Commentaire de citation sur Samuel 1 17:4

“For it is the Lord your God that goes with you”--they come [relying] upon the might of flesh and blood, but you come [relying] upon the might of the Omnipresent. The Philistines came [relying] upon the power of Goliath (I Samuel 17:4 ff.), but what happened to him in the end? In the end he fell by the sword and they fell with him. The Ammonites came [relying] upon the power of Shobach (II Samuel 10:16-18), but what happened to him in the end? In the end he fell by the sword and they fell with him. But with you it is otherwise, “For it is the Lord your God is that goes with you” this refers to the camp of the ark. In the final part of his speech the priest points out that God is going out to battle with Israel. The mishnah uses this to contrast Israel with their enemies. Israel’s enemies come out brandishing their physical power, exemplified by Goliah and Shobah. Both of these great warriors were struck down by David whose power was not based on his physical strength but on the fact that God was with him. This reminds us of Zechariah 4:6, “No by might, nor by power, but by My spirit, said the Lord of Hosts.” As a final note, the mishnah relates that the ark was brought out to war with Israel as a tangent symbol of the fact that God is fighting with them.

“Naomi had a kinsman on her husband’s side” [2:1]. One can ask about this verse, why does it say, “and his name was Boaz” [2:1]. Normally we find “Goliath was his name” [I Samuel, 17:4] or “Naval was his name” [I Samuel, 25:25]. However, we find concerning evildoers that their name always comes first, when we find “Goliath was his name” or “Naval was his name.” We find concerning the righteous that the name is written last. We find concerning Mordecai “his name was Mordecai” [Esther, 2:5], “his name was Elkanah” [I Samuel, 1:1] and “his name was Boaz.” This because he compares the righteous to the Creator of the world, as it says concerning God, blessed be He, “And my name YHVH, I did not make known” [Exodus, 6:3]. Here also, the name is written last. First the word “and his name” is written and afterwards YHVH.⁴³Ruth Rabbah, 4.3.

a man’s cubit i.e., a normal man’s cubit — thus indicating that he was twice an ordinary man’s size (it is implausible that Scripture meant his own cubit, because then Scripture would be telling us nothing about his size — and moreover, it would imply that he was not at all shaped like a human being).

אנשי מדות MEN OF GREAT STATURE (lit., of measure) — tall and high men, in speaking of whom one feels compelled to give their size, as is stated, for instance, with reference to Goliath (I Samuel 17:4): “his height was six cubits and a span” . Similar to this phrase are: (II Samuel 21:20) “a man of great stature"; (I Chronicles 11:23) “a man of great stature.