✝
← Bible
ARCBLIVREKJVVBL

1 Samuel 16

ARC · Chapter 16/31

1Então disse o Senhor a Samuel: Até quando terás dó de Saul, havendo-o eu rejeitado, para que não reine sobre Israel? enche o teu vaso d'azeite, e vem, enviar-te-hei a Jessé o beth-lehemita; porque d'entre os seus filhos me tenho provido de um rei.

2Porém disse Samuel: Como irei eu? pois, ouvindo-o Saul, me matará. Então disse o Senhor: Toma uma bezerra das vaccas em tuas mãos, e dize: Vim para sacrificar ao Senhor.

3E convidarás a Jessé ao sacrificio: e eu te farei saber o que has de fazer, e ungir-me-has a quem eu te disser.

4Fez pois Samuel o que dissera o Senhor, e veiu a Beth-lehem: então os anciãos da cidade sairam ao encontro, tremendo, e disseram: De paz é a tua vinda?

5E disse elle: É de paz, vim sacrificar ao Senhor; sanctificae-vos, e vinde comigo ao sacrificio. E sanctificou elle a Jessé e a seus filhos, e os convidou ao sacrificio.

6E succedeu que, entrando elles, viu a Eliah, e disse: Certamente está perante o Senhor o seu ungido.

7Porém o Senhor disse a Samuel: Não attentes para a sua apparencia, nem para a altura da sua estatura, porque o tenho rejeitado, porque o Senhor não vê como vê o homem, pois o homem vê o que está diante dos olhos, porém o Senhor olha para o coração

8Então chamou Jessé a Abinadab: e o fez passar diante de Samuel, o qual disse: Nem a este tem escolhido o Senhor.

9Então Jessé fez passar a Samma: porém disse: Tão pouco a este tem escolhido o Senhor.

10Assim fez passar Jessé a seus sete filhos diante de Samuel: porém Samuel disse a Jessé: O Senhor não tem escolhido a estes.

11Disse mais Samuel a Jessé: Acabaram-se os mancebos? E disse: Ainda falta o menor, e eis que apascenta as ovelhas. Disse pois Samuel a Jessé: Envia, e manda-o chamar, porquanto não nos assentaremos em roda da mesa até que elle venha aqui.

12Então mandou, e o trouxe (e era ruivo e formoso de semblante e de boa presença): e disse o Senhor: Levanta-te, e unge-o, porque este mesmo é

13Então Samuel tomou o vaso do azeite, e ungiu-o no meio de seus irmãos; e desde aquelle dia em diante o espirito do Senhor se apoderou de David: então Samuel se levantou, e se tornou a Rama.

14E o espirito do Senhor se retirou de Saul, e o assombrava o espirito mau da parte do Senhor.

15Então os creados de Saul lhe disseram: Eis que agora o espirito mau da parte do Senhor te assombra:

16Diga pois nosso senhor a seus servos, que estão em tua presença, que busquem um homem que saiba tocar harpa, e será que, quando o espirito mau da parte do Senhor vier sobre ti, então elle tocará com a sua mão, e te acharás melhor

17Então disse Saul aos seus servos: Buscae-me pois um homem que toque bem, e trazei-m'o.

18Então respondeu um dos mancebos, e disse: Eis que tenho visto a um filho de Jessé, o beth-lehemita, que sabe tocar, e é valente e animoso, e homem de guerra, e sisudo em palavras, e de gentil presença: o Senhor é com elle

19E Saul enviou mensageiros a Jessé, dizendo: Envia-me David, teu filho, o que está com as ovelhas.

20Então tomou Jessé um jumento carregado de pão, e um odre de vinho, e um cabrito, e enviou-os a Saul pela mão de David, seu filho.

21Assim David veiu a Saul, e esteve perante elle, e o amou muito, e foi seu pagem d'armas.

22Então Saul mandou dizer a Jessé: Deixa estar a David perante mim, pois achou graça em meus olhos.

23E succedia que, quando o espirito mau da parte de Deus vinha sobre Saul, David tomava a harpa, e a tocava com a sua mão; então Saul sentia allivio, e se achava melhor, e o espirito mau se retirava d'elle.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

God sends Samuel to Bethlehem to secretly anoint David, the youngest of Jesse's sons, as the next king. Meanwhile, a tormenting spirit afflicts Saul, and David is brought to the royal court to play the harp and bring him relief.

Explanation

God's famous statement to Samuel — 'the Lord seeth not as man seeth... the Lord looketh on the heart' (v.7) — corrects the human tendency to judge leadership and worth by impressive outward appearance alone, as had happened with Saul's initial selection for his height and good looks. It is ironic and significant that the same David, secretly anointed as future king, is brought to Saul's court not as a political rival but as a hired musician to soothe him, entering the king's life in a humble, useful way well before any direct confrontation over the throne. This chapter shows how God prepares people for great responsibilities through gradual, seemingly minor steps, allowing character and experience to mature before the calling is fully revealed.

