1 Samuel 17:12
New International Version
Now David was the son of an Ephrathite named Jesse, who was from Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons, and in Saul’s time he was very old.

New Living Translation
Now David was the son of a man named Jesse, an Ephrathite from Bethlehem in the land of Judah. Jesse was an old man at that time, and he had eight sons.

English Standard Version
Now David was the son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, named Jesse, who had eight sons. In the days of Saul the man was already old and advanced in years.

Berean Standard Bible
Now David was the son of a man named Jesse, an Ephrathite from Bethlehem of Judah who had eight sons in the days of Saul. And Jesse was old and well along in years.

King James Bible
Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehemjudah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons: and the man went among men for an old man in the days of Saul.

New King James Version
Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem Judah, whose name was Jesse, and who had eight sons. And the man was old, advanced in years, in the days of Saul.

New American Standard Bible
Now David was the son of the Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, the man whose name was Jesse, and he had eight sons. And Jesse was old in the days of Saul, advanced in years among men.

NASB 1995
Now David was the son of the Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, whose name was Jesse, and he had eight sons. And Jesse was old in the days of Saul, advanced in years among men.

NASB 1977
Now David was the son of the Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, whose name was Jesse, and he had eight sons. And Jesse was old in the days of Saul, advanced in years among men.

Legacy Standard Bible
Now David was the son of the Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, whose name was Jesse, and he had eight sons. And Jesse was old in the days of Saul, advanced in years among men.

Amplified Bible
Now David was the son of the Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, named Jesse, who had eight sons. Jesse was old in the days of Saul, advanced in years among men.

Christian Standard Bible
Now David was the son of the Ephrathite from Bethlehem of Judah named Jesse. Jesse had eight sons and during Saul’s reign was already an old man.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Now David was the son of the Ephrathite from Bethlehem of Judah named Jesse. Jesse had eight sons and during Saul’s reign was already an old man.

American Standard Version
Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Beth-lehem-judah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons: and the man was an old man in the days of Saul, stricken in years among men.

Contemporary English Version
David's father Jesse was an old man, who belonged to the Ephrath clan and lived in Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons:

English Revised Version
Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Beth-lehem-judah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons: and the man was an old man in the days of Saul, stricken in years among men.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
David was a son of a man named Jesse from the region of Ephrath and the city of Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons, and in Saul's day he was an old man.

Good News Translation
David was the son of Jesse, who was an Ephrathite from Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons, and at the time Saul was king, he was already a very old man.

International Standard Version
David was the son of that Ephrathite man named Jesse from Bethlehem in Judah. He had eight sons; at the time when Saul was king he was old, having lived to an advanced age.

Majority Standard Bible
Now David was the son of a man named Jesse, an Ephrathite from Bethlehem of Judah who had eight sons in the days of Saul. And Jesse was old and well along in years.

NET Bible
Now David was the son of this Ephrathite named Jesse from Bethlehem in Judah. He had eight sons, and in Saul's days he was old and well advanced in years.

New Heart English Bible
Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons. And in the days of Saul the man was old and advanced in years.

Webster's Bible Translation
Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Beth-lehem-judah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons: and the man went among men for an old man in the days of Saul.

World English Bible
Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem Judah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons. The man was an elderly old man in the days of Saul.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And David [is] son of this Ephraimite of Beth-Lehem-Judah, whose name [is] Jesse, and he has eight sons, and the man has become aged among men in the days of Saul;

Young's Literal Translation
And David is son of this Ephrathite of Beth-Lehem-Judah, whose name is Jesse, and he hath eight sons, and the man in the days of Saul hath become aged among men;

Smith's Literal Translation
And David, son of a man, that Ephrathite, of the House of Bread of Judah, and his name Jesse; and to him eight sons; and the man in the days of Saul went an old man among men.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem Juda before mentioned, whose name was Isai, who had eight sons, and was an old man in the days of Saul, and of great age among men.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Now David was the son of an Ephrathite man, the one mentioned above, from Bethlehem of Judah, whose name was Jesse. He had eight sons, and during the days of Saul, he was an elderly man, and of great age among men.

New American Bible
David was the son of an Ephrathite named Jesse from Bethlehem in Judah who had eight sons. In the days of Saul Jesse was old and well on in years.

New Revised Standard Version
Now David was the son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, named Jesse, who had eight sons. In the days of Saul the man was already old and advanced in years.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Now David was the son of an Ephrathite of Beth-lehem of Judah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons; and the man was old and advanced in years in the days of Saul.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And David was son of a man, an Ephrathite from Bayth Lekhem of Yehuda, and his name was Iyshay, and he had eight sons, and the man was old and advanced in years in the days of Shaul
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Beth-lehem in Judah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons; and the man was an old man in the days of Saul, stricken in years among men.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
David Accepts the Challenge
12Now David was the son of a man named Jesse, an Ephrathite from Bethlehem of Judah who had eight sons in the days of Saul. And Jesse was old and well along in years. 13The three older sons of Jesse had followed Saul into battle: The firstborn was Eliab, the second was Abinadab, and the third was Shammah.…

Cross References
Ruth 4:18-22
Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez was the father of Hezron, / Hezron was the father of Ram, Ram was the father of Amminadab, / Amminadab was the father of Nahshon, Nahshon was the father of Salmon, ...

