|  Home  |  Old Testament Studies  |  1 Samuel Table of Contents  |  Previous Section  |  Next Section  |

1 SAMUEL 16

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

READING CYCLE THREE (see "Bible Interpretation Seminar")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects. Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

1. First paragraph
2. Second paragraph
3. Etc.

CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS

1. There are three accounts of the anointing of David.
   1. first before his family (and possibly village) ‒ 1 Samuel 16
   2. second before his tribe (Judah) at Hebron ‒ 2 Sam. 2:4
   3. third before all Israel ‒ 2 Sam. 5:3
   
   
2. There are two accounts of how David first met Saul.
   1. here ‒ summoned to help Saul with his mental illness by playing music; becomes Saul's armor bearer
   2. 1 Samuel 17 ‒ appears on the scene of battle with food for his brothers and hears Goliath's challenge
   3. see Hard Sayings of the Bible, "Why Did Saul Ask David's Identity?" pp. 213-214

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 16:1-5
  ¹Now the Lord said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have selected a king for Myself among his sons." ²But Samuel said, "How can I go? When Saul hears of it, he will kill me." And the Lord said, "Take a heifer with you and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.' ³You shall invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for Me the one whom I designate to you." ⁴So Samuel did what the Lord said, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and said, "Do you come in peace?" ⁵He said, "In peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." He also consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

16:1 YHWH revealed Himself to humans in several ways.

1. direct revelation (i.e., Adam, Cain, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, etc.)
2. dreams (Joseph)
3. visions (Ezekiel and Daniel)
4. Urim and Thummim (priests)
5. His acts and their interpretation

Samuel, like the Patriarchs, had a direct encounter with YHWH.

SPECIAL TOPIC: INSPIRATION

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE BIBLE (ITS UNIQUENESS AND INSPIRATION)

▣ "How long will you grieve over Saul" Samuel informed Saul of YHWH's displeasure (i.e., Saul acting as priest, 1 Sam. 13:8-14). YHWH informed Samuel of Saul's rejection in 1 Sam. 13:14; 15:22.

In my mind it is uncertain from these examples if Samuel was

1. displeased with Saul's actions (1 Sam. 13:13-14)
2. displeased with YHWH's actions (1 Sam. 15:35)
3. both

▣ "I have selected a king" Israel is not a democracy but a theocracy. YHWH's sovereignty is clearly seen, both in this phrase and v. 3c (i.e., "the one who I designate").

16:2-3 It seems Samuel is afraid of Saul. Apparently his irrational mood swings had already started.

Does it surprise you that YHWH used a subterfuge? See Hard Sayings of the Bible, "Is Deception Ever Justifiable?" pp. 138-139, 210-211 (and Gleason Archer, Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties, pp. 175-178).

16:2 "heifer" This referred to a young female cow which had not yet had a calf. Heifers were never used for burnt offerings or sin offerings (NIDOTTE, vol. 3, p. 320), so this must have been a peace offering and involved a communal meal.

SPECIAL TOPIC: PEACE OFFERING

16:3 "anoint" See SPECIAL TOPIC: ANOINTING IN THE BIBLE

16:4 I am surprised that a visit by Samuel caused the elders of Bethlehem fear, unless they thought he was on an errand from Saul.

The REB changes the root, "trembling" to an Arabic root meaning "in haste" (see UBS Handbook, p. 336).

The NIDOTTE, vol. 2, p. 264, #1, suggests the Hebrew root denotes a fear associated with bad news (i.e., Gen. 27:33; 42:28; 1 Kgs. 1:49; Amos 3:6).

16:5 "Consecrate yourselves" This is a Hiphil IMPERATIVE (BDB 872, KB 1073). It denotes a purification ritual whereby someone or something is set apart for God's unique use (cf. Exod. 19:9-15).

1. firstborn of humans and animals ‒ Exodus 13
2. Israel before receiving the Ten Commandments ‒ Exod. 19:9-15
3. priests
   1. High Priest ‒ Exod. 28:3,41; 40:13
   2. priests ‒ Exod. 29:1,33,44; Josh. 7:13
4. elders and people of Bethlehem (esp. Jesse and his family) ‒ here
5. Israelites under Joshua ‒ Josh. 7:13
6. the temple ‒ 1 Kgs. 8:64

SPECIAL TOPIC: HOLY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 16:6-11
  ⁶When they entered, he looked at Eliab and thought, "Surely the Lord's anointed is before Him." ⁷But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." ⁸Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, "The Lord has not chosen this one either." ⁹Next Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, "The Lord has not chosen this one either." ¹⁰Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, "The Lord has not chosen these." ¹¹And Samuel said to Jesse, "Are these all the children?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he is tending the sheep." Then Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here."

16:6-7 Samuel thought the tall, handsome one (i.e., like Saul) was surely to be the new king, but not so!

YHWH looks at the heart (cf. 1 Sam. 2:3; 1 Kgs. 8:39; 1 Chr. 28:9; Ps. 7:9; 11:4-5; 17:3; 26:1-2; 139:23; Prov. 16:2; 21:2; 24:12; Jer. 11:20; 17:10; 20:12; Luke 16:15; Acts 1:24; 15:8; Rom. 8:27; Rev. 2:23). Nothing is hidden from the Creator!

