UTN uW Translation Notes:

1 Samuel 16 Chapter Introduction

Structure and Formatting

This chapter begins the part of the book that describes how David became king (chapters 16–31). Several years passed between the time when Samuel anointed David, as this chapter describes, and the time when David finally became king. In the meantime, Saul continued to reign. So this part of the book also continues to describe what Saul did as king.

Religious and Cultural Concepts in This Chapter

Did Yahweh tell Samuel to lie?

In 16:1, Yahweh tells Samuel to go to Bethlehem and anoint one of Jesse’s sons to be the next king. Samuel replies in 16:2 that if Saul hears about this, he will kill him. Yahweh tells Samuel in 16:3 that he should tell the people of Bethlehem, “I have come to sacrifice to Yahweh.” Was Yahweh telling Samuel to lie by saying that he had come for one reason when he had really come for a different reason? Yahweh is actually telling Samuel not to say anything more than he needs to. As the author explains in 7:16, Samuel would regularly go about the Israelite cities and towns in his role as a judge. As 9:13 shows, Samuel would also offer sacrifices and invite people to join him in eating the meat of those animals as a feast in order to thank and honor Yahweh and to enjoy fellowship together. So Samuel could have gone to Bethlehem anyway as part of his regular duties, and his trip there actually did involve holding a feast for the elders of the town. But it also included a private visit with Jesse’s family, during which he anointed David. So Yahweh was not telling him to lie, he was advising him, for his own safety, to keep the private part of his visit private.

Why did the elders of Bethlehem tremble with fear when Samuel arrived?

The author says in 16:4 that when Samuel arrived in Bethlehem, “the elders of the city trembled to meet him.” The author does not state specifically why the elders were afraid. One possibility is that they thought that someone in their town, or the whole town collectively, had done something wrong and that Samuel had come to denounce them and declare that Yahweh was going to punish them. Another possibility is that the elders of Bethlehem knew that Samuel had had a bitter dispute with Saul and was no longer seeing him in person, as 15:35 states. They may have been very leery about potentially being drawn into this dispute between their longtime judge and the man who was now their king. However, since the author does not say specifically why the elders were afraid, we recommend that you do not suggest a reason in the text of your translation. In this case, say no more than the biblical text does.

Translation Issues in This Chapter

Did Yahweh send a “bad” spirit or an “evil” spirit to Saul?

The author relates in 16:13–14 that when Samuel anointed David, the Spirit of Yahweh rushed upon David, but the Spirit of Yahweh turned away from Saul and instead a “bad” spirit from Yahweh terrified him. Some versions of the Bible translate this as an “evil” spirit. The Hebrew term can have either meaning, depending on the context. The term should be understood to mean “bad” in this context. The Bible as a whole makes clear that God does not use evil means to accomplish his purposes. Moreover, the term “bad” may describe the effects of this spirit rather than its character. The spirit made Saul feel bad, and this may be because it made him mindful of how he had willfully disobeyed Yahweh and forfeited the kingship. Saul may have been terrified of how Yahweh would fulfill the judgment that Samuel had pronounced against him: “Yahweh has torn the kingdom of Israel from upon you today, and he has given it to your fellow, one better than you.”