1 Samuel 16:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, "Neither has the Lord chosen this one."

NIV: Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, "The Lord has not chosen this one either."

NASB: Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass before Samuel. But he said, 'The Lord has not chosen this one, either.'

CSB: Jesse called Abinadab and presented him to Samuel. "The Lord hasn’t chosen this one either," Samuel said.

NLT: Then Jesse told his son Abinadab to step forward and walk in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, 'This is not the one the Lord has chosen.'

KJV: Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath the Lord chosen this.

NKJV: So Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.”

Samuel is in Bethlehem to anoint a new king of Israel (1 Samuel 16:1). This new king is one of Jesse's sons, but God has not yet told Samuel which one (1 Samuel 16:3). Samuel has invited the town elders and Jesse's family to a sacrifice. Now, Jesse's sons are passing before Samuel. They seem to know that God has chosen one of them for something (1 Samuel 16:10). It is unclear whether they know the specifics of the anointing.

The Lord has already rejected the firstborn son Eliab (1 Samuel 16:6–7). Now Jesse calls Abinadab, his second-born son (1 Samuel 17:13), to step forward. It is possible Samuel was also consecrating the men for the sacrifice as they came to him (1 Samuel 16:5). It is unclear from the text whether it is the Lord speaking to Samuel in this verse or Samuel who says to Jesse that the Lord has not chosen this one, either.

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.

Accessed 11/23/2024 3:13:54 AM