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.

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.