1 Samuel 16:17 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So Saul said to his servants, "Provide for me a man who can play well and bring him to me."

NIV: So Saul said to his attendants, "Find someone who plays well and bring him to me."

NASB: So Saul said to his servants, 'Now select for me a man who can play well, and bring him to me.'

CSB: Then Saul commanded his servants, "Find me someone who plays well and bring him to me."

NLT: All right,' Saul said. 'Find me someone who plays well, and bring him here.'

KJV: And Saul said unto his servants, Provide me now a man that can play well, and bring him to me.

NKJV: So Saul said to his servants, “Provide me now a man who can play well, and bring him to me.”

God has rejected Saul as king (1 Samuel 13:11–14; 15:17–29) and removed His Spirit from Saul. Now, "a harmful spirit from the Lord" torments Saul (1 Samuel 16:14). This seems to be a demon whom God permits to afflict Saul for his disobedience. Saul's servants and advisors may not be aware that Saul has been rejected as king, but they are aware of the affliction. They have suggested a remedy: bring in a lyre-player. The effect of music on emotions is known and employed to this day.

Now Saul agrees to their plan and tells them to find him a man who can play the lyre well and bring him. The lyre was a stringed instrument somewhat 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.

Accessed 12/21/2024 9:09:16 PM