Fun facts

  • The physical description of David as 'ruddy, and of a beautiful countenance' uses the Hebrew term 'admoni,' the same root as 'Adam' and the word for 'red/earth,' possibly indicating reddish hair or skin tone.
  • The 'evil spirit from the Lord' that tormented Saul (v.14) is interpreted by commentators in various ways — some view it as divine permission for spiritual oppression as a consequence of Saul's rejection, others as an ancient Hebrew description of severe depression or mental instability.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. 1 Samuel 16:1God gently rebukes Samuel’s prolonged mourning — even the prophet needs reminding to move forward and act on God’s new choice.
  2. 1 Samuel 16:2God acknowledges the real danger Samuel faces — anointing a new king while the old one still reigns would be seen as treason — and so provides a safe pretext for the trip.
  3. 1 Samuel 16:3The public sacrifice serves as the perfect cover: no one would suspect that the true purpose of Samuel’s visit was to secretly choose the next king.
  4. 1 Samuel 16:4The elders’ fear at seeing an important prophet suddenly arrive shows that such visits usually came with bad news or judgment — hence the anxious question.
  5. 1 Samuel 16:5“Sanctify yourselves” involved purification rituals before taking part in a sacrifice — a normal religious preparation that here also serves to quietly gather all of Jesse’s sons.
  6. 1 Samuel 16:6Samuel repeats the very mistake of judging by appearance that the people made when choosing Saul — impressed by the oldest brother even before asking God about him.
  7. 1 Samuel 16:7The idea that God looks “on the heart,” not on appearance, is said right after Samuel had already been impressed by the height of Eliab, David’s oldest brother — the verse exists to correct the prophet’s own first wrong impression.
  8. 1 Samuel 16:8With the next son, Samuel no longer repeats his first mistake — this time he waits for divine confirmation before assuming anything.
  9. 1 Samuel 16:9The same negative answer repeating, son after son, builds the tension of the scene: none of the obvious candidates is the chosen one.
  10. 1 Samuel 16:10Seven sons pass through the evaluation without a single one being approved — the pattern of repeated rejection sets up the final surprise: someone is missing whom no one had even called.
  11. 1 Samuel 16:11David had not even been invited to the gathering — his absence, tending sheep far from home, shows how much he was seen as the least likely of the brothers.
  12. 1 Samuel 16:12Despite David’s pleasant appearance, mentioned here, the chapter’s central point remains that God’s choice came through direct revelation, not visual impression, as verse 7 had already made clear.
  13. 1 Samuel 16:13The anointing happens privately, right in the middle of his own family, with no public ceremony — very different from the national acclamation Saul received at Mizpah and Gilgal.
  14. 1 Samuel 16:14Saying that “an evil spirit from the Lord” torments Saul sounds strange today, but it reflects an ancient way of thinking in which everything — good or bad — ultimately came from God, with no separate devil competing for power with Him. There is no developed theology of possession here as it would be understood later.
  15. 1 Samuel 16:15It is Saul’s own servants who notice and name the problem — suggesting the king’s troubled behavior was already visible enough to worry those around him.
  16. 1 Samuel 16:16Music as a remedy for spiritual anguish was an accepted idea at the time — the servants propose a practical, culturally recognized solution for Saul’s suffering.
  17. 1 Samuel 16:17Saul accepts the suggestion without resistance, showing how desperate he already was for some relief from the suffering he had been facing.
  18. 1 Samuel 16:18The glowing description of David, given by a stranger at Saul’s court, already lists almost every quality — musician, warrior, wise man — that will be confirmed throughout the coming chapters.
  19. 1 Samuel 16:19Saul calls David to the court with no idea that he is bringing close to himself the very replacement already secretly anointed by Samuel.
  20. 1 Samuel 16:20Sending gifts along with his son was a courtesy custom when introducing someone at the royal court — a gesture that also helped ensure a good reception for David.
  21. 1 Samuel 16:21Becoming the king’s personal armor-bearer was a position of high trust — David enters the court not as just any musician, but already in a role of direct closeness to Saul.
  22. 1 Samuel 16:22Saul formally asks that David stay in permanent service, showing just how quickly he won the trust of the king who, unknowingly, would later become his greatest rival.
  23. 1 Samuel 16:23The solution works exactly as the servants predicted — but the chapter’s greater irony is that Saul’s relief comes precisely from the hands of the man already chosen by God to take his place.

Chapters

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031

Our apps

Our apps →

Bible in Stories

The Bible told as a story, with audio and videos.

📱 Get the app

World in Stories

True stories of humanity that sound made up.

App StoreGoogle Play

Feito! Pequenas Vitórias

A light daily routine for people who lose track of the day.

App StoreGoogle Play