The three older sons of Jesse had followed Saul into battle: The firstborn was Eliab, the second was Abinadab, and the third was Shammah.
For forty days the armies faced each other, neither moving, while Goliath bellowed his challenge twice daily and grew proud in his defiance, and Israel grew timid in theirs. God was ripening him for ruin and preparing to make Israel's rescue shine the brighter. All this time David kept his father's sheep, content in obscurity after his service at court, until Providence set him in the field to seize the laurel no other Israelite dared reach for.
AI summary
Commenting on 1 Samuel 17:12-30
And the three eldest sons of Jesse went and followed Saul to the battle,.... Either of their own accord, or rather at their father's motion, or however with his knowledge and consent, who because he could not go himself, willed them to go; and these were forward, and some of the foremost that followed Saul to the battle, being zealous and well disposed to defend...
1Sa 17:12-15 1Sa 17:12-15 are closely connected with the preceding words, “All Israel was alarmed at the challenge of the Philistine; but David the son of that Ephratite (Ephratite, as in Rth 1:1-2) of Bethlehem in Judah, whose name was Jesse,” etc. The verb and predicate do not follow till 1Sa 17:15; so that the words occur here in the form of an anacolouthon.
Commenting on 1 Samuel 17:12-15