Lyrics · 1 Samuel
Who Is This Uncircumcised Philistine?
1 Samuel 17:1-58
Lyrics ↓[Verse 1]
Philistine and Israelite armies face one another across the valley of Elah.
The champion challenges Israel to settle the war through single combat.
David moves between Saul's court and Jesse's sheep at Bethlehem.
Jesse sends David with food for his brothers and their captain.
[Pre-Chorus]
The line drew close, the watch was nearly done,
Then courage rose before the rising sun.
[Chorus]
Who Is This Uncircumcised Philistine, let the trumpet answer clear,
Not by number, not by sword, not by fear.
The faithful moved where the battle line was drawn,
And the purpose of the LORD kept moving on.
[Verse 2]
Eliab burns with anger and accuses David of pride.
David's words reach Saul, who summons him.
David offers to fight and recounts victories over a lion and bear.
David chooses five smooth stones and approaches with staff and sling.
[Bridge]
David declares that he comes in the name of the LORD of hosts.
David runs forward, slings a stone, and strikes Goliath's forehead.
He cuts off the fallen champion's head with Goliath's own sword.
Israel pursues the fleeing Philistines, and David later stands before Saul with the head.
[Final Chorus]
Who Is This Uncircumcised Philistine, let the trumpet answer clear,
Not by number, not by sword, not by fear.
The faithful moved where the battle line was drawn,
And the purpose of the LORD would still move on.
[Outro]
The field grew still; the record kept the name.
Courage passed onward through the fading flame.
Named in this songValley of ElahDavidSaulBethlehemFive smooth stonesGoliath
About the passage
1 Samuel 17: The challenge everyone hears and David answers differently
For forty days Goliath has taught both armies to read the valley his way: one enormous champion, one mountain of bronze, one bargain that turns a national battle into a single contest. David arrives carrying bread and cheese, hears exactly the words everyone else has heard, and assigns them a different meaning. Where the soldiers see a terrifying man and a royal reward, David hears defiance of "the armies of the living God." His confidence is not detached from experience. He argues from the lion and bear, rejects armour he has never tested, and walks out with tools he actually knows. The Book of 1 Samuel spends far more time on the speeches than on the strike itself, because the speeches explain what the brief combat is supposed to mean. One stone ends the champion's advance, Goliath's own sword completes his defeat, and the frightened army becomes a pursuing one. The chapter closes not with David announcing his anointing, but with Saul asking whose son the young victor is.
Study 1 Samuel 17 in depth →