1 Chronicles 2:13-15
Jesse was the father of Eliab his firstborn; Abinadab was born second, Shimea third, / Nethanel fourth, Raddai fifth, / Ozem sixth, and David seventh.

Matthew 1:5-6
Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, / and Jesse the father of David the king. Next: David was the father of Solomon by Uriah’s wife,

Acts 13:22
After removing Saul, He raised up David as their king and testified about him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after My own heart; he will carry out My will in its entirety.’

2 Samuel 2:4
Then the men of Judah came to Hebron, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, “It was the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul.”

2 Samuel 5:3
So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, where King David made with them a covenant before the LORD. And they anointed him king over Israel.

2 Samuel 7:8
Now then, you are to tell My servant David that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: I took you from the pasture, from following the flock, to be the ruler over My people Israel.

Psalm 78:70-72
He chose David His servant and took him from the sheepfolds; / from tending the ewes He brought him to be shepherd of His people Jacob, of Israel His inheritance. / So David shepherded them with integrity of heart and guided them with skillful hands.

Psalm 89:20
I have found My servant David; with My sacred oil I have anointed him.

Matthew 22:42
“What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is He?” “David’s,” they answered.

Luke 1:32
He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David,

Luke 2:4
So Joseph also went up from Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, since he was from the house and line of David.

John 7:42
Doesn’t the Scripture say that the Christ will come from the line of David and from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?”

Romans 1:3
regarding His Son, who was a descendant of David according to the flesh,

2 Timothy 2:8
Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David, as proclaimed by my gospel,


Treasury of Scripture

Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehemjudah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons: and the man went among men for an old man in the days of Saul.

David

1 Samuel 17:58
And Saul said to him, Whose son art thou, thou young man? And David answered, I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.

1 Samuel 16:1,18
And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons…

Ruth 4:22
And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.

Ephrathite

Genesis 35:19
And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.

Psalm 132:6
Lo, we heard of it at Ephratah: we found it in the fields of the wood.

Micah 5:2
But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

eight sons

1 Samuel 16:10,11
Again, Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, The LORD hath not chosen these…

1 Chronicles 2:13-16
And Jesse begat his firstborn Eliab, and Abinadab the second, and Shimma the third, …

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Advanced Aged Already Bethlehem Beth-Lehem Bethlehemjudah Bethlehem-Judah Beth-Lehem-Judah David Eight Ephrathite Jesse Judah Saul Saul's Stricken Time
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1 Samuel 17
1. The armies of the Israelites and Philistines being ready to battle
4. Goliath challenges a combat
12. David, sent by his father to visit his brothers, takes the challenge
28. Eliab chides him
30. He is brought to Saul
32. shows the reason of his confidence
38. and slays the giant
55. Saul takes notice of David














Now David
The introduction of David in this verse is significant. The Hebrew name "David" (דָּוִד) means "beloved." This name is fitting, as David is beloved by God and becomes a central figure in biblical history. His introduction here sets the stage for his future role as king, highlighting God's providential plan. David's account is a testament to how God often chooses the unlikely and humble to fulfill His purposes.

was the son of the Ephrathite
The term "Ephrathite" refers to someone from Ephrathah, an ancient name for Bethlehem. This designation ties David to a specific lineage and location, emphasizing his roots in the tribe of Judah. The mention of Ephrathite connects David to the Messianic prophecy in Micah 5:2, which foretells a ruler from Bethlehem, underscoring the divine orchestration of David's life and legacy.

from Bethlehem of Judah
Bethlehem, meaning "house of bread," is a small town with significant biblical history. It is the birthplace of David and later Jesus Christ, fulfilling the prophecy of the Messiah's origins. The mention of Judah, one of the twelve tribes of Israel, highlights David's tribal affiliation, which is crucial for his legitimacy as king, as the scepter was prophesied to not depart from Judah (Genesis 49:10).

named Jesse
Jesse, David's father, is a pivotal figure in the lineage of David. His name in Hebrew (יִשַׁי) means "gift" or "God exists." Jesse's role as the father of David places him in the genealogy of Jesus Christ, as recorded in the Gospels. This connection emphasizes the continuity of God's redemptive plan through generations.

who had eight sons
The mention of Jesse having eight sons highlights the abundance and blessing of his family. In biblical numerology, the number eight often signifies new beginnings or a new order, which is fitting as David represents a new chapter in Israel's history. This detail also sets the stage for the narrative of David being the youngest and least likely to be chosen, yet God sees his heart.

