שמואל א, פרק י״ז, פסוק נ׳

The confrontation between the young shepherd and the giant warrior reaches its climax, highlighting an immense gap in their weapons. David’s triumph is a testament to extraordinary bravery and a great miracle, as he manages to overpower a terrifying, fully armored tyrant using nothing more than his basic shepherd's equipment [מלבי״ם, מצודת דוד].

The exact method of the attack involves a dynamic sequence of events. One perspective suggests a relentless assault, where David continuously strikes the Philistine with his sling and additional stones until the giant finally collapses [אברבנאל]. Another view breaks the combat into distinct stages based on distance. While still far away, David launches a stone using his sling. Then, as he closes the gap and stands over the warrior, he strikes him directly with a stone held in his bare hand, no longer using the sling [רד״ק].

While David successfully strikes and defeats his opponent, a crucial detail is that he does not actually possess a sword. This addresses the physical reality of the giant's condition. The impact of the stone delivers a fatal wound that guarantees death, making it accurate to consider the giant killed, even though the Philistine technically still has a fleeting breath of life left in him [מלבי״ם]. Pointing out the absence of a sword explains David's practical limitation at that exact moment. Without a blade of his own, he lacks the tool needed to sever his enemy's head and bring the kill to a definitive and final close [מצודת דוד].