Bible Gateway passage: 1 Samuel 16 - New King James Version (2024)

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David Anointed King A Distressing Spirit Troubles Saul FAQs

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Listen to 1 Samuel 16

David Anointed King

16Now the Lord said to Samuel, (A)“How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? (B)Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to (C)Jesse the Bethlehemite. For (D)I have [a]provided Myself a king among his sons.”

2And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.”

But the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you, and say, (E)‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; you shall anoint for Me the one I name to you.”

4So Samuel did what the Lord said, and went to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town (F)trembled at his coming, and said, (G)“Do you come peaceably?”

5And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. (H)Sanctify[b] yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons, and invited them to the sacrifice.

6So it was, when they came, that he looked at (I)Eliab and (J)said, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him!”

7But the Lord said to Samuel, (K)“Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have [c]refused him. (L)For[d] the Lord does not see as man sees; for man (M)looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the (N)heart.”

8So Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 9Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 10Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” 11And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all the young men here?” Then he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the (O)sheep.”

And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him. For we will not [e]sit down till he comes here.” 12So he sent and brought him in. Now he was (P)ruddy, (Q)with [f]bright eyes, and good-looking. (R)And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!” 13Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and (S)the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah.

A Distressing Spirit Troubles Saul

14(T)But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and (U)a distressing spirit from the Lord troubled him. 15And Saul’s servants said to him, “Surely, a distressing spirit from God is troubling you. 16Let our master now command your servants, who are before you, to seek out a man who is a skillful player on the harp. And it shall be that he will (V)play it with his hand when the [g]distressing spirit from God is upon you, and you shall be well.”

17So Saul said to his servants, [h]“Provide me now a man who can play well, and bring him to me.”

18Then one of the servants answered and said, “Look, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and (W)the Lord is with him.”

19Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse, and said, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.” 20And Jesse (X)took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine, and a young goat, and sent them by his son David to Saul. 21So David came to Saul and (Y)stood before him. And he loved him greatly, and he became his armorbearer. 22Then Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Please let David stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight.” 23And so it was, whenever the spirit from God was upon Saul, that David would take a harp and play it with his hand. Then Saul would become refreshed and well, and the distressing spirit would depart from him.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 16:1 Lit. seen
  2. 1 Samuel 16:5 Consecrate
  3. 1 Samuel 16:7 rejected
  4. 1 Samuel 16:7 LXX For God does not see as man sees; Tg. It is not by the appearance of a man; Vg. Nor do I judge according to the looks of a man
  5. 1 Samuel 16:11 So with LXX, Vg.; MT turn around; Tg., Syr. turn away
  6. 1 Samuel 16:12 Lit. beautiful
  7. 1 Samuel 16:16 Lit. evil
  8. 1 Samuel 16:17 Lit. Look now for a man for me

Cross references

  1. 1 Samuel 16:1 : 1 Sam. 15:23, 35
  2. 1 Samuel 16:1 : 1 Sam. 9:16; 10:1; 2 Kin. 9:1
  3. 1 Samuel 16:1 : Ruth 4:18–22
  4. 1 Samuel 16:1 : Ps. 78:70, 71; Acts 13:22
  5. 1 Samuel 16:2 : 1 Sam. 9:12
  6. 1 Samuel 16:4 : 1 Sam. 21:1
  7. 1 Samuel 16:4 : 1 Kin. 2:13; 2 Kin. 9:22
  8. 1 Samuel 16:5 : Gen. 35:2; Ex. 19:10
  9. 1 Samuel 16:6 : 1 Sam. 17:13, 28
  10. 1 Samuel 16:6 : 1 Kin. 12:26
  11. 1 Samuel 16:7 : Ps. 147:10
  12. 1 Samuel 16:7 : Is. 55:8, 9
  13. 1 Samuel 16:7 : 2 Cor. 10:7
  14. 1 Samuel 16:7 : 1 Kin. 8:39
  15. 1 Samuel 16:11 : 2 Sam. 7:8; Ps. 78:70–72
  16. 1 Samuel 16:12 : 1 Sam. 17:42
  17. 1 Samuel 16:12 : Gen. 39:6; Ex. 2:2; Acts 7:20
  18. 1 Samuel 16:12 : 1 Sam. 9:17
  19. 1 Samuel 16:13 : Num. 27:18; 1 Sam. 10:6, 9, 10
  20. 1 Samuel 16:14 : Judg. 16:20; 1 Sam. 11:6; 18:12; 28:15
  21. 1 Samuel 16:14 : Judg. 9:23; 1 Sam. 16:15, 16; 18:10; 19:9; 1 Kin. 22:19–22
  22. 1 Samuel 16:16 : 1 Sam. 18:10; 19:9; 2 Kin. 3:15
  23. 1 Samuel 16:18 : 1 Sam. 3:19; 18:12, 14
  24. 1 Samuel 16:20 : 1 Sam. 10:4, 27; Prov. 18:16
  25. 1 Samuel 16:21 : Gen. 41:46; Prov. 22:29
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New King James Version (NKJV)

