1 Samuel 16

Translator Notes

1. The verb me'astiv ('I have rejected him') uses the root m-'-s, the same word used in 15:23 and 15:26 for Saul's rejection — this is a completed divine verdict, not a process still underway. The phrase mimmelokh al-Yisra'el ('from reigning over Israel') specifies that the rejection is functional, not personal — Saul is rejected as king, though he remains alive and on the throne. Malle qarnekha shemen ('fill your horn with oil') refers to the ram's horn flask used for sacred anointing oil; this is the same instrument Samuel used to anoint Saul (10:1, though there a flask/pakh was used — the horn here may signal greater permanence). The phrase Beit-halLachmi ('the Bethlehemite') identifies Jesse by his town — Bethlehem, literally 'house of bread,' in the tribal territory of Judah. The verb ra'iti ('I have seen/chosen') carries the sense of divine selection through seeing: God has surveyed and chosen.

Translator Notes

1. Samuel's fear is striking — the prophet who anointed Saul and pronounced divine judgment on him (chapter 15) is now afraid of him. The verb vaharagani ('he will kill me') is direct and unhedged: Samuel genuinely believes Saul would murder him for anointing a rival. God's response is not to dismiss the danger but to provide cover: eglat baqar tiqqach beyadekha ('take a heifer/young cow in your hand'). This is not a lie — Samuel will actually sacrifice — but it is a deliberate concealment of his primary mission. The verb lizbo'ach ('to sacrifice') provides legitimate reason for a prophetic visit to a town. The text presents God himself authorizing strategic concealment, a detail that has generated extensive discussion in Jewish and Christian interpretation.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The verb qara'ta ('you will call/invite') means to summon Jesse as a participant in the sacrificial meal — a normal social-religious function that arouses no suspicion. The phrase anokhi odi'akha ('I myself will make known to you') uses the emphatic first-person pronoun anokhi, stressing that God will personally direct the selection — Samuel is not to choose on his own. The verb umashachta ('you will anoint') introduces the key action of the chapter: mashach, to smear with oil as an act of consecration and divine appointment. The phrase li ('for me') makes the anointing explicitly for God's purposes, not for Israel's request — a contrast with Saul's anointing, which responded to the people's demand for a king (8:5-6).

Translator Notes

1. The verb vayyecherdu ('they trembled') from the root ch-r-d describes physical trembling from fear or alarm. The elders of Bethlehem are terrified by Samuel's arrival — a prophet's unannounced visit to a small town could mean divine judgment. Samuel's reputation as the one who pronounced doom on Saul's dynasty and personally executed Agag (15:33) precedes him. Their question shalom bo'ekha ('is your coming peace?') is literally 'peace is your coming?' — an anxious inquiry about whether he brings blessing or catastrophe. The same root ch-r-d describes Isaac's trembling when he realized he had blessed the wrong son (Genesis 27:33).

Translator Notes

1. Samuel's answer shalom ('peace') directly answers the elders' fear. The command hitqaddesh ('consecrate yourselves') requires ritual purification — washing, abstaining from sexual contact, and other preparations for approaching the sacred. The Hitpael verb form indicates reflexive action: they must purify themselves. Samuel then personally consecrates (vayyqaddesh) Jesse and his sons using the Piel intensive, indicating a more active, direct consecration by the prophet himself. The separate consecration of Jesse's family singles them out from the rest of the town — Samuel is creating the conditions for the private anointing within the public sacrificial gathering.

Translator Notes

1. The verb vayyar ('he saw') begins the theme of seeing that dominates this passage — Samuel sees Eliab and immediately draws a conclusion based on appearance. The name Eliab means 'my God is father.' Samuel's internal declaration akh neged YHWH meshicho ('surely before the LORD is his anointed') reveals that the prophet himself is making the same mistake the people made with Saul — judging by external appearance. The word meshicho ('his anointed') uses the same root mashach that God just commanded Samuel to perform, but Samuel is jumping ahead of divine instruction, selecting by sight rather than waiting for God's direction.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The verb tabbet ('look at, gaze at') from n-b-t implies focused, evaluative looking — not a casual glance but the kind of assessment one makes when sizing up a candidate. Mar'ehu ('his appearance') and govah qomato ('the height of his stature') are the two criteria Samuel is using, both external. The verb me'astihu ('I have rejected him') uses the same root m-'-s applied to Saul in verse 1 — Eliab is rejected by the same verb. The word la'einayim ('at the eyes,' meaning 'at what is visible, the outward appearance') uses the dual form of ayin ('eye'). The word lallevav ('at the heart') uses the form levav rather than the shorter lev — both mean 'heart' in the sense of the inner person, the seat of will and moral orientation. The contrast is not between superficiality and depth but between human cognitive limitations and divine omniscience.

