Commentators describe the Philistine's advance not just as a slow walk due to heavy armor, but as a deliberate, prideful display. John Gill points to Goliath's 'haughty air,' while Matthew Henry identifies this as the 'complacency and presumption' of a fool. The presence of a shield-bearer marching before him completes this picture of worldly power and arrogance, setting the stage for a divine reversal.