What does 1 Samuel 16:20 mean?

The king has commanded Jesse of Bethlehem to send his youngest son, David, to serve at the royal palace (1 Samuel 16:19). Saul intends David to live in the royal house, playing the lyre—a small harp—to soothe Saul's torment of a harmful spirit sent by God (1 Samuel 16:14–16). This spirit came after Saul disobeyed God and God rejected him as Israel's king (1 Samuel 13:11–14; 15:17–29). God had instructed Samuel to anoint David as Israel's next king, and the Lord's Spirit was now on David (1 Samuel 16:1–13).

David may not have been aware of the reason for Samuel's anointing, at first. Saul would remain king for at least ten more years. Saul seems unaware of any interaction between Samuel and David. Yet the reader can see God's sovereignty in all of this. Saul's servant knew of David's reputation and recommended him as an aid to the king. This would bring David into the central seat of government, where he would no doubt learn much in preparation for his own rule.

Jesse may have considered it a high honor for his son to be called upon to serve the king in this way. Whether out of gratitude, respect, or custom, Jesse sends gifts for the king and the king's kitchen along with David. The gifts include a donkey to carry bread and a skin of wine, along with a young goat. Scholars say the phrase for a donkey laden with bread, hamōr' lehem, may have meant "a donkey load" as a unit of measure used during this era.