Translator Notes

1. The verb vayya'avirehu ('he made him pass before') uses the Hiphil of '-v-r, suggesting a formal presentation — Jesse is parading his sons before the prophet like candidates being reviewed. The name Abinadab means 'my father is generous/noble.' Samuel's declaration gam-bazeh lo-vachar YHWH ('also in this one the LORD has not chosen') uses the verb bachar ('to choose, to elect'), the standard term for divine election. The word gam ('also, even') links this rejection to Eliab's — the same verdict, the same divine refusal. Samuel has now learned to wait for God's indication rather than jump to his own conclusion.

Translator Notes

1. The name Shammah (Shammah) may derive from the root sh-m-m ('to be desolate, astonished'). The repetitive formula gam-bazeh lo-vachar YHWH ('the LORD has not chosen this one either') builds narrative tension through its very monotony — son after son is rejected, and the reader begins to wonder whether any of Jesse's sons will be selected. The three-fold rejection of named sons (Eliab, Abinadab, Shammah) before the unnamed four creates a sevenfold refusal that heightens the drama of David's eventual selection.

Translator Notes

1. The phrase shiv'at banav ('seven of his sons') summarizes the parade of candidates. There is a text-critical question here: if Eliab, Abinadab, and Shammah are three of the seven, then four additional sons passed unnamed. Yet 1 Chronicles 2:13-16 lists only seven sons of Jesse total (with David as the seventh), while this passage implies eight (seven rejected plus David). The discrepancy may reflect different traditions about Jesse's family, or Chronicles may count differently. Samuel's declaration lo-vachar YHWH ba'elleh ('the LORD has not chosen among these') uses the preposition be- with the demonstrative 'elleh ('these'), sweeping all seven into a single rejection.

Translator Notes

1. The verb hatammu ('are they finished/complete?') from t-m-m asks whether all the young men have been presented. The word hanne'arim ('the youths/young men') is a general term for sons of military or marriageable age. Jesse's answer od sha'ar haqqatan ('there still remains the smallest/youngest') uses sha'ar ('to remain, be left over') — David is literally the leftover son. The participle ro'eh batson ('tending the sheep') establishes David's occupation as a shepherd, which becomes theologically loaded throughout his story. Samuel's command lo-nassov ('we will not go around' or 'we will not recline [at the meal]') may mean either 'we will not sit in a circle for the sacrificial meal' or 'we will not proceed' — either way, everything stops until David arrives.

Translator Notes

1. The adjective admoni ('ruddy, reddish') describes a reddish complexion or reddish hair — the same word describes Esau (Genesis 25:25). The phrase yefeh einayim ('beautiful of eyes') and tov ro'i ('good of appearance, handsome to look at') describe David's physical attractiveness. The irony is potent: after God has just declared that he does not look at outward appearance (v7), the narrator lavishes attention on David's looks. The text does not resolve this tension — David is both handsome and chosen for his heart. God's command qum meshachehu ('arise, anoint him') uses the imperative with urgency. The phrase ki-zeh hu ('for this is he') is strikingly brief and absolute — no explanation, no criteria listed, just divine identification.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The phrase qeren hashemen ('the horn of oil') refers to the ram's horn container holding the sacred anointing oil. The verb vayyimshach ('he anointed') is the Qal of mashach — the act that gives David the status of mashiach ('anointed one'). The phrase beqerev echav ('in the midst of his brothers') means the anointing was witnessed by the family, though its full significance may not have been understood by them. The verb vatitslach ('rushed upon') from ts-l-ch describes violent, sudden onset of the Spirit — the same word used for the Spirit coming on Samson (Judges 14:6) and on Saul (1 Samuel 10:6, 11:6). The phrase mehayyom hahu vama'lah ('from that day and upward') indicates permanent duration — unlike the episodic Spirit-empowerment of the judges. Samuel's departure to Ramah (haRamatah, with directional he) closes the anointing scene abruptly.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The verb sarah ('departed, turned aside') from s-w-r indicates the Spirit's active withdrawal — it did not fade but left. The preposition me'im ('from with') suggests the Spirit had been dwelling alongside Saul and has now removed itself. The verb bi'attattu ('terrified/tormented him') from the root b-'-t appears in the Piel intensive, indicating repeated or intense action — this is ongoing torment, not a single episode. The phrase ruach ra'ah ('evil/harmful spirit') uses ra'ah, which can mean morally evil, harmful, injurious, or calamitous. The phrase me'et YHWH ('from the LORD') uses the preposition me'et indicating origin or source — the spirit comes from God's own presence or by God's own sending. The Septuagint translates this as pneuma poneron para kuriou ('an evil spirit from the Lord'), preserving the divine source without softening it.

Translator Notes

1. The servants use ruach Elohim ra'ah ('a harmful spirit of God') rather than ruach YHWH ra'ah — switching from the covenant name YHWH (used by the narrator in v14) to the generic Elohim ('God'). This may reflect the servants' outsider perspective: they observe the phenomenon but use the general term for deity rather than Israel's covenant name. The participle meva'ittekha ('is terrifying you') from b-'-t in the Piel indicates ongoing, visible symptoms — the servants can see that Saul is being tormented. They diagnose the cause as divine, which presupposes a worldview where spiritual affliction is recognized as coming from God. Their willingness to name it openly to the king suggests the symptoms are severe and undeniable.

