1 Samuël 16:4

4 Samuel nu deed, hetgeen de HEERE gesproken had, en hij kwam te Bethlehem. Toen kwamen de oudsten der stad bevende hem tegemoet, en zeiden: Is uw komst met vrede?

1 Samuël 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.

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FOOTNOTES:

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

1 Samuël 16:4 In-Context

2 Maar Samuel zeide: Hoe zou ik heengaan? Saul zal het toch horen en mij doden. Toen zeide de HEERE: Neem een kalf van de runderen met u, en zeg: Ik ben gekomen, om den HEERE offerande te doen.

3 En gij zult Isai ten offer nodigen, en Ik zal u te kennen geven, wat gij doen zult, en gij zult Mij zalven, dien Ik u zeggen zal.

4 Samuel nu deed, hetgeen de HEERE gesproken had, en hij kwam te Bethlehem. Toen kwamen de oudsten der stad bevende hem tegemoet, en zeiden: Is uw komst met vrede?

5 Hij dan zeide: Met vrede; ik ben gekomen om den HEERE offerande te doen; heiligt u, en komt met mij ten offer; en hij heiligde Isai en zijn zonen, en hij nodigde hen ten offer.

6 En het geschiedde, toen zij inkwamen, zo zag hij Eliab aan, en dacht: Zekerlijk, is deze voor den HEERE, Zijn gezalfde.