Teks -- 1 Samuel 17:7 (NET)

17:7 The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and the iron point of his spear weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer was walking before him.

Tafsiran/Catatan -- Catatan Kata/Frasa (per frasa)

Wesley: 1Sa 17:7 - Beam

On which the weavers fasten their web. It was like this for thickness. And though the whole weight of Goliath's armour may seem prodigious; yet it is not so much by far as one Athanatus did manage: of whom Pliny relates, That he saw him come into the theatre with arms weighing twelve thousand ounces.

Wesley: 1Sa 17:7 - A shield

Probably for state: for he that was clad in brass, little needed a shield.

JFB: 1Sa 17:4-11 - a champion

Hebrew, a "man between two"; that is, a person who, on the part of his own people, undertook to determine the national quarrel by engaging in single combat with a chosen warrior in the hostile army.

JFB: 1Sa 17:7 - staff of his spear

Rather under five feet long, and capable of being used as a javelin (1Sa 19:10). It had an iron head.

JFB: 1Sa 17:7 - one bearing a shield

In consequence of their great size and weight, the Oriental warrior had a trusty and skilful friend, whose office it was to bear the large shield behind which he avoided the missile weapons of the enemy. He was covered, cap-a-pie, with defensive armor, while he had only two offensive weapons--a sword by his side and a spear in his hand.

Clarke: 1Sa 17:7 - The staff on his spear was like a weaver’ s beam

The staff on his spear was like a weaver’ s beam - Either like that on which the warp is rolled, or that on which the cloth is rolled. We know not how thick this was, because there were several sorts of looms, and the sizes of the beams very dissimilar. Our woollen, linen, cotton, and silk looms are all different in the size of their beams; and I have seen several that I should not suppose too thick, though they might be too short, for Goliath’ s spear

Clarke: 1Sa 17:7 - His spear’ s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron

His spear’ s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron - That is, his spear’ s head was of iron, and it weighed six hundred shekels; this, according to the former computation, would amount to eighteen pounds twelve ounces

Clarke: 1Sa 17:7 - And one bearing a shield

And one bearing a shield - הצנה hatstsinnah , from צן tsan , pointed or penetrating, if it do not mean some kind of a lance, must mean a shield, with what is called the umbo , a sharp protuberance, in the middle, with which they could as effectually annoy their enemies as defend themselves. Many of the old Highland targets were made with a projecting dagger in the center. Taking the proportions of things unknown to those known, the armor of Goliath is supposed to have weighed not less than two hundred and seventy-two pounds thirteen ounces! Plutarch informs us that the ordinary weight of a soldier’ s panoply, or complete armor, was one talent, or sixty pounds; and that one Alcimus, in the army of Demetrius, was considered as a prodigy, because his panoply weighed two talents, or one hundred and twenty pounds.

TSK: 1Sa 17:7 - the staff

the staff : 2Sa 21:19; 1Ch 11:23, 1Ch 20:5

Tafsiran/Catatan -- Catatan Kata/Frasa (per Ayat)

Poole: 1Sa 17:7 - A weaver’ s beam

A weaver’ s beam on which the weavers fasten their web. It was like this for thickness; and for length, that he omits, as easy to be collected by proportion to the rest. And though the whole weight of Goliath’ s armour may seem prodigious, yet it is not so much by far as one Athanatus did manage; of whom Pliny relates, that he saw him come into the theatre with arms weighing 12,000 ounces.

Haydock: 1Sa 17:7 - Beam // Bearer

Beam, which was of a very different construction from ours. Hostius concludes, that all the armour of Goliath must have weighed 272 pounds and 13 ounces, including the buckler and spear which his armour-bearer carried before him. Plutarch allows a talent, or 60 pounds, for the usual weight of a soldier's armour. Alcimus was remarked in the army of Demetrius, for having double that weight. ---

Bearer. Hebrew, "one bearing a shield," or whose office it was to carry it, or any other part of the armour, when required. It would appear singular that the giant should have two bucklers, though David seems to specify two sorts, Psalm xxxiv. 2. This attendant might carry a large one, which would cover most part of the body, and was of service when a person had not to remove far from his place of battle. The buckler of Ajax was like a tower, and consisted of seven hides, covered with a plate of brass. (Homer, Iliad Greek: Z ) (Calmet)

Gill: 1Sa 17:7 - And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam // and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron // and one bearing a shield went before him

And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam,.... The wooden part of it, held in the hand; this for thickness was like the beam in the weaver's loom, about which the warp, or else the web, is rolled; and it is conjectured that, in proportion to the stature of Goliath, his spear must be twenty six feet long, since Hector's in Homer ^m was eleven cubits, or sixteen feet and a half:

and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron; the iron part of the spear, the point of it, which has its name in Hebrew from a flame of fire, because when brandished it looks shining and flaming; and being the weight of six hundred shekels, amounted to eighteen pounds and three quarters of avoirdupois weight, and the whole spear is supposed to weigh thirty seven pounds and a half; and the whole of this man's armour is thought to weigh two hundred and seventy two pounds, thirteen ounces ⁿ; which was a prodigious weight for a man to carry, and go into battle with; and one may well wonder how he could be able with such a weight about him to move and lay about in an engagement; though this is nothing in comparison of the weight some men have carried. Pliny ^o tells us that he saw one Athanatus come into the theatre clothed with a leaden breastplate of five hundred pounds weight, and shod with buskins of the same weight:

and one bearing a shield went before him; which when engaged in battle he held in his own hand, and his sword in the other; the former was reckoned at thirty pounds, and the latter at four pounds, one ounce; though one would think he had no occasion for a shield, being so well covered with armour all over; so that the carrying of it before him might be only a matter of form and state. His spear is the only piece of armour that was of iron, all the rest were of brass; and Hesiod ^p, writing of the brazen age, says, their arms and their houses were all of brass, for then there was no iron; and so Lucretius ^q affirms that the use of brass was before iron; but both are mentioned together; see Gill on Gen 4:22, hence Mars is called χαλχεος αρης ^r.