Skip to main content
Psalmlog Logo

1 Samuel 16

God chooses David beyond Samuel’s judgment of appearances, gives him the Spirit, and brings him into the rejected king’s service.

Samuel is mourning Saul when YHWH sends him to Bethlehem to anoint a king from Jesse’s sons. Afraid Saul will kill him, Samuel goes with instructions to offer a sacrifice. Jesse’s sons pass before him, but God chooses David, the youngest, who is tending sheep. Samuel anoints him, and YHWH’s Spirit comes upon David. The account then turns to Saul’s torment and David’s arrival at court, where his harp playing brings Saul relief.

leadership weightsermon or Bible study notes
Read
1The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided a king for myself among his sons.”
2Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” The LORD said, “Take a heifer with you, and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’
3Call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. You shall anoint to me him whom I name to you.”
5He said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” He sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.
6When they had come, he looked at Eliab, and said, “Surely the LORD’s anointed is before him.”
7But the LORD said to Samuel, “Don’t look on his face, or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for I don’t see as man sees. For man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
9Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. He said, “The LORD has not chosen this one, either.”
11Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your children here?” He said, “There remains yet the youngest. Behold, he is keeping the sheep.” Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down until he comes here.”
12He sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with a handsome face and good appearance. The LORD said, “Arise! Anoint him, for this is he.”
13Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the middle of his brothers. Then the LORD’s Spirit came mightily on David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.
14Now the LORD’s Spirit departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.
16Let our lord now command your servants who are in front of you to seek out a man who is a skillful player on the harp. Then when the evil spirit from God is on you, he will play with his hand, and you will be well.”
18Then one of the young men answered and said, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the LORD is with him.”
19Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse, and said, “Send me David your son, who is with the sheep.”
20Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a container of wine, and a young goat, and sent them by David his son to Saul.
21David came to Saul and stood before him. He loved him greatly; and he became his armor bearer.
22Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Please let David stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight.”
23When the spirit from God was on Saul, David took the harp and played with his hand; so Saul was refreshed and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.
World English BibleRead in NIV in Psalmlog →Highlighted verses are the most connected.
Key verses
1 Samuel 16:7God corrects Samuel’s confidence in Eliab’s appearance and establishes his own knowledge of the heart as decisive.
1 Samuel 16:1God interrupts Samuel’s mourning with a command to act, declaring that he has chosen a king among Jesse’s sons.
1 Samuel 16:13David’s anointing is joined to the coming of YHWH’s Spirit, marking God’s choice before David takes the throne.
Where this chapter reaches

Psalm and 1 Chronicles share the account’s focus on God’s choice of David and his rise from shepherding to kingship. Jeremiah and Proverbs share its teaching that God searches the heart, reaching beyond what human observers can see.

1 Samuel 16's chapter linksAll strongest linksHover or tap a book
Notice

After reading the whole chapter

Where might Samuel’s mistaken confidence about Eliab challenge the way you assess someone’s fitness to lead?

Write on this

What do you notice about David serving Saul after being anointed as the next king?

Write on this

Questions people ask about 1 Samuel 16

What does 1 Samuel 16:7 mean by God looking at the heart?

Samuel sees Eliab’s appearance and assumes he is God’s chosen king. God corrects him: outward appearance does not reveal what God knows about a person’s inner life. The verse establishes God’s authority to choose. It does not describe David as flawless or explain every reason for his selection.

Why did an evil spirit from YHWH trouble Saul?

The account places Saul’s torment after God’s rejection of him as king and the departure of YHWH’s Spirit. It attributes the troubling spirit to YHWH, placing even this distress under God’s rule. The text does not explain the mechanism or provide a medical diagnosis. David’s music brings Saul relief.

Did David become king as soon as Samuel anointed him?

Samuel’s anointing identifies David as God’s chosen king, and YHWH’s Spirit comes upon him from that day. Yet Saul remains on the throne throughout this chapter. David enters Saul’s service as a musician and armor bearer. The chapter ends with the chosen successor serving the reigning king.

Read it. Now write it.

Start an entry on 1 Samuel 16. Your words go beside the text, and you get one next step for the week.

1 Samuel · 31 chapters
12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031

Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).