1 Samuel16
English Standard Version
Tap any underlined word for the original Hebrew or Greek.
1 The Lord to , will you over , since I have him being ? your with , and . I will you to the , I have for myself a among his .
2 And , can I ? If it, he will me. And the Lord , a with and , I have to to the Lord.
3 And to the , and I will you you shall . And you shall for me him I to you.
4 what the Lord and to . The of the came to him and , Do you ?
5 And he , ; I have to to the Lord. yourselves, and with me to the . And he and his and them to the .
6 When they , he on and , the Lord ’s is him.
7 But the Lord to , Do on his or on the of his , I have him. the Lord sees as : on the , but the Lord on the .
8 Then and . And he , has the Lord one.
9 Then made . And he , has the Lord one.
10 And made of his . And to , The Lord has .
11 Then to , Are your here? And he , There the , but , he is the . And to , and him, we will he .
12 And he and . Now he was and and was . And the Lord , , him, is he.
13 Then the of and him in the of his . And the of the Lord upon that . And and to .
14 Now the of the Lord from , and a from the Lord him.
15 And to him, , a from is you.
16 Let our your who are you to a who is in the , and when the from is you, he will it, and you will be .
17 So to his , for me a who and him to me.
18 of the , , I have a of the , who is in , a of , a of , in , and a of , and the Lord is him.
19 Therefore to and , me your , is with the .
20 And a laden with and a of and them his to .
21 And to and his . And Saul him , and he became his .
22 And to , , Let in my , he has in my .
23 And whenever the harmful from was upon , the and it with his . So was and was , and the from him.
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1 Samuel 16Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for 1 Samuel 16. The full AI study guide (summary, themes, context) has its own page.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: Samuel sent to Bethlehem to Jesse. (1–5). David is anointed. (6–13). Saul troubled with an evil spirit, is quieted by David. (14–23).
vv1-5
It appears that Saul was grown very wicked. Of what would he not be guilty, who durst think to kill Samuel? The elders of Bethlehem trembled at Samuel's coming. It becomes us to stand in awe of God's messengers, and to tremble at his word. His answer was, I come peaceably, for I come to sacrifice. When our Lord Jesus came into the world, though men had reason to fear that his errand was to condemn the world, yet he gave full assurance that he came peaceably, for he came to sacrifice, and he brought his offering with him; A body hast thou prepared me. Let us sanctify ourselves, and depend upon His sacrifice.
vv6-13
It was strange that Samuel, who had been so disappointed in Saul, whose countenance and stature recommended him, should judge of another man by that rule. We can tell how men look, but God can tell what they are. He judges of men by the heart. We often form a mistaken judgment of characters; but the Lord values only the faith, fear, and love, which are planted in the heart, beyond human discernment. And God does not favour our children according to our fond partiality, but often most honours and blesses those who have been least regarded. David at length was pitched upon. He was the youngest of the sons of Jesse; his name signifies Beloved; he was a type of God's beloved Son. It should seem, David was least set by of all the sons of Jesse. But the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. His anointing was not an empty ceremony, a Divine power went with that instituted sign; he found himself advanced in wisdom and courage, with all the qualifications of a prince, though not advanced in his outward circumstances. This would satisfy him that his election was of God. The best evidence of our being predestinated to the kingdom of glory, is, our being sealed with the Spirit of promise, and experience of a work of grace in our hearts.
vv14-23
Saul is made a terror to himself. The Spirit of the Lord departed from him. If God and his grace do not rule us, sin and Satan will have possession of us. The devil, by the Divine permission, troubled and terrified Saul, by the corrupt humours of his body, and passions of his mind. He grew fretful, peevish, and discontented, and at times a madman. It is a pity that music, which may be serviceable to the good temper of the mind, should ever be abused, to support vanity and luxury, and made an occasion of drawing the heart from God and serious things. That is driving away the good Spirit, not the evil spirit. Music, diversions, company, or business, have for a time often been employed to quiet the wounded conscience; but nothing can effect a real cure but the blood of Christ, applied in faith, and the sanctifying Spirit sealing the pardon, by his holy comforts. All other plans to dispel religious melancholy are sure to add to distress, either in this world or the next.
Key Words
אָמַר: to say (used with great latitude)
שְׁמוּאֵל: Shemuel, the name of three Israelites
מָה: properly, interrogative what? (including how? why? when?); but also exclamation, what! (including how!), or indefinitely what (including whatever, and even relatively, that which); often used with prefixes in various adverbial or conjunctive senses
עַד: as far (or long, or much) as, whether of space (even unto) or time (during, while, until) or degree (equally with)
אָבַל: to bewail
שָׁאוּל: Shaul, the name of an Edomite and two Israelites
מָאַס: to spurn; also (intransitively) to disappear
מִן: properly, a part of; hence (prepositionally), from or out of in many senses
מָלַךְ: to reign; inceptively, to ascend the throne; causatively, to induct into royalty; hence (by implication) to take counsel
עַל: above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
Cross References
1 Samuel 16Paul explains God's rejection of Saul and choice of David to fulfill His will.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Genesis prophetic blessing assigning the kingly scepter to David's tribe of Judah.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Direct textual link explaining the context of Samuel's ongoing mourning for Saul.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Direct poetic reflection on God choosing David from the sheepfolds to shepherd Israel.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Parallel inauguration action where Samuel previously anointed Saul with a horn of oil.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
The standard ritual of sanctification required before approaching a holy sacrifice.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Contrasts Saul's towering height, which pleased men, with God's internal standard.
Supported by JFB
David's instruction to Solomon echoing that the Lord searches all hearts.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The immediate manifestation of Saul being troubled by the evil spirit from God.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Identifies Bethlehem as the city of David, highlighting the lineage of Christ.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Illustrates legitimate prophet fear of being put to death by a rejected king.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Genealogical record confirming Eliab as Jesse's firstborn son.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Another historical instance of a minstrel playing to stir the hand of God.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Corroborates David's movement between feeding his father's sheep and Saul's court.
Supported by JFB