1 Samuel 17:56 kjv
And the king said, Inquire thou whose son the stripling is.
1 Samuel 17:56 nkjv
So the king said, "Inquire whose son this young man is."
1 Samuel 17:56 niv
The king said, "Find out whose son this young man is."
1 Samuel 17:56 esv
And the king said, "Inquire whose son the boy is."
1 Samuel 17:56 nlt
"Well, find out who he is!" the king told him.
1 Samuel 17 56 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Sam 16:7 | But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance... for the LORD sees not as man sees..." | God's perspective on selection (heart over outward) |
| 1 Sam 16:18-21 | One of the young men answered, "Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse... David... he came to Saul and stood before him." | David's prior service and presence with Saul |
| 1 Sam 17:25 | The king will enrich the man who kills him... give him his daughter and make his father’s house free in Israel. | The great reward promised for defeating Goliath, implying a need to know the recipient's family for fulfillment. |
| 1 Sam 18:1 | As soon as David had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David... | Marks the immediate impact of David post-Goliath and Saul's continued interest/observation. |
| Ps 8:2 | Out of the mouth of babes and infants, you have established strength because of your foes... | God uses the seemingly weak or young for His purposes. |
| Ps 75:6-7 | For exaltation comes neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south. But God is the Judge; He puts down one and exalts another. | God's sovereignty in raising leaders. |
| Ps 113:7-8 | He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes... | God elevates the humble and lowly. |
| Pro 18:16 | A man's gift makes room for him and brings him before great men. | David's skill and valor bring him before the king. |
| 1 Cor 1:27-29 | God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong... | God's method of choosing the unexpected. |
| Jas 4:6 | God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. | Humility is favored by God. |
| Num 1:18 | and they assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month, and they declared their pedigrees after their families, by their fathers' houses... | Emphasis on meticulous lineage records in Israelite society. |
| Ezra 2:62 | These sought their register among those who were enrolled in the genealogies, but they were not found there... | The vital importance of verifiable family lineage. |
| Gen 49:10 | The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet... | Significance of tribal identity and inheritance of blessing. |
| Mt 1:1 | The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. | Lineage and parentage are critical to identity and prophecy fulfillment in biblical context. |
| Lk 3:23-38 | ...being the son, as was supposed, of Joseph, the son of Heli... [listing detailed genealogy to Adam] | Demonstrates the meticulous recording and importance of genealogies in Israel. |
| Deut 17:15 | you may indeed set a king over you whom the LORD your God will choose... from among your brothers you shall set a king over you. | Importance of Israelite origin for a king, relevant to Saul's inquiry for a prospective heir/leader. |
| Josh 14:12-14 | ...Caleb blessed him and gave him Hebron for an inheritance. Therefore Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb... because he wholly followed the LORD. | Recognition and reward for extraordinary service. |
| Judg 11:5-6 | when the Ammonites made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to bring Jephthah... And they said to Jephthah, "Come, be our commander..." | Example of an unlikely hero being elevated for his military prowess. |
| Dan 2:21 | He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise... | God's sovereignty over earthly rulers and their positions. |
| 1 Sam 9:21 | Saul answered, “Am I not a Benjaminite, from the least of the tribes of Israel? And is not my clan the humblest of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin?" | Saul's earlier self-perception, a stark contrast to his status, echoes the elevation of the unexpected. |
| Jer 9:23-24 | Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me...” | Underscores the futility of relying on human lineage or power rather than God. |
| Php 2:3 | Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. | Reflects David's humble actions, a stark contrast to Saul's later actions driven by insecurity. |
1 Samuel 17 verses
1 Samuel 17 56 Meaning
1 Samuel 17:56 conveys King Saul's command to inquire about the lineage of the young man, David, who had just defeated Goliath. This inquiry arises from Saul's profound astonishment at David's extraordinary feat and his apparent lack of recall regarding David's identity despite David previously serving in his court. The king's question highlights the importance of family background and tribal affiliation in ancient Israelite society, especially when considering rewards, alliances, or future roles for such a significant national hero. It also underscores a striking moment of dramatic irony, as God had already chosen David and he had been present with Saul for a time, yet Saul, focusing on human measures, needs to ask.
1 Samuel 17 56 Context
1 Samuel 17:56 takes place immediately following David's improbable victory over Goliath, the champion of the Philistines. The Israelites had been terrified of Goliath, and Saul's army had stood paralyzed for forty days. When David, a young shepherd, volunteered and defeated the giant using only a sling and a stone, it was an unprecedented event. This verse directly follows David's triumphal return with Goliath's head.
