The verbs looked and saw, like the two verbs in the previous verse, may at first sound redundant. But they also heighten the dramatic effect of the story. Goliath could hardly believe what he saw at first glance. When he had a chance to see clearly who was coming toward him, he reacted with contempt.

The verb here translated disdained is elsewhere rendered by the English verb “despise” (2.30 and 10.27). The idea is that of considering worthless or regarding with contempt. It is possible to translate “made fun of” (Contemporary English Version) or “despised” (Moffatt).

The conjunction for introduces the reason for Goliath’s contempt for David. He did not consider the attractive young boy a worthy opponent.

Ruddy and comely in appearance: see the comments on 16.12.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .