1 Samuel 16:1

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Samuel 16:1-5

Samuel had retired to his own house in Ramah, with a resolution not to appear any more in public business, but to addict himself wholly to the instructing and training up of the sons of the prophets, over whom he presided, as we find, 1 Sam. 19:20. He promised himself more satisfaction in young prophets than in young princes; and we do not find that, to his dying day, God called him out to any public action relating to the state, but only here to anoint David. I. God reproves him for... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 16:1

And the Lord said unto Samuel ,.... In a vision or dream, or by an articulate voice: how long wilt thou mourn for Saul? he does not blame him for mourning, but for mourning so long; but how long that was cannot be said; and though his affection for him might cause him to indulge to it, yet it was in vain, seeing the sentence was irreversible: seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel ? that is, his posterity; for he himself reigned as long as he lived, though in a very... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 16:1

Fill thine horn with oil - Horns appear to have been the ancient drinking vessels of all nations; and we may suppose that most persons who had to travel much, always carried one with them, for the purpose of taking up water from the fountains to quench their thirst. Such a horn had Samuel; and on this occasion he was commanded to fill it with oil, for the purpose of consecrating a king over Israel from among the sons of Jesse. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 16:1

DAVID ANOINTED AS THE FUTURE KING , AND HIS FIRST INTRODUCTION TO SAUL . ( 1 Samuel 16:1-23 ) EXPOSITION CHOICE OF DAVID AS SUCCESSOR TO SAUL ( 1 Samuel 16:1-13 ). How long writ thou mourn? The grief of Samuel was prolonged almost to a sinful extent, nor can we wonder at it. We who see Saul's whole career, and know how deeply he fell, are in danger of discrediting his high qualities; but those who were witnesses of his military skill and... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 16:1-5

The progression of Providence. The facts are— 1 . Samuel is aroused from his sorrow for Saul by a command from God to anoint a son of Jesse. 2 . Being in fear, be is directed to go and offer sacrifice and await further instructions. 3 . Arriving at Bethlehem, he quiets the trembling elders and makes preparation for the sacrifice. It was natural for Samuel in his retirement to cherish sorrow for Saul; and his brooding over disappointment would become more habitual as no active... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - 1 Samuel 16:1

1 Samuel 16:1. How long wilt thou mourn for Saul? And pray for his restoration, which the following words imply he did. Fill thy horn with oil Which was used in the inauguration of kings. But here it was used in the designation of a king; for David was not actually made king by it, but still remained a subject. And the reason of this anticipation was the comfort of Samuel, and other good men, against their fears in case of Saul’s death, and the assurance of David’s title, which... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 16:1-23

16:1-19:24 THE RISE OF DAVIDDavid brought to the royal court (16:1-23)When told by God to go and anoint a king to replace Saul, Samuel feared to, lest Saul kill him. God therefore told Samuel to keep the matter secret (16:1-3). Reassured by this additional word from God, Samuel went to Bethlehem, where he met the leading men of the important families in that area (4-5).The outcome of Samuel’s visit was that he anointed David, youngest son of the family of Jesse. Anointing was a way of marking... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - 1 Samuel 16:1

the LORD . Hebrew. Jehovah . App-4 . I have rejected . Note here Jehovah's sovereignty. I have provided. Note Jehovah's sovereignty in this choice of' the youngest. It is this choice that makes David the "man after Jehovah's heart"; not David's personal character or conduct. read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - 1 Samuel 16:1

THE ANOINTING OF DAVID TO BE THE NEW KING OF ISRAEL"This chapter is the natural continuation of the last one."[1] Time marches on regardless of the readiness or unreadiness of men; and the rejection of Saul as king of Israel in the last chapter required that a successor be chosen. "It was God's purpose that David should be anointed at this time as Saul's successor and as the ancestor and type of God's Christ. It was not God's purpose that Samuel should stir up a war by setting up David as... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - 1 Samuel 16:1

1. the Lord said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul—Samuel's grief on account of Saul's rejection, accompanied, doubtless, by earnest prayers for his restitution, showed the amiable feelings of the man; but they were at variance with his public duty as a prophet. The declared purpose of God to transfer the kingdom of Israel into other hands than Saul's was not an angry menace, but a fixed and immutable decree; so that Samuel ought to have sooner submitted to the peremptory... read more

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