(1.) Heb. hanith, a lance, from its flexibility (1 Sam. 18:10, 11; 19:9, 10; 20:33).
(2.) Heb. romah, a lance for heavy-armed troops, so called from its piercing (Num. 25:7). (See ARMS.)
Javelin
Saul sat in his house with a javelin in his hand while David played for him. Twice the king hurled it, meaning to pin David to the wall, and twice David slipped away. Every verse tied to this word comes from that short stretch of 1 Samuel, where the writer says “the evil spirit from the LORD was upon Saul.” It is an unsettling scene: a king whose fear of a younger man turned to violence, and a young man who kept his place and got out alive. To see it in full, read 1 Samuel 18 and 19 together.
3 verses
1 Samuel
1 Samuel 18:11
And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall with it. And David avoided out of his presence twice.
1 Samuel 19:9
And the evil spirit from the LORD was upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his javelin in his hand: and David played with his hand.
1 Samuel 19:10
And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the javelin; but he slipped away out of Saul's presence, and he smote the javelin into the wall: and David fled, and escaped that night.
From Easton's Bible Dictionary
Matthew George Easton, 1897