1 Samuel 17:42
New International Version
He looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he despised him.

New Living Translation
sneering in contempt at this ruddy-faced boy.

English Standard Version
And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance.

Berean Standard Bible
When the Philistine looked and saw David, he despised him because he was just a boy, ruddy and handsome.

King James Bible
And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance.

New King James Version
And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking.

New American Standard Bible
When the Philistine looked and saw David, he was contemptuous of him; for he was only a youth, and reddish, with a handsome appearance.

NASB 1995
When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, with a handsome appearance.

NASB 1977
When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, with a handsome appearance.

Legacy Standard Bible
And the Philistine looked and saw David. And he despised him; for he was but a youth and ruddy, with a handsome appearance.

Amplified Bible
When the Philistine looked around and saw David, he derided and disparaged him because he was [just] a young man, with a ruddy complexion, and a handsome appearance.

Christian Standard Bible
When the Philistine looked and saw David, he despised him because he was just a youth, healthy and handsome.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
When the Philistine looked and saw David, he despised him because he was just a youth, healthy and handsome.

American Standard Version
And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and withal of a fair countenance.

Contemporary English Version
When Goliath saw that David was just a healthy, good-looking boy, he made fun of him.

English Revised Version
And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and withal of a fair countenance.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
When the Philistine got a good look at David, he despised him. After all, David was a young man with a healthy complexion and good looks.

Good News Translation
and when he got a good look at David, he was filled with scorn for him because he was just a nice, good-looking boy.

International Standard Version
When the Philistine looked and saw David, he had contempt for him, because he was only a young man. David had a dark, healthy complexion and was handsome.

Majority Standard Bible
When the Philistine looked and saw David, he despised him because he was just a boy, ruddy and handsome.

NET Bible
When the Philistine looked carefully at David, he despised him, for he was only a ruddy and handsome boy.

New Heart English Bible
When the Philistine looked and saw David, he despised him, for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and handsome in appearance.

Webster's Bible Translation
And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance.

World English Bible
When the Philistine looked around and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and had a good looking face.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and the Philistine looks attentively, and sees David, and despises him, for he was a youth, and ruddy, with a handsome appearance.

Young's Literal Translation
and the Philistine looketh attentively, and seeth David, and despiseth him, for he was a youth, and ruddy, with a fair appearance.

Smith's Literal Translation
And he of the rovers will look and will see David, and he will despise him, for he was a boy, and red, with a fair aspect.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And when the Philistine looked, and beheld David, he despised him. For he was a young man, ruddy, and of a comely countenance.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And when the Philistine had seen and considered David, he despised him. For he was a youth, ruddy and of handsome appearance.

New American Bible
When he sized David up and saw that he was youthful, ruddy, and handsome in appearance, he began to deride him.

New Revised Standard Version
When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was only a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And the Philistine looked out and he saw David and had contempt for him, because he was a ruddy boy and handsome in his appearance
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and withal of a fair countenance.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Goliath saw David, and despised him; for he was a lad, and ruddy, with a fair countenance.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
David Slays Goliath
41Now the Philistine came closer and closer to David, with his shield-bearer before him. 42When the Philistine looked and saw David, he despised him because he was just a boy, ruddy and handsome. 43“Am I a dog,” he said to David, “that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.…

Cross References
1 Samuel 16:7
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him; the LORD does not see as man does. For man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart.”

2 Samuel 6:20-22
When David returned home to bless his own household, Saul’s daughter Michal came out to meet him. “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today!” she said. “He has uncovered himself today in the sight of the maidservants of his subjects, like a vulgar person would do.” / But David said to Michal, “I was dancing before the LORD, who chose me over your father and all his house when He appointed me ruler over the LORD’s people Israel. I will celebrate before the LORD, / and I will humiliate and humble myself even more than this. Yet I will be honored by the maidservants of whom you have spoken.”

Isaiah 53:2-3
He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no stately form or majesty to attract us, no beauty that we should desire Him. / He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.

Proverbs 16:18
Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

Proverbs 11:2
When pride comes, disgrace follows, but with humility comes wisdom.

Psalm 22:6-8
But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people. / All who see me mock me; they sneer and shake their heads: / “He trusts in the LORD, let the LORD deliver him; let the LORD rescue him, since He delights in him.”

Psalm 44:13-14
You have made us a reproach to our neighbors, a mockery and derision to those around us. / You have made us a byword among the nations, a laughingstock among the peoples.

Psalm 69:7-9
For I have endured scorn for Your sake, and shame has covered my face. / I have become a stranger to my brothers and a foreigner to my mother’s sons, / because zeal for Your house has consumed me, and the insults of those who insult You have fallen on me.

Psalm 123:3-4
Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy, for we have endured much contempt. / We have endured much scorn from the arrogant, much contempt from the proud.

Job 12:4
I am a laughingstock to my friends, though I called on God, and He answered. The righteous and upright man is a laughingstock.

Job 30:1
“But now they mock me, men younger than I am, whose fathers I would have refused to put with my sheep dogs.

