1 Samuel 16:4

4 Y Samuel hizo como le dijo el SEÑOR; y cuando él llegó a Belén, los ancianos de la ciudad le salieron a recibir con miedo, y dijeron: ¿Es pacífica tu venida

1 Samuel 16:4 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 16:4

And Samuel did that which the Lord spake
He filled a horn of oil, and took an heifer with him:

and came to Bethlehem;
where Jesse and his family lived, which, according to Bunting ^F25, was sixteen miles from Ramah; though it could hardly be so much, since Ramah was six miles from Jerusalem on one side, as Bethlehem lay six miles from it on the other ^F26;

and the elders of the town trembled at his coming;
for he being now an old man, and seldom went abroad, they concluded it must be something very extraordinary that brought him thither; and they might fear that as he was a prophet of the Lord, that he was come to reprove them, or denounce some judgment upon them for their sins. The Targum is,

``the elders of the city gathered together to meet him;''

out of respect and in honour to him, and to the same sense Jarchi's note is,

``they hasted to go out to meet him'';

see ( Hosea 11:11 )

and, said comest thou peaceably?
the word "said" is singular; one of the elders put this question, the chiefest of them, perhaps Jesse; and the meaning of it is, whether he came with ill news and bad tidings, or as displeased with them himself on some account or another; or with a message from God, as displeased with them; or whether he came there for his own peace and safety, to be sheltered from Saul; and which, if that was the case, might not be for their peace and good; but would draw upon them the wrath and vengeance of Saul; for they doubtless knew that there was a variance, at least a shyness, between Saul and Samuel.

---

FOOTNOTES:

F25 Travels of the Patriarchs p. 125.
F26 Vid. Hieron. de loc. Heb. fol. 89. F. & 94. B.

1 Samuel 16:4 In-Context

2 Y dijo Samuel: ¿Cómo iré? Si Saúl lo entendiere, me matará. El SEÑOR respondió: Toma contigo una becerra, y di: A sacrificar al SEÑOR he venido

3 Y llama a Jessé al sacrificio, y yo te enseñaré lo que has de hacer; y me ungirás al que yo te dijere

4 Y Samuel hizo como le dijo el SEÑOR; y cuando él llegó a Belén, los ancianos de la ciudad le salieron a recibir con miedo, y dijeron: ¿Es pacífica tu venida

5 Y él respondió: Sí, vengo a sacrificar al SEÑOR; santificaos, y venid conmigo al sacrificio. Y santificando él a Jessé y a sus hijos, los llamó al sacrificio

6 Y aconteció que cuando ellos vinieron, él vio a Eliab, y se dijo: ¿Por ventura está delante del SEÑOR su ungido