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Psalm 78:70
He also chose David his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds;
68But chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which he loved.
69He built his sanctuary like the heights, like the earth which he has established forever.
70He also chose David his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds;
71from following the ewes that have their young, he brought him to be the shepherd of Jacob, his people, and Israel, his inheritance.
72So he was their shepherd according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.
Notice
The sheepfolds make David’s beginnings concrete, while “his servant” keeps the account of his rise centered on the God who chose him.
Questions to write on. Each one opens a new entry with this verse already attached.
How does calling David “his servant” shape your view of the leadership described in the next verses?
Write on thisWhat changes in your view of David when you picture him tending sheep before leading Israel?
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Where else Scripture says this
12 passages readers most often link with this verse, and the thread each one shares with it.
This verse's connections, by chapterThe Bible's strongest chapter linksHover or tap a book to trace it
1 Samuel 13:14But now your kingdom will not continue. The LORD has sought for himself a man after his own heart, and the LORD has appointed him to be prince over his people, …Both passages give God the initiative in choosing a leader, though Samuel’s words leave the chosen man unnamed.
1 Samuel 16:11–12Samuel 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 …Jesse’s youngest son is keeping sheep when Samuel sends for him, matching the sheepfold setting recalled in the psalm.
1 Kings 8:16‘Since the day that I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build a house, that my name might be there; but …Both passages state that God chose David, with Kings naming his role over Israel and the psalm recalling his sheepfold beginnings.
Acts 13:22When he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, to whom he also testified, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after my heart, who will …Both passages identify David as God’s chosen man; Acts describes him as king and connects his service with doing God’s will.
Deuteronomy 33:7This is for Judah. He said, “Hear, LORD, the voice of Judah. Bring him in to his people. With his hands he contended for himself. You shall be a help against …The connection is limited to Judah in the surrounding psalm verses: Deuteronomy asks God to help Judah, while the psalm recounts his choice.
Amos 7:14–15Then Amos answered Amaziah, “I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son, but I was a herdsman, and a farmer of sycamore figs;Both texts mention work with livestock: David comes from the sheepfolds, and Amos describes himself as a herdsman.
2 Samuel 7:8Now therefore tell my servant David this: ‘The LORD of Armies says, “I took you from the sheep pen, from following the sheep, to be prince over my people, over …Both passages call David God’s servant and recall God taking him from tending sheep.
2 Samuel 6:21David said to Michal, “It was before the LORD, who chose me above your father, and above all his house, to appoint me prince over the people of the LORD, over …David’s words name the same divine choice celebrated in the psalm: the LORD chose him to lead Israel.
Psalm 89:19–20Then you spoke in vision to your saints, and said, “I have given strength to the warrior. I have exalted a young man from the people.Both passages credit God with raising someone from an ordinary setting: the sheepfolds in Psalm 78 and the people in Psalm 89.
1 Samuel 17:15–54Now David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.David’s trips to feed his father’s sheep give a concrete glimpse of the shepherd work recalled in Psalm 78.
1 Kings 19:19–20So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth. Elijah went over …Both scenes begin with agricultural work: David is taken from sheepfolds, and Elisha is plowing when Elijah places his mantle on him.
Exodus 3:1Now Moses was keeping the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the back of the wilderness, and came to God’s …Both passages place a named man among sheep: David comes from the sheepfolds, and Moses tends Jethro’s flock.
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The sheepfolds belong in the account of God’s care for Israel. He chose David there and brought him to shepherd his people.
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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).