1 Samuel 16:2

2 Pero Samuel le preguntó:
—¿Cómo puedo hacerlo? Si Saúl llega a enterarse, me matará.
—Lleva contigo una novilla —le contestó el Señor
— y di que has venido para ofrecer un sacrificio al Señor
.

1 Samuel 16:2 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 16:2

And Samuel said, how can I go?
&c.] Which argues weakness of faith in Samuel, and fear of man, and a diffidence in and distrust of divine power; for otherwise he that sent him on such an errand could protect him:

if Saul hear it, he will kill me;
should hear that Samuel went and anointed another king, it would so enrage him, that he would either immediately lay hands on him, and put him to death, or order him to be put to death; and indeed were it not that this was done by the command of God, he would deserve to die; it being an overt act of treason to anoint another king:

and the Lord said, take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to
sacrifice to the Lord;
a peace offering, which might be done any where in those unsettled times, the ark being at one place, and the tabernacle at another; and might be offered upon a private altar, and by a private person; and as it seems Samuel used to sacrifice at different places; see ( 1 Samuel 7:9 ) ( 11:15 ) . Ben Gersom relates it as the sense of one of their Rabbins in his age, that there was a person slain in those parts, not known by whom he was slain; and so Samuel is ordered to take an heifer to fulfil the law in ( Deuteronomy 21:1-9 ) and therefore Saul would make no inquiry into his reason of going thither with an heifer, and this is commended both by him and Abarbinel.

1 Samuel 16:2 In-Context

1 Samuel unge a David como rey
Ahora bien, el Señor
le dijo a Samuel:
—Ya has hecho suficiente duelo por Saúl. Lo he rechazado como rey de Israel, así que llena tu frasco con aceite de oliva y ve a Belén. Busca a un hombre llamado Isaí que vive allí, porque he elegido a uno de sus hijos para que sea mi rey.

2 Pero Samuel le preguntó:
—¿Cómo puedo hacerlo? Si Saúl llega a enterarse, me matará.
—Lleva contigo una novilla —le contestó el Señor
— y di que has venido para ofrecer un sacrificio al Señor
.

3 Invita a Isaí al sacrificio, y te mostraré a cuál de sus hijos ungirás para mí.

4 Así que Samuel hizo como el Señor
le indicó. Cuando llegó a Belén, los ancianos del pueblo salieron a su encuentro temblando.
—¿Qué pasa? —le preguntaron—. ¿Vienes en son de paz?

5 —Sí —contestó Samuel—, vine para ofrecer un sacrificio al Señor
. Purifíquense y vengan conmigo al sacrificio.
Luego Samuel realizó el rito de purificación para Isaí y sus hijos y también los invitó al sacrificio.