1 Samuel 16:21 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And David came to Saul and entered his service. And Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor-bearer.

NIV: David came to Saul and entered his service. Saul liked him very much, and David became one of his armor-bearers.

NASB: Then David came to Saul and attended him; and Saul greatly loved him, and he became his armor bearer.

CSB: When David came to Saul and entered his service, Saul loved him very much, and David became his armor-bearer.

NLT: So David went to Saul and began serving him. Saul loved David very much, and David became his armor bearer.

KJV: And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he became his armourbearer.

NKJV: So David came to Saul and stood before him. And he loved him greatly, and he became his armorbearer.

God has rejected Saul as king of Israel and removed His Spirit (1 Samuel 13:11–14; 15:17–29; 16:14), but Saul retains the throne for at least ten more years. At God's direction, Samuel has anointed David as Israel's next king, and God's Spirit has come upon him (1 Samuel 16:1–13). The rest of 1 Samuel follows Saul and David as one fades from the kingship of Israel and the other rises. Here they meet for the first time. Most likely, at this time, neither knows that David has been anointed to be the next king of Israel.

David's outstanding qualities have been listed by one of Saul's servants (1 Samuel 16:18). Saul truly admires young David. David served Saul, and Saul is said here to have loved David. Before long, David was promoted from simply playing music for the king to being his armor-bearer. The armor-bearer not only carried his master's weapons into battle, but also fought alongside him. Ideally, an armor-bearer was closer to his master than any other servant. A warrior trusted his armor-bearer with his life (1 Samuel 14:6–14).

The bond between Saul and David grew quickly with neither suspecting what was to come.

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.