I Samuel 17:25 · Bible study
1 Samuel 17:25 Commentary: The Promise of Riches and Freedom in Israel
Hebrew · 8 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Study the royal reward promised for defeating Goliath, the meaning of 'free in Israel,' and how David's motivation differed from Saul's system.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The men of Israel explain the reward for killing Goliath: riches, the king's daughter, and tax exemption for his family.
- Key words: “Free” (chophshi, H2670) means release from taxes and service; “defy” (charaph, H2778) means to taunt or reproach. The verb for “strike down” (nakah, H5221) implies a lethal blow.
- Main debate: Whether “free in Israel” includes only tax relief or also freedom from military and labor duties, and whether Saul later fulfilled the promise (see 1 Samuel 18:17, 27).
- Theological theme: Contrast between human reward systems and faith-driven motivation for God's honor; David as a type of Christ who overcomes despite worldly incentives.
- Best use: Preaching or teaching on motivation, courage, and the difference between serving for reward and serving for God's glory.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Now the men of Israel had been saying, “Do you see this man who keeps coming out to defy Israel? To the man who kills him the king will give great riches. And he will give him his daughter in marriage and exempt his father’s house from taxation in Israel.”
WEB World English Bible 2000
The men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? He has surely come up to defy Israel. The king will give great riches to the man who kills him, and will give him his daughter, and will make his father’s house tax-free in Israel.”
KJV King James Version 1769
And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father’s house free in Israel.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father’s house free in Israel.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And the men of Israel say, `Have ye seen this man who is coming up? for, to reproach Israel he is coming up, and it hath been--the man who smiteth him, the king doth enrich him with great riches, and his daughter he doth give to him, and his father's house doth make free in Israel.'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that comes up? for to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who smites him, him will the king enrich with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's house free in Israel.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And some one of Israel said: Have you seen this man that is come up, for he is come up to defy Israel. And the man that shall slay him, the king will enrich with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and will make his father's house free from tribute in Israel.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y cada uno de los de Israel decía: ¿ No habéis visto aquel hombre que ha salido? él se adelanta para provocar á Israel. Al que le venciere, el rey le enriquecerá con grandes riquezas, y le dará su hija, y hará franca la casa de su padre en Israel.
E cada um dos de Israel dizia: Não vistes aquele homem que saiu? Ele se adianta para provocar a Israel. Ao que lhe vencer, o rei lhe enriquecerá com grandes riquezas, e lhe dará sua filha, e fará livre de tributos a casa de seu pai em Israel.
Chacun disait: Avez-vous vu s’ avancer cet homme? C’ est pour jeter à Israël un défi qu’ il s’ est avancé! Si quelqu’ un le tue, le roi le comblera de richesses, il lui donnera sa fille, et il affranchira la maison de son père en Israël.
Und jedermann in Israel sprach: Habt ihr den Mann gesehen herauftreten? Denn er ist heraufgetreten Israel Hohn zu sprechen. Und wer ihn schlägt, den will der König sehr reich machen und ihm seine Tochter geben und will seines Vaters Haus freimachen in Israel.
En de mannen Israels zeiden: Hebt gijlieden dien man wel gezien, die opgekomen is? Want hij is opgekomen, om Israel te honen; en het zal geschieden, dat de koning dien man, die hem slaat, met groten rijkdom verrijken zal, en hij zal hem zijn dochter geven, en hij zal zijns vaders huis vrijmaken in Israel.
Gli uomini d’Israele dicevano: “Avete visto quell’uomo che s’avanza? Egli s’avanza per coprir d’obbrobrio Israele. Se qualcuno l’uccide, il re lo farà grandemente ricco, gli darà la sua propria figliuola, ed esenterà in Israele la casa del padre di lui da ogni aggravio”.
I mówili mężowie Izraelscy: A widzieliżeście tego męża, który wyszedł? Bo wyszedł, aby urągał Izraelowi, ale ktoby go zabił, ubogaci go król bogactwy wielkiemi, i córkę mu swoję da, a dom ojca jego uczyni wolnym w Izraelu.
И говорили Израильтяне: видите этого выступающего человека? Он выступает, чтобы поносить Израиля. Если бы кто убил его, одарил бы того царь великим богатством, и дочь свою выдал бы за него, и дом отца его сделал бы свободным в Израиле.
