of his pocket, hurled it, and hit the Philistine on his temples, so that the stone entered them, and Goliath fell upon his face to the ground.
Verses 50-51
1Sa 17:50-51 1Sa 17:50 contains a remark by the historian with reference to the result of the conflict: “Thus was David stronger than the Philistine, with a sling and stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him without a sword in his hand.” And then in 1Sa 17:51 the details are given, namely, that David cut off the head of the fallen giant with his own sword. Upon the downfall of their hero the Philistines were terrified and fled; whereupon the Israelites rose up with a cry to pursue the flying foe, and pursued them “to a valley, and to the gates of Ekron.” The first place mentioned is a very striking one. The “valley” cannot mean the one which divided the two armies, according to 1Sa 17:3, not only because the article is wanting, but still more from the facts themselves. For it is neither stated, nor really probable, that the Philistines had crossed that valley, so as to make it possible to pursue them into it again. But if the word refers to some other valley, it seems very strange that nothing further should be said about it. Both these circumstances render the reading itself, ניא, suspicious, and give great probability to the conjecture that ניא is only a copyist's error for Gath, which is the rendering given by the lxx, especially when taken in connection with the following clause, “to Gath and to Ekron” (1Sa 17:52).
Verse 52
“And wounded of the Philistines fell on the way to Shaaraim, and to Gath and to Ekron.” Shaaraim is the town of Saarayim, in the lowland of Judah, and has probably been preserved in the Tell Kefr Zakariya (see at Jos 15:36). On Gath and Ekron, see at Jos 13:3.
Verse 53
After returning from the pursuit of the flying foe, the Israelites plundered the camp of the Philistines. אהרי דּלק, to pursue hotly, as in Gen 31:36.
Verse 54
But David took the head of Goliath and brought it to Jerusalem, and put his armour in his tent. אהל is an antiquated term for a dwelling-place, as in 1Sa 4:10; 1Sa 13:2, etc. The reference is to David's house at Bethlehem, to which he returned with the booty after the defeat of Goliath, and that by the road which ran past Jerusalem, where he left the head of Goliath. There is no anachronism in these statements; for the assertion made by some, that Jerusalem was not yet in the possession of the Israelites, rests upon a confusion between the citadel of Jebus upon Zion, which