Translator Notes

1. The phrase yode'a menaggen bakkinnor ('one who knows how to play the lyre') describes musical competence. The kinnor is a stringed instrument — not a harp in the modern sense but a lyre, a smaller instrument held in the arms and plucked. The verb menaggen ('to play a stringed instrument') from n-g-n appears throughout the David narratives. The servants' proposal assumes that music can counteract spiritual affliction — a belief attested in ancient Near Eastern therapeutic texts. The phrase vetov lakh ('and it will be good for you') promises relief, using the simple adjective tov ('good') for wellbeing. The servants' prescription — music as therapy for divine affliction — creates the narrative mechanism by which David enters Saul's court.

Translator Notes

1. The verb re'u ('see, look for') from r-'-h is ironic given the chapter's emphasis on seeing: Saul tells his servants to 'see' a musician for him, while God has told Samuel that divine seeing operates on entirely different criteria (v7). The participle metiv lenaggen ('one who excels at playing') uses the Hiphil of y-t-v ('to make good, to do well') with the infinitive of n-g-n ('to play') — literally 'one who makes playing good,' i.e., a skilled musician. Saul's command is simple and direct, with no awareness that the musician who will be brought is the very person anointed to replace him.

Translator Notes

1. The phrase gibbor chayil ('mighty man of valor') is a military-social title denoting both fighting ability and social standing. The phrase ish milchamah ('man of war') indicates combat experience or readiness — surprising for a youth but possibly reflecting David's known courage. Nevon davar ('discerning of word/matter') can mean either 'prudent in affairs/matters' or 'articulate in speech' — both senses may be intended. Ish to'ar ('man of form') describes physical attractiveness. The climactic phrase vaYHWH immo ('and the LORD is with him') is the narrator's theological assessment placed on a servant's lips — the most important credential, saved for last. This phrase will become a refrain in David's story (18:12, 14, 28).

Translator Notes

1. Saul sends mal'akhim ('messengers') — a formal, royal summons, not a casual request. The identification asher batson ('who is with the sheep') reduces David to his current occupation: the shepherd boy. This is how Saul understands David — a talented musician who tends sheep. The dramatic irony is severe: the king is summoning his own replacement, identifying him by the very occupation (shepherd) that will become the metaphor for ideal kingship in Israel. David is named by name here for the first time in Saul's mouth.

Translator Notes

1. Jesse sends gifts with David — a donkey-load of bread (chamor lechem, literally 'a donkey of bread,' meaning a donkey's load), a skin of wine (no'd yayin), and a young goat (gedi izzim). These are tribute gifts appropriate from a subject to a king: sustenance provisions that acknowledge Saul's authority and express gratitude for the honor of the summons. The quantity is modest — Jesse is not wealthy. The gifts also function as the social protocol for placing one's son in royal service: you do not send your son empty-handed to the king.

Translator Notes

1. The phrase vayya'amod lefanav ('he stood before him') is the standard idiom for entering someone's service or standing in attendance — it indicates a formal relationship of service, not a casual visit. The verb vayye'ehavehu ('he loved him') from '-h-v with the adverb me'od ('greatly, deeply') describes intense personal affection. This love — Saul's genuine attachment to David — makes the later hatred and jealousy all the more tragic. The phrase nose' kelim ('bearer of weapons/equipment') designates David as Saul's personal armor-bearer, a position of close physical proximity and trust. The armor-bearer carried the king's weapons and fought alongside him. David's first role in Saul's household is thus both intimate and military.

Translator Notes

1. The phrase ya'amod-na David lefanai ('let David stand before me') is a formal request to retain David permanently in royal service — Saul is asking Jesse's permission to keep his son at court. The phrase matsa chen be'einai ('he has found favor in my eyes') is a standard idiom for gaining someone's approval and goodwill. The same phrase is used of Noah before God (Genesis 6:8), of Joseph before Potiphar (Genesis 39:4), and of Ruth before Boaz (Ruth 2:10). Saul's use of it here indicates genuine warmth and satisfaction with David. The irony is layered: David has found favor in Saul's eyes, but God has already looked past eyes to the heart (v7).

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The construction vehayah biheyot ('and it would happen when') indicates repeated, habitual action — this was a regular occurrence, not a one-time event. The phrase ruach Elohim ('spirit of God') appears here without ra'ah ('harmful'), though the context makes clear this is the tormenting spirit. David takes et-hakkinnor ('the lyre') and veniggen beyado ('played with his hand'). The verb veravach ('he found relief') from r-v-ch means literally 'it became wide/spacious for him' — the opposite of the constriction of anguish. It describes a psychological opening, a release of pressure. The phrase vetov lo ('and it was good for him') echoes the servants' prediction in verse 16. The closing phrase vesarah me'alav ruach hara'ah ('and the harmful spirit turned aside from upon him') uses the same verb sarah ('departed') from verse 14, creating a literary bracket: the Spirit of the LORD sarah from Saul, and now the harmful spirit sarah from Saul when David plays.