1 Samuel 16:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me." And the Lord said, "Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’

NIV: But Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me." The Lord said, "Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’

NASB: But Samuel said, 'How can I go? When Saul hears about it, he will kill me.' But the Lord said, 'Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’

CSB: Samuel asked, "How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me!" The Lord answered, "Take a young cow with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’

NLT: But Samuel asked, 'How can I do that? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.' 'Take a heifer with you,' the Lord replied, 'and say that you have come to make a sacrifice to the Lord.

KJV: And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the Lord said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the Lord.

NKJV: And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” But the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you, and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’

For the first time, Samuel expresses fear of Saul. Until now, Samuel has shown no fear in confronting Saul for his sin and delivering messages from the Lord. Their relationship has changed. Samuel has declared to Saul the Lord's rejection (1 Samuel 15:23). Samuel is convinced that Saul will kill him if he learns that the prophet is about to anoint a new king over Israel.

The Lord provides Samuel with a better approach. Instead of announcing that he is traveling to Bethlehem to anoint a new king, the Lord tells Samuel to bring a young female cow and simply say that he has come to sacrifice to the Lord. In this case, the sacrifice would be a peace offering: shared as a meal between those present and the Lord.

Some wonder whether God is instructing Samuel to lie; He is not. Samuel is, indeed, going to make a sacrifice to the Lord in Bethlehem. The prophet is not obligated to announce each aspect of the purpose of the trip to anyone who asks. There is no record of Saul asking or knowing about this event. In fact, the only ones who are recorded as asking Samuel what he is doing are the town elders, who first respond to the prophet's presence with fear.

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.

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.