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1 Samuel 16

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Samuel Sent to Anoint a New King 1–5

1
And Jehovah said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from being king over Israel? fill thy horn with oil, and go: I will send thee to Jesse the Beth-lehemite; for I have provided me a king among his sons. ​
2
And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And Jehovah said, Take a heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to Jehovah. ​
3
And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee.
4
And Samuel did that which Jehovah spake, and came to Beth-lehem. And the elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, Comest thou peaceably?
5
And he said, Peaceably; I am come to sacrifice unto Jehovah: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.

God Chooses David, the Youngest 6–13

6
And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely Jehovah’s anointed is before him. ​
7
But Jehovah said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have rejected him: for Jehovah seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but Jehovah looketh on the heart. ​
8
Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath Jehovah chosen this.
9
Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither hath Jehovah chosen this.
10
And Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Jehovah hath not chosen these.
11
And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he is keeping the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him; for we will not sit down till he come hither.
12
And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look upon. And Jehovah said, Arise, anoint him; for this is he.
13
Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of Jehovah came mightily upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah. ​

David Enters Saul's Service 14–23

14
Now the Spirit of Jehovah departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from Jehovah troubled him. ​
15
And Saul’s servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee.
16
Let our lord now command thy servants, that are before thee, to seek out a man who is a skilful player on the harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well.
17
And Saul said unto his servants, Provide me now a man that can play well, and bring him to me.
18
Then answered one of the young men, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Beth-lehemite, that is skilful in playing, and a mighty man of valor, and a man of war, and prudent in speech, and a comely person; and Jehovah is with him. ​
19
Wherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said, Send me David thy son, who is with the sheep.
20
And Jesse took an ass laden with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid, and sent them by David his son unto Saul.
21
And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he became his armorbearer.
22
And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he hath found favor in my sight.
23
And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took the harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for 1 Samuel 16

Verse 1

I have provided me a king — 'Provided' is raah, to see, so the LORD says he has 'seen' a king among Jesse's sons; the verb returns for what Samuel and man 'see' in v.7. 'Mourn' is abal, as in 1 Sam 15:35, and 'rejected' is maas, as in 1 Sam 15:23. Jesse is the son of Obed (Ruth 4:22), and Bethlehem is where the ruler of Israel is to come forth (Mic 5:2).

Verse 2

How can I go? — Samuel states his fear plainly: 'if Saul hear it, he will kill me'. The LORD does not remove the danger but gives him a task he can openly speak of, 'Take an heifer… and say, I am come to sacrifice to the LORD'. Jesse is then called 'to the sacrifice' (v.3), and the one to anoint is named to Samuel there.

Verse 6

the LORD'S anointed — Samuel's phrase is mashiach, the word later used of Saul himself: 'the LORD'S anointed' (1 Sam 24:6). Eliab is the eldest (1 Sam 17:28). When Saul was chosen, he stood 'higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward' (1 Sam 10:23), and the LORD's answer in v.7 speaks of 'the height of his stature'.

Verse 7

the LORD looketh on the heart — 'Refused' is maas, the verb used of Saul as 'rejected' in v.1. 'Outward appearance' is literally 'the eyes', what meets the sight. The LORD 'searcheth all hearts' (1 Chr 28:9), and the disciples prayed, 'Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men' (Acts 1:24), when they had to choose between two men.

Verse 13

the Spirit of the LORD came upon David — The verb is tsalach, the same used of the Spirit upon Saul (1 Sam 10:6, 10; 11:6). The oil is in a horn, as with Solomon later (1 Kgs 1:39), where Saul had been anointed from a vial (1 Sam 10:1). The anointing is 'in the midst of his brethren', and the Spirit comes 'from that day forward'.

Verse 14

an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him — The Spirit who 'came upon' Saul (1 Sam 10:6; 11:6) now 'departed' (sur), as the LORD is said to have 'departed from Saul' in 1 Sam 18:12. 'Troubled' is baath, to terrify. An evil spirit sent by God is also in Judg 9:23, 'God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem'.

Verse 18

the LORD is with him — The servant lists David's skill on the harp, valour, war, discernment and appearance, and ends with the LORD's presence. The same is said as the story goes on: 'David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the LORD was with him' (1 Sam 18:14), and 'the LORD God of hosts was with him' (2 Sam 5:10). 'I have seen' is raah, as in v.1.

Verse 23

Saul was refreshed — Ravach means to breathe freely, and is from the same root as ruach, spirit or breath. David plays the harp with his hand, and the evil spirit departs. David is later called 'the sweet psalmist of Israel' (2 Sam 23:1).