1 Samuel 17:15

David went and returned. It is not clear whether this refers to David’s attendance at court to play and sing for Saul, or to repeated trips to and from the Israelite camp to carry food. The fact that the statement occurs in the context of the Goliath narrative would seem to imply the latter explanation. David may have been a member of the supply train to provide food for the men at the front. On the other hand, vs. 13-15 may explain why David — already placed at the court of Saul according to the preceding chapter (ch. 16:19-23) — was now at home rather than with Saul. The author of 1 Samuel perhaps felt it necessary to explain this fact for his readers, and did so by stating that David was not permanently attached to Saul’s court but appeared there only occasionally. The author notes further that David was but a youth (ch. 17:14, 42, 56), in contrast to his older brothers, who “followed Saul” (v. 14).

Commentators are not agreed as to whether this engagement with the Philistines occurred before or after David went to court to play for Saul (ch. 16:18-23). The fact that Saul later did not recognize David (ch. 17:55-58), together with the repetitions of the names of his brothers in ch. 17:13, 14 (see ch. 16:6-11), rather indicates that the sequence of these chapters could be reversed without encountering any serious chronological difficulty. Many times the Bible carries one thought or account on to its conclusion before returning to take up another thread of argument or narrative, in order to make each unit complete in itself (see on Gen. 25:19; 27:1; 35:29; Ex. 16:33, 35; 18:25). If such be the case here, the statement of Saul’s courtier concerning David as “a mighty valiant man, and a man of war” (1 Sam. 16:18) would appear more meaningful. On the other hand, if David had already slain Goliath, the speaker would probably have referred to him as the great national hero (ch. 18:5-9). But if David had already distinguished himself as the victor over Goliath, would Saul have needed to be told who David was? Furthermore, from the time David slew Goliath, “Saul took him . . ., and would let him go no more home to his father’s house” (ch. 18:2; cf. PP 649). Yet when Saul sent to Jesse for David to play and sing at court he referred to David as “thy son, which is with the sheep” (ch. 16:19), and even at the beginning of the Goliath narrative David was tending sheep at Bethlehem (ch. 17:15). See also on chs. 17:55; 18:1.