1 Samuel 16:5

ESV And he said, "Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice." And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

NIV Samuel replied, "Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me." Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

NASB And he said, 'In peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.' He also consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

CSB "In peace," he replied. "I’ve come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

NLT Yes,' Samuel replied. 'I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Purify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.' Then Samuel performed the purification rite for Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice, too.

KJV And he said, Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice unto the Lord: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.

NKJV And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons, and invited them to the sacrifice.

What does 1 Samuel 16:5 mean?

In obedience to God's command to anoint one of Jesse's sons as the next king of Israel (1 Samuel 16:1–3), Samuel has arrived in Bethlehem. He brings a horn of oil and a young heifer to sacrifice. Trembling, the city's elders, which may have included Jesse, have asked Samuel what he is doing there. Has he come for a peaceful purpose (1 Samuel 16:4)?

Samuel assures them that he has come peaceably. He's not there to confront or announce God's judgment on anyone. The prophet has come to give a peace offering to the Lord, and he invites them to participate. This means that they will be present for the sacrifice and the feast to follow it.

Samuel tells the elders of Bethlehem to consecrate themselves in preparation. Consecration involves making something clean or holy for a specific purpose. This probably involved washing themselves and perhaps washing their clothes (Exodus 19:10; Numbers 8:21). Samuel himself, as the prophet of God, consecrated Jesse and seven of his eight sons for the sacrifice, though the process is not described.

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Context Summary
First Samuel 16:1–13 describes the anointing of David as Israel's next king. The Lord tells Samuel to go to Bethlehem because He has chosen one of Jesse's sons for that role. Samuel consecrates Jesse and his sons for a sacrifice and feast. Seeing Eliab, Samuel thinks this must be the chosen one. But the Lord rejects all the sons until Jesse calls his youngest from tending sheep. The Lord tells Samuel to anoint this overlooked son, David. When he does, the Lord's Spirit comes into David just as it did on the day Samuel first anointed Saul to be Israel's king. However, in this case, the Spirit of the Lord remains with David for the rest of his life.

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Chapter Summary
The Lord sends Samuel to Bethlehem to anoint one of Jesse's sons as king. The Lord reveals His choice to be David, Jesse's youngest son. Samuel anoints the young man. God's Spirit comes on David but departs from King Saul. When the Lord sends a harmful spirit on Saul, his servant suggests that the king recruit David to play the lyre whenever Saul is tormented. Saul does so, and he quickly bonds with David, making the young man his armor-bearer.

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