 37's "And David saith Jehovah who delivered me..." into verse 39's "And David girded his sword above his...", so "saul" and "clotheth" 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 "clotheth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.