The broader chapter (1 Samuel 17) details the Philistine-Israelite standoff, David's arrival at the battle line, his encounter with his older brothers, his firm faith in God, his confrontation with Goliath, and his swift victory. Historically, Saul was a tall, imposing figure who ruled as king but struggled with obedience to God. Though David had previously served in Saul's court, soothing him with music (1 Sam 16:21-23), his role was likely that of a private attendant, not a public figure or a warrior of renown whose full lineage would be common knowledge to the king, or it speaks to Saul's forgetfulness in his troubled state. Knowing the lineage of such a valiant figure was crucial for formal recognition, rewards promised (like marriage to the king's daughter), or consideration for military and political appointments in the ancient Near East.
1 Samuel 17 56 Word analysis
- And the king: Hebrew "וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ" (va-yo'mer ha-melech) – "and the king said". "The king" refers to Saul. The use of "the king" (ha-melech) signifies royal authority and official pronouncement. It implies a formal directive rather than a casual question. This phrasing emphasizes the shift of attention to David after his great deed.
- said, Inquire: Hebrew "שְׁאַל" (she'al) – "ask, inquire." This is a strong imperative, a command given by the king to Abner, the commander of his army. It suggests a thorough, formal investigation, not just a casual curiosity. The urgency points to the significance of the hero.
- thou: While not explicitly present as a separate word in the Hebrew, the verb form is second person masculine singular, making the command direct to an implied "you," which contextually is Abner. It signifies a personal instruction.
- whose son: Hebrew "בֶּן־מִי" (ben-mi) – literally "son of whom." This phrase highlights the critical importance of patrilineal lineage and family identity in Israelite society. A person's standing, tribal affiliation, inheritance rights, and social status were tied directly to their father's house. For a heroic deed, knowing the father’s house (בֵּית־אָב – beit av) was paramount for formal recognition and reward.
- the stripling: Hebrew "הַנַּעַר" (ha-na'ar) – "the youth, the young man, the servant." This term emphasizes David's apparent youth and perceived inexperience to Saul and his court. It underscores the contrast between his age/status and his astonishing valor against Goliath. The word suggests a male in transition between childhood and full adulthood, someone not yet of military age or widely known for his prowess.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "And the king said, Inquire": This phrase establishes the authoritative context of the inquiry. It's a royal command issued out of profound surprise and the necessity to understand the origin of such a phenomenal hero. It signals the immediate priority for the king.
- "whose son the stripling is": This group reveals the specific focus of the king's urgent curiosity. It isn't just "who is this" but "whose son is this," underlining the deep societal significance of lineage. The continued use of "the stripling" underscores David's perceived youthfulness and the unexpected source of such courage and divine favor. It also points to the dramatic irony, as Saul should have known David's lineage from his prior service, indicating either Saul's detachment, a troubled state of mind, or the perceived commonality of David's role before his great deed.
1 Samuel 17 56 Bonus section
Saul's question "whose son is this stripling?" creates strong dramatic irony for the reader, who knows of David's anointing in 1 Samuel 16. This irony underscores the theme of God's unseen hand working through unlikely vessels, often bypassing the powerful and well-known. It can be seen as a subtle divine commentary on human wisdom; while Saul focuses on human lineage and visible prowess, God operates on a different plane, preparing David through solitude and service. This disconnect between Saul's immediate need for information about parentage and God's prior selection based on heart reveals a critical difference in perspective that would define Saul's tragic reign.
1 Samuel 17 56 Commentary
1 Samuel 17:56 captures a pivotal moment of transition. Saul's direct command to Abner, his chief commander, to "inquire whose son the stripling is," speaks volumes about the impact of David's victory and Saul's own condition. Despite David having been in Saul's personal service previously as a musician and armor-bearer (1 Sam 16:21), Saul's inquiry indicates either genuine forgetfulness due to his troubled state of mind, a failure to truly know David beyond his musical talent, or a recognition of the shift from private attendant to national hero demanding a formal understanding of his lineage for royal records and potential honors (like marriage to his daughter, as per 1 Sam 17:25).
The question underscores the cultural emphasis on "whose son" someone was, rather than merely "who is this man." Identity and reputation in ancient Israel were profoundly tied to one's family and ancestral line. This wasn't merely curiosity; it was a matter of state, to understand potential alliances, tribal loyalties, and to fulfill promises of reward. The use of "stripling" or "young man" further highlights David's unlikely appearance as the champion, accentuating God's ability to use the humble and overlooked to achieve His great purposes, a consistent theme throughout scripture. Ironically, Saul's earthly priorities led him to inquire about David's earthly lineage, while God had already looked beyond appearance to the heart (1 Sam 16:7) to choose David as His anointed. This query also foreshadows Saul's later struggle with David, beginning with curiosity and eventually turning to profound jealousy once David's fame surpassed his own.