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Bible Gateway passage: 1 Samuel 16 - New King James Version (1)

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Bible Gateway passage: 1 Samuel 16 - New King James Version (2024)

FAQs

What is the main point of 1 Samuel 16? ›

Samuel is commanded to go and anoint the next king, who will be the Messiah for his people and the type of the Messiah who became the King of kings and the Lord of lords. But, like so much of the subsequent story of God's campaign, this one is filled with surprises. God is always doing things in ways we do not expect.

Keep Reading ›
What is the lesson learned from 1 Samuel 16:1-13? ›

It signals that God has “seen” the people's need even before they are aware of it. As God had done in the past, God was again venturing out ahead of the people, authoring the scroll of their story before it had yet been unrolled. God's guidance is usually not as discernable in the moment as it is in hindsight.

Find Out More ›
What is the lesson of 1 Samuel 16 and 17? ›

Here, God reveals that He wants you to trust that He is in control, even in times of sorrow. Second, Samuel feared for his safety in going to anoint a new king. God responded by providing a way to protect him. From this, God reveals that He wants you to have faith that where He guides He provides.

Know More ›
Who anointed David to be king? ›

Young David, shepherd boy of Israel, had a cause. And this cause was emphasized when Samuel, the Lord's prophet, anointed David to be a future king of Israel. Throughout his early life, David stayed close to the Lord.

See More ›
What is the greatest lesson of the book of Samuel? ›

Samuel became both a great leader to the Israelites and a prophet of God. Through this Bible story, the children learn that they are not too young to be used by God and that they must listen carefully when God speaks, because he communicates in many ways.

View More ›
What is one truth we can learn from Samuel? ›

Correct answer: (c) Our ability to recognize the Lord's voice can grow. (See 1 Samuel 3:4–10.) “If we are willing and receptive, we can grow in our ability to recognize the voice of the Lord” (Old Testament Seminary Teacher Manual [Church Educational System manual, 2015], 295).

Read The Full Story ›
What does 1 Samuel 16:7 teach us? ›

But God tells Samuel that he sees differently than we do. Our view is necessarily limited by our finitude, background, culture, personal history, and time and place. God does not see things in this way: the Lord looks not on the outward appearance, but on the heart (16:7).

See More ›
What is the object lesson of 1 Samuel 16 7? ›

Listen to God's Word, "for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7). What is really wonderful is when a person is healthy and right on the inside. Such inner health and rightness will show forth on the outside as well.

Get More Info Here ›
What is the meaning of 1 Samuel 16:23? ›

God solidifies His rejection of Saul as king over Israel by removing His Spirit from him and sending a tormenting spirit upon the king. After David had been anointed by Samuel, the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD terrorized him.

See Details ›
What are the three types of anointing? ›

Description
  • The Anointing for Salvation.
  • The Priestly Anointing for Ministry.
  • The Kingly Anointing for Dominion.

Find Out More ›

Why did God send Samuel to anoint David? ›

Saul was allowed to rule for as long as he lived, but God planned to have another man ready to become king after Saul died. God told Samuel to go to Bethlehem and anoint one of Jesse's sons as the next king. The official way that a person was shown to be chosen by God was to be anointed.

Explore More ›
How many wives did King David have? ›

8 wives: 18+ children, including: According to Jewish works such as the Seder Olam Rabbah, Seder Olam Zutta, and Sefer ha-Qabbalah (all written over a thousand years later), David ascended the throne as the king of Judah in 885 BCE.

Read More ›
What is the key message in the story of Samuel? ›

The book of 1 Samuel focuses on three characters: Samuel, Saul, and David. A poem near the start of the book reveals the book's key themes: God's opposition to the proud, exultation of the humble, faithfulness in spite of evil, and the promise of a messianic king.

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What does Spurgeon say about 1 Samuel 16? ›

1 Samuel 16:12

Brethren, it is neither your task nor mine to guess who are God's elect, apart from marks and evidences. What was done in the councils of eternity before the world was made is hidden in the mind of God, and we must not curiously intrude where the door is closed by the hand of wisdom.

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