1 Samuel 16:1

Samuel Anoints David as King

16:1 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long do you intend to mourn for Saul? I have rejected him as king over Israel. ¹  Fill your horn with olive oil and go! I am sending you to Jesse in Bethlehem, ²  for I have selected a king for myself from among his sons.” ³ 

1 Samuel 16:4

16:4 Samuel did what the Lord told him. ⁴  When he arrived in Bethlehem, ⁵  the elders of the city were afraid to meet him. They ⁶  said, “Do you come in peace?”

1 Samuel 16:11-13

16:11 Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Is that all of the young men?” Jesse ⁷  replied, “There is still the youngest one, but he’s taking care of the flock.” Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we cannot turn our attention to other things until he comes here.”

16:12 So Jesse had him brought in. ⁸  Now he was ruddy, with attractive eyes and a handsome appearance. The Lord said, “Go and anoint him. This is the one!” 16:13 So Samuel took the horn full of olive oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers. The Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day onward. Then Samuel got up and went to Ramah.

1 Samuel 16:18

16:18 One of his attendants replied, ⁹  “I have seen a son of Jesse in Bethlehem ¹⁰  who knows how to play the lyre. He is a brave warrior ¹¹  and is articulate ¹²  and handsome, ¹³  for the Lord is with him.”

[16:1]  ¹ tc The Lucianic recension of the Old Greek translation includes the following words: “And the Lord said to Samuel.”

[16:1]  ² map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[16:1]  ³ tn Heb “for I have seen among his sons for me a king.”

[16:4]  ⁴ tn Heb “said.”

[16:4]  ⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[16:4]  ⁶ tc In the MT the verb is singular (“he said”), but the translation follows many medieval Hebrew mss and ancient versions in reading the plural (“they said”).

[16:11]  ⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jesse) has been specified in the translation both here and in v. 12 for clarity.

[16:12]  ⁸ tn Heb “and he sent and brought him.”

[16:18]  ⁹ tn Heb “answered and said.”

[16:18]  ¹⁰ map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[16:18]  ¹¹ tn Heb “mighty man of valor and a man of war.”

[16:18]  ¹² tn Heb “discerning of word.”

[16:18]  ¹³ tn Heb “a man of form.”