1 Samuel 16:16 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Let our lord now command your servants who are before you to seek out a man who is skillful in playing the lyre, and when the harmful spirit from God is upon you, he will play it, and you will be well."

NIV: Let our lord command his servants here to search for someone who can play the lyre. He will play when the evil spirit from God comes on you, and you will feel better."

NASB: May our lord now command your servants who are before you. Have them search for a man who is a skillful musician on the harp; and it shall come about whenever the evil spirit from God is upon you, that he shall play the harp with his hand, and you will become well.'

CSB: Let our lord command your servants here in your presence to look for someone who knows how to play the lyre. Whenever the evil spirit from God comes on you, that person can play the lyre, and you will feel better."

NLT: Let us find a good musician to play the harp whenever the tormenting spirit troubles you. He will play soothing music, and you will soon be well again.'

KJV: Let our lord now command thy servants, which are before thee, to seek out a man, who is a cunning player on an harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well.

NKJV: Let our master now command your servants, who are before you, to seek out a man who is a skillful player on the harp. And it shall be that he will play it with his hand when the distressing spirit from God is upon you, and you shall be well.”

Due to his disobedience, God rejected Saul from being Israel's king (1 Samuel 13:11–14; 15:17–29), though he will retain the throne for at least ten more years. Samuel has anointed David to be Israel's next king (1 Samuel 16:1–13). God has removed His Spirit from Saul and allowed an evil spirit to torment him. Saul's servants recognize the torment of the evil spirit and want to help.

They suggest to the king that music will be soothing whenever the evil spirit comes. This suggests that a demon did not fully possess Saul. Rather, he is spiritually vulnerable as a result of his rebellious attitude towards God. Thus, advisors permission to find someone who is a highly skilled player of the stringed instrument known as the lyre. To modern eyes, a lyre would look like a small harp.

First Samuel 16:14–23 finds King Saul tormented by a harmful spirit sent by God. The Lord's Spirit has left him. Saul's servants are aware of the afflicting spirit and suggest that music would soothe the king during the times of torment. He asks them to recruit a skillful musician to play the lyre when he is affected. One of the servants suggests David, whom he knows to be skilled with the lyre and reputable in character. The servant also recognizes that the Lord is with Samuel. Saul agrees and sends messengers to Jesse. The king quickly comes to love David and even makes him his armor-bearer. When David plays, the harmful spirit leaves. David becomes a permanent servant of the king.

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.

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.