1 Samuel 16:20 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Jesse took a donkey laden with bread and a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them by David his son to Saul.

NIV: So Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them with his son David to Saul.

NASB: And Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread and a jug of wine, and he took a young goat, and sent them to Saul by his son David.

CSB: So Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a wineskin, and one young goat and sent them by his son David to Saul.

NLT: Jesse responded by sending David to Saul, along with a young goat, a donkey loaded with bread, and a wineskin full of wine.

KJV: And Jesse took an ass laden with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid, and sent them by David his son unto Saul.

NKJV: And Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine, and a young goat, and sent them by his son David to Saul.

The king has commanded Jesse of Bethlehem to send his youngest son, David, to serve at the royal palace (1 Samuel 16:19). Saul intends David to live in the royal house, playing the lyre—a small harp—to soothe Saul's torment of a harmful spirit sent by God (1 Samuel 16:14–16). This spirit came after Saul disobeyed God and God rejected him as Israel's king (1 Samuel 13:11–14; 15:17–29). God had instructed Samuel to anoint David as Israel's next king, and the Lord's Spirit was now on David (1 Samuel 16:1–13).

David may not have been aware of the reason for Samuel's anointing, at first. Saul would remain king for at least ten more years. Saul seems unaware of any interaction between Samuel and David. Yet the reader can see God's sovereignty in all of this. Saul's servant knew of David's reputation and recommended him as an aid to the king. This would bring David into the central seat of government, where he would no doubt learn much in preparation for his own rule.

Jesse may have considered it a high honor for his son to be called upon to serve the king in this way. Whether out of gratitude, respect, or custom, Jesse sends gifts for the king and the king's kitchen along with David. The gifts include a donkey to carry bread and a skin of wine, along with a young goat. Scholars say the phrase for a donkey laden with bread, hamōr' lehem, may have meant "a donkey load" as a unit of measure used during this era.

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.