Matthew 5:11-12
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. / Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.

Matthew 13:55-57
“Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t His mother’s name Mary, and aren’t His brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? / Aren’t all His sisters with us as well? Where then did this man get all these things?” / And they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown and in his own household is a prophet without honor.”

Matthew 27:39-44
And those who passed by heaped abuse on Him, shaking their heads / and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross!” / In the same way, the chief priests, scribes, and elders mocked Him, saying, ...

Mark 6:3-4
Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? Aren’t His sisters here with us as well?” And they took offense at Him. / Then Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his own household is a prophet without honor.”


Treasury of Scripture

And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance.

disdained

1 Kings 20:18
And he said, Whether they be come out for peace, take them alive; or whether they be come out for war, take them alive.

2 Kings 18:23,24
Now therefore, I pray thee, give pledges to my lord the king of Assyria, and I will deliver thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them…

Nehemiah 4:2-4
And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned? …

a youth

1 Samuel 17:33
And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.

1 Samuel 16:12
And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he.

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Appearance Attentively Beautiful Besides Boy Countenance David Despised Despiseth Disdained Handsome Note Opinion Philistine Poor Ruddy Withal Youth
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Appearance Attentively Beautiful Besides Boy Countenance David Despised Despiseth Disdained Handsome Note Opinion Philistine Poor Ruddy Withal Youth
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














When the Philistine looked
The Philistine in this context is Goliath, the giant warrior from Gath. The act of looking here is not just a casual glance but a scrutinizing gaze. In the Hebrew, the word used can imply a deep, evaluative look. Goliath's gaze is filled with disdain, as he assesses David not as a worthy opponent but as an insignificant challenger. This moment is pivotal, as it sets the stage for the underestimation of David, a recurring theme in Scripture where God uses the seemingly weak to confound the strong (1 Corinthians 1:27).

and saw David
David, the youngest son of Jesse, is often seen as the unlikely hero. His name in Hebrew means "beloved," which is fitting given his role in God's plan. The act of seeing David is not just physical but symbolic of recognizing God's chosen instrument. David represents the future king of Israel, a man after God's own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). This encounter is a divine appointment, orchestrated by God to demonstrate His power and sovereignty.

he despised him
The word "despised" indicates a deep-seated contempt. In Hebrew, it conveys a sense of scorn and disdain. Goliath's reaction is typical of the world's view of God's chosen ones—often underestimated and ridiculed. This reflects a broader biblical theme where God's people are often looked down upon by those who do not understand God's ways. It is a reminder that human judgment is flawed and that God sees beyond outward appearances (1 Samuel 16:7).

because he was just a boy
David's youth is highlighted here, emphasizing his perceived inadequacy in the eyes of Goliath. The Hebrew term for "boy" can refer to a young man or adolescent, underscoring David's inexperience in battle. Yet, this is precisely why God chooses him—to show that victory comes not by might or power, but by His Spirit (Zechariah 4:6). David's youthfulness is a testament to God's ability to use anyone, regardless of age or status, for His purposes.

ruddy
The term "ruddy" describes David's complexion, often associated with health and vitality. In Hebrew, it can also imply a certain attractiveness or distinctiveness. This description contrasts with Goliath's imposing and fearsome appearance, highlighting the unexpected nature of God's choices. David's ruddy appearance is a reminder that God values inner qualities over outward appearances, as seen in His selection of David over his more physically imposing brothers (1 Samuel 16:12).

and handsome in appearance
David's handsomeness is noted, yet it is not his physical appearance that qualifies him for God's service. In the biblical narrative, beauty often symbolizes God's favor and blessing. However, it is David's heart and faith that truly set him apart. This phrase serves to remind readers that while the world may focus on external beauty, God looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). David's attractiveness is a metaphor for the inner beauty of a life devoted to God.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
When the Philistine
הַפְּלִשְׁתִּ֛י (hap·pə·liš·tî)
Article | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 6430: Philistines -- inhabitants of Philistia

looked
וַיַּבֵּ֧ט (way·yab·bêṭ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5027: To scan, look intently at, to regard

and saw
וַיִּרְאֶ֥ה (way·yir·’eh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7200: To see

David,
דָּוִ֖ד (dā·wiḏ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1732: David -- perhaps 'beloved one', a son of Jesse

he despised
וַיִּבְזֵ֑הוּ (way·yiḇ·zê·hū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine singular
Strong's 959: To disesteem

him because
כִּֽי־ (kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

he was
הָיָ֣ה (hā·yāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

just a boy,
נַ֔עַר (na·‘ar)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5288: A boy, lad, youth, retainer

ruddy
וְאַדְמֹנִ֖י (wə·’aḏ·mō·nî)
Conjunctive waw | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 132: Red, ruddy

and
עִם־ (‘im-)
Preposition
Strong's 5973: With, equally with

handsome.
יְפֵ֥ה (yə·p̄êh)
Adjective - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3303: Fair, beautiful


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OT History: 1 Samuel 17:42 When the Philistine looked about and saw (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa)
1 Samuel 17:41
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