David had a long friendship with Saul. From a young age. "David came to Saul, and stood before him. and he had great love for him, and he became his armor bearer." (1 Sam. 16:21) He also served as a court musician for Saul. (1 Sam. 16:23) After David famously killed Goliath on the battlefield, in the view of king Saul and all of Israel, he became a great hero. Saul offered David his own armor, but it was too heavy for him. (1 Sam. 17:38-51) Therefore, David fought Goliath with a sling, wearing only the clothes of a shepherd.
But after all this, Saul is said to be ignorant of David's identity. After the killing of Goliath, he says to his general Abner, "whose young son is this?" And Abner said, “By your life, O king, I do not know.” (1 Sam. 17:55) Remarkable! David had lived with King Saul for years, as a close personal attendant. We are even told that Saul “had great love” for David but now we are told that Saul did not recognize him. Not only this, but Abner, an advisor to the king, does not recognize him either. This is not figurative speech, the text continues, that when David returned, Saul said to him, "Whose son are you, young man?" (1 Sam. 17:58)
In the Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament, 1 Samuel 17:12-31, and 55, and chapter 18 verse 5 are all missing. Gone. This contradiction does not exist in the Septuagint because many of these stories are simply omitted!
The original compiler of 1 Samuel was working with multiple different historical sources for the life of David, and put them together without regard for editing out the contradictory details. One or more of these sources depict a close relationship between Saul and David before the death of Goliath, while another portrays the two as meeting for the first time after the death of Goliath.
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