1 Samuel 16:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Samuel did what the Lord commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said, "Do you come peaceably?"

NIV: Samuel did what the Lord said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, "Do you come in peace?"

NASB: So Samuel did what the Lord told him, and he came to Bethlehem. Then the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and said, 'Do you come in peace?'

CSB: Samuel did what the Lord directed and went to Bethlehem. When the elders of the town met him, they trembled and asked, "Do you come in peace?"

NLT: So Samuel did as the Lord instructed. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town came trembling to meet him. 'What’s wrong?' they asked. 'Do you come in peace?'

KJV: And Samuel did that which the Lord spake, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably?

NKJV: So Samuel did what the Lord said, and went to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, “Do you come peaceably?”

Samuel believed he was risking his life to carry out this mission from the Lord (1 Samuel 16:2), but he did it anyway. He obeyed God by filling a horn with oil for the anointing of a king. He brought a young heifer for the sacrifice of a peace offering. In this way, Samuel stands in contrast to Saul, who disobeyed God because he feared the people more than the Lord (1 Samuel 15:24).

Samuel arrives at Bethlehem, about ten miles, or sixteen kilometers, from Ramah and south of Jerusalem. Although Bethlehem holds historic importance as the birthplace of David and Jesus, it was otherwise an unremarkable village.

Bethlehem's leaders—its elders—come out to meet Samuel as he enters the village. The prophet was famous in the land and was known to speak with the authority of the Lord. It's likely that the story of his brutal execution of the king of Amalek had spread, as well (1 Samuel 15:32–33). Perhaps that's why the elders were trembling with fear when they asked if Samuel had come to their town "peaceably." After all, what positive business could the powerful prophet of the Lord possibly have in their little village?

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.