1 Samuel 16 Study Notes

16:12 The Hebrew word behind healthy is related to the word for “red” and may describe either David’s reddish-toned hair or skin. Beautiful eyes and a . . . handsome appearance might help a king’s credibility, but ultimately God looks at the heart.

16:13 Despite God’s choice of David through Samuel, apparently at least Eliab doubted David’s heart (17:28). It is also possible that Samuel did not reveal to David’s brothers the mission to which God was calling David. The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully on David just as he had done with Saul earlier (10:6,10; 11:6), empowering David for God’s service. Samuel’s route from Bethlehem to Ramah would have normally taken him directly past or through Gibeah.

16:14 The theological difficulty of the expression evil spirit . . . from the Lord may be resolved in one of two ways. God may have intended the evil spirit as redemptive—designed to turn Saul to repentance. Or God may have intended the evil spirit as his instrument of judgment against the rebellious king. God is completely righteous, hates evil, and never does anything unjust, yet he makes use of demons (against their evil intention) to accomplish his good purposes (cp. Jb 1:6-12).

16:15-17 Every ancient society believed music had the power to counteract demonic influence (P. Kyle McCarter). The lyre in particular was believed to have divine power (D. T. Tsumura).

16:18 One of the young men of Saul’s court apparently knew David well because he described several good qualities beyond David’s musical skill. Warrior may be anticipatory (suggesting David seemed to have the qualities that would make a good warrior) since it does not seem that at this stage of life David was accustomed to fighting in battle (17:14-15). The Lord is with him describes David’s spiritual qualifications, which would prove important as the drama unfolded.

16:19-20 The items donkey . . . bread . . . wineskin, and goat were either Jesse’s gift to Saul or a contribution to David’s sustenance in the royal court. No biblical evidence indicates when Saul initiated a national tax system for providing the palace’s needs, but such taxes are assumed in 17:25.

16:21-22 David became King Saul’s armor-bearer, a position that would keep him closer to Saul, who loved him very much.

16:23 Being close to Saul also meant David could pick up his lyre quickly and play if the king felt troubled. Meanwhile, God was continuing to prepare David for the day he would become king.