And as he was talking with them, behold, the champion came up, Goliath the Philistine, from the ranks of the Philistines, and spoke according to the same words, and David heard — Goliath's appearance is timed to the moment of David's arrival, a narrative synchronicity suggesting divine orchestration. The repetition of his taunt (*ve'dabar ke'mikhtat ha'devarim ha'hem*, he spoke according to the same words) emphasizes the ritualized nature of his mockery; like a mechanism wound daily, his defiance plays out without variation or reflection. David's hearing (*va'yishma' David*) is not accidental but prepared for; he alone among the assembled warriors seems to listen not with fear but with discernment.

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