16:8-10 "The Lord has not chosen" This verb in Qal PERFECT (BDB 103, KB 119) is repeated three times in these verses for emphasis. YHWH is sovereign. He has a plan.

1. to fulfill prophecy ‒ Gen. 49:10
2. to redeem mankind ‒ see SPECIAL TOPIC: YHWH'S ETERNAL REDEMPTIVE PLAN

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 16:12-13
  ¹²So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And the Lord said, "Arise, anoint him; for this is he." ¹³Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah.

16:12 Notice the description of young David.

1. ruddy (BDB 10, "red," 1 Sam. 17:42 reddish skin, like Esau, Gen. 25:25)
   1. skin
   2. cheeks
   3. hair
2. beautiful eyes (or emendation, "a youth," cf. 1 Sam. 17:56, JB, NAB)
3. handsome (cf. 1 Sam. 16:18)

Joesphus (Antiq. 6.8.1) describes David as "one that is perfectly comely in that respect; I mean one who is beautiful in piety, and righteousness, and fortitude, and obedience, for in them consist the comeliness of the soul. . .he appeared to be of a yellow complexion, of a sharp sight, and a comely person in other respects also."

16:13-14 The special empowering and equipping of YHWH's special servant is first described of Saul in 1 Sam. 10:6,9,10. Saul is now rejected. This special presence of YHWH is now transferred to David. In its place "an evil spirit from the Lord terrorized him" (cf. vv. 15,16; 18:10; 19:9).

Saul transitions from a shy, caring person into a paranoid, fearful person who was already on the way of cooperating with evil.

I do not think this is demon possession but an OT way of asserting YHWH as the only causality (i.e., 2 Chr. 20:6; Eccl. 7:14; Isa. 14:24-27; 43:13; 45:7; 54:16; Jer. 18:11; Lam. 3:33-38; Amos 3:6).

The term "spirit" here should not be viewed as the Holy Spirit in the NT sense.

SPECIAL TOPIC: SPIRIT IN THE BIBLE

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE DEMONIC (OT)

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 16:14-23
  ¹⁴Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord terrorized him. ¹⁵Saul's servants then said to him, "Behold now, an evil spirit from God is terrorizing you. ¹⁶Let our lord now command your servants who are before you. Let them seek a man who is a skillful player on the harp; and it shall come about when the evil spirit from God is on you, that he shall play the harp with his hand, and you will be well." ¹⁷So Saul said to his servants, "Provide for me now a man who can play well and bring him to me." ¹⁸Then one of the young men said, "Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is a skillful musician, a mighty man of valor, a warrior, one prudent in speech, and a handsome man; and the Lord is with him." ¹⁹So Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, "Send me your son David who is with the flock." ²⁰Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread and a jug of wine and a young goat, and sent them to Saul by David his son. ²¹Then David came to Saul and attended him; and Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor bearer. ²²Saul sent to Jesse, saying, "Let David now stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight." ²³So it came about whenever the evil spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the harp and play it with his hand; and Saul would be refreshed and be well, and the evil spirit would depart from him.

16:16,23 It is surprising to me that music calmed Saul, but this was an ANE and Greek thought (cf. 1 Sam. 10:5). Music could summon a good spirit or help with an evil spirit. Obviously this is mental illness, not an evil spirit. At this point in my discussion of Saul's illness, let me reaffirm my belief in the demonic. I wish we had more biblical information on this subject. For me a helpful book to help separate physical illness from spiritual issues is Kurt E. Koch, Christian Counseling and Occultism.

There is an evil spirit (i.e., 1 Kgs. 22:19-22) but Satan does not fit in this theological context. Saul is responsible for his own mental state! This state is expressed in ANE terms (cf. 1 Sam. 16:23).

SPECIAL TOPIC: ANGELS AND DEMONS

16:18 Here is another description of David.

1. skillful musician
2. a mighty man of valor (see note at 1 Sam. 9:1)
3. a warrior (one wonders if #2 and #3 both have a military connotation or if they refer to David's actions in protecting Jesse's flock, cf. 1 Sam. 17:33-37)
4. prudent in speech
5. handsome
6. the Lord was with him (cf. 1 Sam. 18:12,14; 2 Sam. 5:10; as He was with Samuel, 1 Sam. 3:19)

16:20 The people of Israel provided the supplies for Saul and his army. Here, Jesse sent

1. an ass loaded with bread
2. a skin of wine
3. a kid (young goat)

The UBS Text Project, p. 183, gives "ass" a "B" rating (some doubt).

1. ass ‒ חמור (BDB 331)
2. five ‒ חמשׁ (BDB 331)
3. homer ‒ חמר (BDB 330)

This term (BDB 609) refers to a leather bag for holding liquids. Often it was made from goat/sheep skin. They could be

1. the whole skin
2. smaller, in the shape of a stomach

16:21-22 Saul loved David and put him in places of leadership (i.e., armor bearer).

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

1. Why did Samuel grieve?
2. What does "to consecrate yourselves" mean?
3. Why is 1 Sam. 16:7 so theologically significant?
4. Does God have "an evil spirit"?
5. Was Saul demon possessed or mentally ill?
6. How can 1 Sam. 16:21 be reconciled with 1 Sam. 17:31-40?

|  Home  |  Old Testament Studies  |  1 Samuel Table of Contents  |  Previous Section  |  Next Section  |