Who are the ones who said, "We have no power this day against Goliath and his hosts"?

Imām Ibn al-Jawzī (d. 597/1201) summarized the scholars' opinions in his book "Zād al-Masīr" as follows:

1. It was those who drank more than a scoop; they turned back and did not witness the battle, and they were people of doubt and hypocrisy. [Ibn ʿAbbās, al-Suddī]
2. It was those among the believers whose insight was limited. [al-Ḥasan, Qatādah, Ibn Zayd]
3. It was said by those who crossed the river with Saul, but they were speaking to one another when they saw their small numbers. This is the opinion favoured by al-Zajjāj.