以色列 人 彼此說：「這 上來 的人 你看見了嗎？他上來 是 要向 以色列人 罵陣。若有 能殺他的，王 必賞賜他 大 財，將 自己的女兒 給 他為妻，並 在以色列人中 免 他父 家 納糧當差。」
And the men of Israel said, Have you seen this man? Clearly he has come out to put shame on Israel: and it is certain that if any man overcomes him, the king will give that man great wealth, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's family free in Israel.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · I Samuel 17:25
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
The men of Israel state the reward King Saul has offered to anyone who kills Goliath: great riches, the king's daughter in marriage, and his family exempted from taxes and service. Commentators across traditions agree on the basic sense. Barnes notes that the Hebrew word for “free” (chophshi) appears fifteen times in the Old Testament, always meaning freedom from slavery, so here it likely means exemption from burdens like those listed in 1 Samuel 8:11, 17. The Cambridge Bible sees it as freedom from taxes and personal service to the king, comparing it to Caleb’s offer in Joshua 15:16. Gill adds that the Targum paraphrases it as making the family “freemen, nobles,” raising their social standing. The promise thus functions as a public incentive, but the narrative already points toward a deeper contrast: the soldiers are terrified and motivated by material reward, while David will soon ask, “What shall be done to the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel?” (v.26). The consensus is that the rewards are real but secondary; the story’s hinge is David’s concern for the “armies of the living God.”
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The verse describes a public royal offer designed to motivate someone to fight Goliath, and it sets the stage for David's contrasting question about the reproach against God.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of 'free in Israel' | All major commentators agree it involves exemption from some form of taxation, tribute, or service to the king. | Some (e.g., Barnes, Gill) emphasize freedom from slavery and labor obligations; others (e.g., Cambridge, JFB) focus more on financial and military exemptions. The Targum even suggests elevation to nobility. |
| Did Saul keep his promise? | Commentators note that Saul did not immediately fulfill the offer: he later gave David his daughter Michal (1 Samuel 18:27) but required additional conditions. | Some argue Saul never intended to honor the full promise (riches, tax exemption) and used it only to manipulate; others see partial fulfillment despite his growing hostility. |
| The nature of David's motivation | Scholars agree David's primary stated motive is defense of God's honor, not the reward. | Some note that David did inquire about the reward (v.26, 27), so he was aware of it; others stress his rhetorical focus on 'the reproach' and 'the armies of the living God' as evidence his concern is fundamentally different from the soldiers'. |
Historical & Cultural Context
This verse occurs in the Valley of Elah, around 1020 BC, during a standoff between Israel and the Philistines. The Philistine champion Goliath has issued a challenge for forty days (v.16), and the Israelite army is paralyzed with fear (v.24). Saul, the first king of Israel, is in a weakened position: his disobedience has cost him divine favor (1 Samuel 15), and his troops are demoralized. Offering a reward, riches, marriage to a princess, and tax exemption, was a common ancient Near Eastern practice to spur warriors to act. The phrase “make his father’s house free in Israel” reflects a semi-feudal system where subject families owed the crown labor and tribute. Exempting a household from these obligations would grant it significant economic freedom and social prestige. The irony of the passage is thick: the king offers earthly rewards, but no one in the camp can earn them. David arrives as a shepherd boy, unimpressed by the reward, and his first recorded question is about what will be done for the man who “takes away the reproach from Israel” (v.26). The historical context underscores the gap between human incentive structures and the kind of courage that trusts in God. The army sees only a giant; David sees an uncircumcised Philistine defying the living God.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for this verse. The Hebrew is stable across manuscripts. The main interpretive question concerns the meaning of “free in Israel,” a matter of semantics and context rather than textual corruption.
Reception History
This verse has been read in church history as an illustration of the inadequacy of worldly incentives compared to the call of God. Early Christian interpreters, such as Origen and Augustine, saw in David a type of Christ who conquers not for earthly reward but for the salvation of his people. The promise of exemption from taxes was sometimes compared to the believer's freedom from the law (Galatians 5:1). Medieval exegesis often moralized the passage: the soldier's reward points to temporal blessings, while the true reward for spiritual warfare is eternal. In the Reformation era, Luther used this text to contrast faith and works, the soldiers relied on the king's promise, but David relied on the living God. Modern conservative scholarship focuses on the historical context of Israelite taxation and kingship.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The king’s reward system. Saul offers riches, a royal marriage, and exemption from taxes, everything a soldier might want. Yet the offer only exposes the army's fear: no one steps forward.
- What “free in Israel” really meant. The Hebrew word chophshi points to freedom from slavery and from the king’s imposing economic demands. This was a life-changing promise, but it failed to motivate anyone except the one who saw a higher calling.
- A different kind of motivation. David hears the reward but asks instead about “taking away the reproach.” His courage flows from zeal for God’s honor, not from earthly gain.
Five-point outline
- Context: fear and helplessness (vv. 24, 25).
- The prize: riches, bride, tax exemption.
- The problem: no one qualifies because no one is willing.
- The contrast: David’s first response, concern for God’s reputation (v.26).
