1 Samuel 16:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.

NIV: So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah.

NASB: So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel set out and went to Ramah.

CSB: So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully on David from that day forward. Then Samuel set out and went to Ramah.

NLT: So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah.

KJV: Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.

NKJV: Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah.

God did not tell the prophet Samuel which of Jesse's sons was to be anointed as the next king of Israel (1 Samuel 16:1,3). Instead, Samuel was to invite Jesse to a sacrifice and rely on God's instructions. The prophet has done so. Seven of Jesse's sons passed before him, each of whom were rejected by the Lord (1 Samuel 16:10). Samuel asked if Jesse had any additional sons, and the youngest was called in from the sheep fields (1 Samuel 16:12). God tells Samuel, "Arise, anoint him for this is he" (1 Samuel 16:12).

Samuel obeys. He anoints the boy in the midst of his seven other brothers with the horn of oil the Lord commanded him to bring to Bethlehem (1 Samuel 16:1). The text does not say that Samuel tells anyone present that this anointing means that this son will one day rule as king over Israel. The boy himself may not yet have known why the prophet of Israel was anointing him with oil and not doing the same to his father and brothers.

This is the first time David is named in 1 Samuel. We learn his name after learning that the "Spirit of the Lord rushed upon" him. The overlooked keeper of the sheep is the renowned King David, and he has been anointed by God and empowered by Him for his position.

As was the case following Saul's anointing to be king by Samuel (1 Samuel 10:6; 11:6), the Spirit of the Lord "rushes" on David as a confirmation that the Lord is now with him. This movement of the Spirit is described with the Hebrew root word sālah; this implies a rapid, powerful, and overwhelming force.

During the time of the judges in Israel, the Lord's Spirit would come on an individual to empower them with strength and authority to lead God's people (Judges 6:34–35). The Spirit comes to David and He never leaves. Though different from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit believers in Jesus have today (John 14:16–17; Romans 8:9–11; Ephesians 1:13–14), it is of note that the Spirit of the Lord was "upon David from that day forward." In the next verse we discover that the Spirit departs from Saul (1 Samuel 16:14).

Though David has been anointed as king and is clearly God's choice, his journey to full control over Israel as king will not be short and simple. This is the first of three anointings David will receive as he makes his way to Israel's throne. He will later be anointed as king over the house of Judah (2 Samuel 2:4) and then finally as the king over Israel (2 Samuel 5:3).

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.

First Samuel 16 introduces David to the story of Israel's kings. David is the son of Jesse, who is the grandson of Ruth (Ruth 4:21–22). He will be anointed king as the Lord has rejected Saul (1 Samuel 15:26). The Lord's Spirit leaves Saul and comes to David (1 Samuel 16:13–14); this is different from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in believers today (John 14:26; 2 Timothy 1:14). David becomes a beloved musician and servant to Saul, but the king's heart will become violently jealous (1 Samuel 18:8, 11).

First Samuel introduces the key figures who led Israel after the era of the judges. The books of 1 and 2 Samuel were originally part of a single text, split in certain translations shortly before the birth of Christ. Some of the Bible’s most famous characters are depicted in this book. These including the prophet Samuel, Israel’s first king, Saul, her greatest king, David, and other famous names such as Goliath and Jonathan. By the end of this book, Saul has fallen; the book of 2 Samuel begins with David’s ascension to the throne.