Verse Lens · Concise explanation
1 Samuel 17:31 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 31. 31And when the words were heard which David spake, they rehearsed them before Saul: and he sent for him.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Moves David's words by report until Saul sends for him.
Eliab hears his brother and attacks the heart he cannot see
This verse is one part of that explanation in 1 Samuel 17:28–17:31. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- 1 Samuel 17:28–17:31
1 Samuel 17:28–17:31 supplies the necessary frame for verse 17:31. Here the narrator moves David's words by report until Saul sends for him, within this larger movement: Eliab hears David, attacks his motives and care of the sheep, David protests, continues asking, and his words are reported to Saul.
Why This Verse Appears Here
This detail follows the unit's opening pressure and prepares its outcome: 1 Samuel 17:31 moves David's words by report until Saul sends for him. Its value is contextual, not slogan-like.
What Remains True
Moves David's words by report until Saul sends for him. Within 1 Samuel 17:28–17:31, this contribution supports the unit's enduring claim: This unit calls for truthfulness about what happened, humility about what remains uncertain, and refusal of the misuse it names: A brother's accusation does not prove David's pride, justify humiliating younger family members, or make repeated questioning inherently manipulative.
Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read 1 Samuel 17:28–17:31 — Eliab accuses David before word reaches SaulSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV words, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete unit coverage.
Exact location: 1 Samuel 17:28–17:31, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: 1 Samuel
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology, with the two KJV-Hebrew versification shifts stated rather than silently offset.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/1Sam.xml, OSIS 17:28–17:31; KJV 20:42 spans Hebrew 20:42–21:1, KJV 21:1–15 maps to Hebrew 21:2–16, KJV 23:29 maps to Hebrew 24:1, and KJV 24:1–22 maps to Hebrew 24:2–23
Open source ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible First Edition Notes: 1 Samuel
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2006
Supports: Only the translator notes actually printed for these verses, used for lexical, grammatical, textual, historical, and older-English controls.
Exact location: NET Bible First Edition Notes, 1 Samuel PDF, printed pp. 504–543, exact tc/tn/sn entries attached to 17:28–17:31
Open source ↗