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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