and in the days of Saul
This phrase situates the narrative in a specific historical context, during the reign of King Saul. Saul's kingship is marked by disobedience and decline, contrasting with David's rise as a man after God's own heart. The juxtaposition of Saul and David highlights the transition from human failure to divine favor.

the man was old and well along in years
This description of Jesse underscores the passage of time and the generational shift occurring in Israel. Jesse's advanced age suggests wisdom and experience, yet it is through his youngest son, David, that God chooses to bring about His purposes. This detail reminds readers of God's sovereignty in using the young and seemingly insignificant to accomplish His will.

(12) Now David was the son of that Ephra-thite.--This verse, and the following verses to the end of 1Samuel 17:31, are left out altogether, with 1Samuel 17:55-58, in the Vatican LXX. This omission was, no doubt, owing to the difficulty connected with this mention of David, where he is apparently introduced for the first time into the history; the LXX. translation not un-frequently adding or subtracting from the text when anything met them which they could not readily understand. The passage, as we find it, is undoubtedly genuine; the probable explanation of what puzzled the LXX. is given below.

It is, however, better (with the Syriac Version) to place all the words after "Beth-lehem-judah" down to the end of 1Samuel 17:14 in a parenthesis. 1Samuel 17:15, after the parenthesis descriptive of Jesse and his three elder sons, takes up the account of David again, thus: "But David went," &c.

Went among men for an old man.--This rendering follows the translation of Jerome's Vulgate, "Senex et grandaevus inter viros," rather than the Hebrew. The literal translation of ba-ba?nashim would be went among men. It is best to assume that the verb ba- here is used elliptically for ba-bayamin, "was advanced in days," that is, "was an old man." Keil renders baanashim "among the weak," that is, "Jesse had come to be reckoned among the weak" (or the aged). Maurer and others believe the present Hebrew reading corrupt; the sense, however, is clear.

Jesse is represented in this parenthesis, descriptive of the father of David, for some reason known only to the compiler, as already an old man. Possibly this notice is inserted to explain the reason why the father of the future hero-king of Israel was not among the warriors of Saul. . . .

Verses 12-14. - Jesse... went among men for an old man in the days of Saul. This translation is taken from the Vulgate; but the Hebrew is, "And the man in the days of Saul was old, gone among men." Some explain this as meaning "placed," i.e. "reckoned among men of rank;" but probably an aleph has dropped out in the word rendered men, and we should read "gone," i.e. "advanced in years." Old is used in a very indefinite way in the Books of Samuel; but as Jesse had eight sons, of whom the youngest was now grown up, he must have been nearly sixty. Went and followed. Hebrew, "And there went the three elder sons of Jesse went after Saul to the war." Some grammarians consider that this repetition of the verb is intended to give it the force of a pluperfect, - they had gone,-but it is more probably an error, and one of the two verbs should be omitted.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Now David
וְדָוִד֩ (wə·ḏā·wiḏ)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1732: David -- perhaps 'beloved one', a son of Jesse

was the son
בֶּן־ (ben-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1121: A son

of a man
אִ֨ישׁ (’îš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

named
וּשְׁמ֣וֹ (ū·šə·mōw)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 8034: A name

Jesse,
יִשַׁ֔י (yi·šay)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3448: Jesse -- father of David

an Ephrathite
אֶפְרָתִ֜י (’ep̄·rā·ṯî)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 673: Ephraimite -- a descendant of Ephraim, also an inhabitant of Ephrath

from
מִבֵּ֥ית (mib·bêṯ)
Preposition
Strong's Hebrew

Bethlehem
לֶ֙חֶם֙ (le·ḥem)
Preposition | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 1035: Bethlehem -- 'place of bread', a city in Judah, also a city in Zebulun

of Judah
יְהוּדָ֔ה (yə·hū·ḏāh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3063: Judah -- 'praised', a son of Jacob, also the southern kingdom, also four Israelites

who had
וְל֖וֹ (wə·lōw)
Conjunctive waw | Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew

eight
שְׁמֹנָ֣ה (šə·mō·nāh)
Number - masculine singular
Strong's 8083: A cardinal number, eight, eighth

sons
בָנִ֑ים (ḇā·nîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 1121: A son

in the days
בִּימֵ֣י (bî·mê)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 3117: A day

of Saul.
שָׁא֔וּל (šā·’ūl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 7586: Saul -- first king of Israel, also an Edomite and two Israelites

And Jesse was old
זָקֵ֖ן (zā·qên)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2204: To be or become old

and advanced [in years].
בָּ֥א (bā)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go


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OT History: 1 Samuel 17:12 Now David was the son of that (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa)
1 Samuel 17:11
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