Gilbert House Fellowship #348: 1 Samuel 15–17

Battle at the Valley of Elah. Courtesy of BibleMapper.com (click to enlarge).

THE STORY of David and Goliath is one of the best-known in the Bible. The contrast between the faith of David (in God), Saul (in his armor), and Goliath (in himself) is just one of the lessons to draw from the account.

One of the interesting aspects of David’s battle with Goliath is the way the Masoretic Hebrew text, on which our English Old Testament translations are based, includes a big chunk of 1 Samuel 17 that is not in the older Hebrew texts translated into the Greek Septuagint 200-300 years before the birth of Jesus. 1 Samuel 17:12–31 and 55–58 are not in the Septuagint. It doesn’t change the meaning of the text, but the verses were apparently added by the Masoretes to enhance the stature of David as the founder of the bloodline that would produce the promised Messiah.

Valley of Elah seen from Tel Azekah.

We also discuss Saul’s fall from favor as he disobeys God’s command to devote the Amalekites to destruction and then blames his failure on his fear of the people.


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NOTE: New dates for our tour of Israel! We will lead our next tour through the Holy Land March 25–April 3, 2025, with an optional three-day extension to Jordan featuring visits to Mount Nebo, Wadi Rum, and Petra. Our special guests are Dr. Judd Burton and Doug Van Dorn!

For more information, log on to www.GilbertsInIsrael.com.

TRAVEL WITH US TO TURKEY! Join us and our special guests Dr. Judd Burton and Dr. Aaron Judkins as we visit the churches of Revelation, Göbekli Tepe, Abraham’s home town Harran, the “Gates of Hell,” Mount Nemrut, and much more. Dates are October 17–November 3, 2023. More information is available at GilbertHouse.org/travel.

Click here for the complete archive of our New Testament Bible studies to date, and click here for the Old Testament studies to date. Or go to www.spreaker.com/show/gilbert-house-fellowship for all of the audio.

7 Comments


  1. Hello you two
    God’s blessing too you. I love all of your studies you send my way. Thank you for your love of God’s word. It means a lot to me.
    Sharon question will there be a next book on the Redwing Saga? We are praying that will be one. I love everything you write.
    God bless you guys

    1. Author

      Hi, Carol,

      Thank you for your note! We truly appreciate your kind words.

      Sharon is in the process of proofreading Book 8 of The Redwing Saga right now and should have it ready for press by the end of this month!

  2. Oh wow that is wonderful. Thank you so much for letting me know. I can’t wait lol you would think I was a little kid lol but in truth I just turned 74 on my last birthday. But I am a kid at heart.

  3. A couple of years ago maybe you had a guest who has written a couple of books. One was about the Hebrews in Avoris, Egypt and the other he wrote is about languages, how he believes Hebrew was the first letters of the alphabet. Please give me his name or the title of his book. I don’t see them in the Revelation studies.

    1. Author

      Thanks for asking! That’s Dr. Doug Petrovich. You can find those programs at youtube.com/biblesgreatestmysteries, and he’s online at twitter.com/PetrovichDoug.

      1. Thanks! I love all you programs and Books!
        I keep thinking about your three programs with Doug. So much info!

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