1 Samuel 16:21

Contextual Overview

¹⁴ Now the Spirit of Yahweh departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from Yahweh troubled him. ¹⁴ Now the Spirit of the Lord had left Saul, and the Lord sent a tormenting spirit that filled him with depression and fear. ¹⁴ Now the spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him. ¹⁴ But the Lord 's Spirit had left Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him. ¹⁴ Now the Spirit of the Lord had turned away from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him. ¹⁴ But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him. ¹⁴ Now the Spirit of Yahweh departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from Yahweh troubled him. ¹⁴Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented and terrified him. ¹⁴ Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the Lord tormented him. ¹⁴ And so the Spirit of the Lord yede awei fro Saul, and a wickid spirit of the Lord trauelide Saul.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

stood before him: Genesis 41:46, Deuteronomy 1:38, Deuteronomy 10:8, 1 Kings 10:8, Proverbs 22:29

loved him: Psalms 62:9, Psalms 118:9, Psalms 146:3

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 16:16 - before thee 1 Samuel 17:55 - whose son 1 Samuel 18:2 - took him 1 Samuel 19:7 - in times past 1 Kings 1:2 - a young virgin

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And David came to Saul, and stood before him,.... As a servant, and ministered to him in the way, and for the purpose for which he was sent:

and he loved him greatly; being a comely person, and a well behaved youth, and especially as he was serviceable to him with his music, in driving away melancholy from him:

and he became his armourbearer; that is, he appointed him to this office, though we never read that he exercised it; nor did he go with Saul in this capacity to the battle related in the following chapter: it may be literally rendered: "and he was to him a bearer of vessels", or "instruments" q; and Abarbinel thinks this is to be understood not of instruments of war, but of instruments of music to play with; which he brought in and bare before him when he went in to the king.

q ויהי לו נשא כלים "et fuit ei ferens vasa", Montanus; "ferens instrumenta", Piscator.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The difficulty of reconciling this verse with 1 Samuel 17:55-58, is met thus: The words here are the ultimate sequence of David’s first visit to Saul, and of his skill in music, and are therefore placed here; but they did not really come to pass until after David’s victory over Goliath (see 1 Samuel 18:2). It is quite conceivable that if David had only played once or twice to Saul, and then returned to his father’s house for some months, Saul might not recognize him.