And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid.
When the men of Israel saw Goliath they fled from him in great fear, and none would come forward to fight him. Their terror was caused by his imposing size and appearance and by his defiant challenge, which filled the whole army with dread at the very sight of him. He repeated that defiance day after day for forty days, yet still no one dared to answer him.
Their flight reflected lost trust in God after their transgressions, leaving them paralyzed, unable to trust Saul to lead them or to expect God to deliver them. That fearful flight sets the scene for David's contrasting trust in God rather than in human strength. The encounter also explains a later danger, for because David had slain the Philistine champion Goliath, he was recognized and endangered when he later sought refuge among the Philistines.
When the men of Israel saw Goliath they fled from him in great fear, and none would come forward to fight him. Their terror was caused by his imposing size and appearance and by his defiant challenge, which filled the whole army with dread at the very sight of him. He repeated that defiance day after day for forty days, yet still no one dared to answer him.
Their flight reflected lost trust in God after their transgressions, leaving them paralyzed, unable to trust Saul to lead them or to expect God to deliver them. That fearful flight sets the scene for David's contrasting trust in God rather than in human strength. The encounter also explains a later danger, for because David had slain the Philistine champion Goliath, he was recognized and endangered when he later sought refuge among the Philistines.