Bible Study 1 Samuel 16
‹ 1 Samuel

1 Samuel 16 · WEB

Samuel Anoints David

Listen — WEB narration 0:00 / 0:00 Narration: World English Bible (David Williams), public domain — AudioTreasure.

Tap a verse to copy it, open the Hebrew, or write a note.

Yahweh said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for 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 provided a king for myself among his sons."
2Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me." Yahweh said, "Take a heifer with you and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to Yahweh.'
3Call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. You shall anoint to me him whom I name to you."
4Samuel did that which Yahweh spoke, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, "Do you come peaceably?"
5He said, "Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to Yahweh. Sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." He sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.
6When they had come, he looked at Eliab and said, "Surely Yahweh's anointed is before him."
7But Yahweh said to Samuel, "Don't look on his face, or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for I see not as man sees. For man looks at the outward appearance, but Yahweh looks at the heart."
8Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. He said, "Yahweh hasn't chosen this one either."
9Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. He said, "Yahweh hasn't chosen this one either."
10Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. Samuel said to Jesse, "Yahweh hasn't chosen these."
11Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your children here?" He said, "There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he is keeping the sheep." Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and get him; for we will not sit down until he comes here."
12He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. Yahweh said, "Arise, anoint him; for this is he."
13Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the middle of his brothers; and the Spirit of Yahweh came mightily on David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.
14Now the Spirit of Yahweh departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from Yahweh troubled him.
15Saul's servants said to him, "See now, an evil spirit from God is troubling you.
16Let our lord now command your servants who are before you to seek out a man who is a skillful player on the harp. Then when the evil spirit from God is on you, he will play with his hand, and you will be well."
17Saul said to his servants, "Provide me now a man who can play well, and bring him to me."
18Then one of the young men answered and said, "Behold, 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 Yahweh is with him."
19Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, "Send me David your son, who is with the sheep."
20Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a bottle of wine, and a young goat, and sent them by David his son to Saul.
21David came to Saul and stood before him. He loved him greatly; and he became his armor bearer.
22Saul sent to Jesse, saying, "Please let David stand before me; for he has found favor in my sight."
23Whenever the evil spirit from God was on Saul, David took the harp and played with his hand; so Saul was refreshed and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.
✶

Summary

God redirects Samuel from mourning Saul to anointing a new king among the sons of Jesse in Bethlehem. One by one Jesse's sons pass before Samuel, and God repeatedly passes them by, declaring that he looks at the heart rather than outward appearance. The forgotten youngest son, David — out tending sheep — is brought in and immediately anointed. The Spirit of God comes upon David while departing from Saul, and by a providential turn, David enters Saul's court as a harpist to soothe Saul's troubled spirit.

Themes

  • God's criteria for leadership: the heart, not outward appearance or birth order
  • The Spirit of God as the source of kingship and calling
  • Divine providence — God orchestrating circumstances to position his chosen person
  • The contrast between the rising David and the declining Saul

Key verses

  • 1 Sam 16:13 — “The Spirit of Yahweh came mightily on David from that day forward.”
  • 1 Sam 16:14 — “The Spirit of Yahweh departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from Yahweh troubled him.”
  • 1 Sam 16:7 — “Man looks at the outward appearance, but Yahweh looks at the heart.”

Context & background

Bethlehem (modern Beit Lahm in the West Bank, about 9 km south of Jerusalem) was a small village in Judah — the tribal homeland of Jesse's family. Samuel's fear of Saul's reaction was well-founded, as anointing a rival king would be viewed as treason. The act of anointing with oil was the formal ceremony conferring royal appointment. The "evil spirit from Yahweh" that troubled Saul is understood in the ancient Near Eastern worldview as God withdrawing his protective Spirit, leaving Saul vulnerable to spiritual distress. David's entry into Saul's court as harpist is deeply ironic — the man chosen to replace Saul now serves at his side.

Cross-references

  • 1 Cor 1:27-29 — God chooses the lowly and overlooked to shame the strong, as he did with David.
  • 1 Sam 13:14 — God had already spoken of finding "a man after his own heart" to replace Saul.
  • Acts 13:22 — Paul quotes God's selection of David as "a man after my own heart."
  • Isa 11:2 — The Spirit of Yahweh resting on a future king from the root of Jesse — a messianic echo of this anointing.
  • Ps 78:70-72 — Celebrates God taking David from the sheepfold to shepherd Israel.

Check your reading

Log in to take the quiz and save your progress.

  1. Observe

    How many of Jesse's sons passed before Samuel before David was called, and what was David doing when Samuel arrived?

  2. Observe

    What happened to Saul immediately after David was anointed, and how did David enter Saul's service?

  3. Interpret

    What does God's statement "Yahweh looks at the heart" (v. 7) primarily teach about divine evaluation?

  4. Interpret

    What theological point is made by placing David's anointing and Saul's loss of the Spirit side by side?

  5. Apply

    How should believers respond when, like David, they feel overlooked or forgotten by those in authority?

  6. Apply

    What does God's looking on the heart suggest believers should prioritize in their own lives?

Your journal

Write your own answers — they save automatically, and only you can see them.

Log in to write and save journal answers.

Apply (How does it apply to me?)

Personal notes (anything else about this chapter)