1 Samuel 16:9-19

9 Yishai presented Shammah; again Sh'mu'el said, "ADONAI hasn't chosen this one either."

10 Yishai presented seven of his sons to Sh'mu'el; but Sh'mu'el told Yishai, "ADONAI has not chosen these.

11 Are all your sons here?" Sh'mu'el asked Yishai. He replied, "There is still the youngest; he's out there tending the sheep." Sh'mu'el said to Yishai, "Send and bring him back, because we won't sit down to eat until he gets here."

12 He sent and brought him in. With ruddy cheeks, red hair and bright eyes, he was a good-looking fellow. ADONAI said, "Stand up and anoint him; he's the one."

13 Sh'mu'el took the horn of oil and anointed him there in his brothers' presence. From that day on, the Spirit of ADONAI would fall upon David with power. So Sh'mu'el set out and went to Ramah.

14 Now the Spirit of ADONAI had left Sha'ul; instead, an evil spirit from ADONAI would suddenly come over him.

15 Sha'ul's servants said to him, "Do you notice that there's an evil spirit from God that suddenly comes over you?

16 Let our lord now command your servants who are here with you to look for a man who knows how to play the lyre. Then, if the evil spirit from God comes over you, he will play; and it will do you good."

17 Sha'ul said to his servants, "Find me a man who can play well, and bring him to me."

18 One of the young men answered, "Here, I've seen one of the sons of Yishai the Beit-Lachmi who knows how to play. He's a brave soldier, he can fight, he chooses his words carefully and he's pleasant-looking. Besides, ADONAI is with him."

19 So Sha'ul sent messengers to Yishai saying, "Send me David your son, who is out with the sheep."

1 Samuel 16:9-19 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 16

In this chapter Samuel is ordered to anoint a king among the sons of Jesse of Bethlehem, 1Sa 16:1-5 all whose sons were made to pass before him, excepting David, 1Sa 16:6-10 who being then with his father's sheep, was sent for and was anointed, 1Sa 16:11-13, after which the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and he became melancholy, and it was advised to seek out a musician for him, and David was mentioned to him as a proper person, 1Sa 16:14-18 upon which he was sent for, and acted as a musician to Saul, and also became his armourbearer, which was the first rise of him, 1Sa 16:19-23.