- The lesson: God’s servants are motivated by a cause greater than personal benefit.
Illustration hooks
- A workplace “bounty” for a difficult task, like a bonus for landing a big client. The offer is generous, but only a person driven by purpose (not just money) steps up.
- A family freedom from debt: how being “tax-free” would change everything. It mirrors the gospel’s offer of freedom from sin’s debt, but here it’s temporary and earned by violence.
- Motivational contrast: an athlete who plays for a contract vs. one who plays for the love of the game and the team. David is playing for the team of the living God.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why would Saul offer such extravagant rewards but never fight Goliath himself?
- Did Saul actually keep his promise to David later on?
- What does “free in Israel” mean for us today, is it just historical, or does it picture spiritual freedom?
Leading a Discussion
The men of Israel can recite the details of the reward, yet they are still afraid. This passage invites us to look at what moves us to act, and what keeps us stuck. Use these questions to explore the gap between human incentives and the courage that comes from faith.
Discussion questions
- Read 1 Samuel 17:25. What stands out to you about the reward Saul offers?
- Why do you think the soldiers are more impressed by the king’s promise than by the giant’s threat? Which has more power over them?
- The phrase “free in Israel” meant exemption from taxes and forced labor. How would that kind of freedom change a family in ancient Israel? In what ways do we long for similar freedom today?
- Compare verse 25 with verse 26. What is different about David’s question? What does his choice of words (“reproach,” “the living God”) tell us about his heart?
- In what areas of your life are you more motivated by rewards than by a desire to honor God? How could you shift that focus?
- How does the New Testament use the idea of “overcoming” with promises (e.g., Revelation 2, 3) in ways that parallel or invert Saul’s rewards?
- What “giant” in your life might God be calling you to face, not for personal gain but for His glory?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Joshua 15:16 | Caleb said, “He who strikes Kiriath Sepher, and takes it, to him I will give Achsah my daughter as wife.” |
| I Samuel 18:17 | Saul said to David, “Behold, my elder daughter Merab. I will give her to you as wife. Only be valiant for me, and fight Yahweh’s battles.” For Saul said, “Don’t let my hand be on him, but let the hand of the Philistines be on him.” |
| I Samuel 18:27 | David arose and went, he and his men, and killed two hundred men of the Philistines. Then David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full number to the king, that he might be the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave him Michal his daughter as wife. |
| Ezra 7:24 | Also we inform you that it shall not be lawful to impose tribute, custom, or toll on any of the priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, temple servants, or laborers of this house of God. |
| Matthew 17:26 | Peter said to him, “From strangers.” Jesus said to him, “Therefore the children are exempt. |
| Revelation of John 2:7 | He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of my God. |
| Revelation of John 2:17 | He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies. To him who overcomes, to him I will give of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows but he who receives it. |
| Revelation of John 3:5 | He who overcomes will be arrayed in white garments, and I will in no way blot his name out of the book of life, and I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes highlights that the word "free" usually means freedom from slavery in the Old Testament, but here it carries a different sense: freedom from the heavy burdens and services a king imposes, as described in the previous chapter.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Cambridge Bible notes that Saul's promise to give his daughter to whoever kills Goliath echoes Caleb's earlier offer. Yet Saul procrastinated on fulfilling it and added more conditions. The phrase "make his father's house free" likely means exemption from royal taxes and personal service.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Note highlights the public outcry among Israel's men as they recognize Goliath's taunts as a direct insult against the entire nation. It also records the extraordinary royal reward offered to anyone who would kill him: great riches, the king's daughter in marriage, and tax-free status for his family.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill highlights that the Israelites spoke boldly about the rewards for killing Goliath, yet none volunteered themselves. He connects the king's offer of his daughter to a similar promise made by Caleb, and notes the Targum interprets "free in Israel" as being raised to nobility.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB explains that this phrase means the family would be permanently exempt from the taxes, forced labor, and public obligations that normally fell on all Israelites. It was a grant of special privilege, setting this household apart from the general population.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange reads the David and Goliath combat as a symbolic clash between the godly and the antigodly. David, armed only with trust in the living God, represents humble reliance on divine power, while Goliath embodies pride that trusts in human strength. The victory displays that the battle belongs entirely to the Lord.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry highlights the providential timing: David arrives at the camp just as Goliath steps forward to issue his challenge, so that David hears the giant's words firsthand. The youngest son, sent as a simple messenger with food for his brothers, is positioned by God to witness the very crisis he will soon face.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley identifies freedom specifically as exemption from the demands of both civil government and military service. The freedom he highlights is not abstract but concrete: being released from the tributes and charges that the court and the camp would normally require.