1 Samuel 16:21

1 Samuel 16:21 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he became his armourbearer.
• New International Version (NIV)David came to Saul and entered his service. Saul liked him very much, and David became one of his armor-bearers.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And David came to Saul and entered his service. And Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor-bearer.
• New King James Version (NKJV)So David came to Saul and stood before him. And he loved him greatly, and he became his armorbearer.

Context of 1 Samuel 16:21

19Saul sent messengers to Jesse to say, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.” 20Jesse took six bushels of bread, a full wineskin, and a young goat and sent them with his son David to Saul. David came to Saul and served him. Saul loved him very much and made David his armorbearer. 22Saul sent ⌞this message⌟ to Jesse, “Please let David stay with me because I have grown fond of him.” 23Whenever God’s spirit came to Saul, David took the lyre and strummed a tune. Saul got relief ⌞from his terror⌟ and felt better, and the evil spirit left him.

1 Samuel 16:21 word by word

וַיָּבֹ֤א דָוִד֙ אֶל־שָׁא֔וּל וַֽיַּעֲמֹ֖ד לְפָנָ֑יו וַיֶּאֱהָבֵ֣הֽוּ מְאֹ֔ד וַֽיְהִי־ל֖וֹ נֹשֵׂ֥א כֵלִֽים׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And Davidדָּוִדdâvid dâvîyd · DavidH1732
• cameבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• to Saulשָׁאוּלshâ'ûl · SaulH7586
• and stoodעָמַד‛âmad · to stand: appointH5975
• beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
• him: and he lovedאָהֵב'âhab 'âhêb · to love: loverH157
• him greatlyמְאֹדme'ôd · muchH3966
• and he became his armourbearerכְּלִיkelîy · article/utensilH3627
• and he became his armourbearerנָשָׂאnâώâ' nâsâh · to lift: bearing(armour)H5375

Cross-references for 1 Samuel 16:21

• Genesis 41:46Joseph was 30 years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh (the king of Egypt). He left Pharaoh and traveled all around Egypt.
• Deuteronomy 1:38But your assistant Joshua, son of Nun, will go there. Encourage him, because he will help Israel take possession of the land.
• Deuteronomy 10:8At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the Lord’s promise, to stand in the Lord’s presence when they serve him as priests, and to praise his name, as they still do today.
• 1 Kings 10:8How blessed your men must be! How blessed these servants of yours must be because they are always stationed in front of you, listening to your wisdom!
• Proverbs 22:29Do you see a person who is efficient in his work? He will serve kings. He will not serve unknown people.
• Psalms 62:9Common people are only a whisper in the wind. Important people are only a delusion. When all of them are weighed on a scale, they amount to nothing. They are less than a whisper in the wind.
• Psalms 118:9It is better to depend on the Lord than to trust influential people.
• Psalms 146:3Do not trust influential people, mortals who cannot help you.

Commentaries on 1 Samuel 16:21

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 21The 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…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 14-23Verses 14-23 Saul is made a terror to himself. The Spirit of the Lord departed from him. If God and his grace do not rule us, sin and Satan will have possession of us. The devil, by the Divine permission, troubled and terrified Saul, by the corrupt humours of his body, and passions of his mind. He grew fretful, peevish, and discontented, and at times a madman. It is a pity that music, which may be serviceable to the good temper of the mind, should ever be…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 21At first, Saul loved David very much, but this love soon became intense jealousy and hatred (see 1 Samuel 18:8–14). An armor bearer in ancient Israel was the personal assistant of a warrior leader (see 1 Samuel 14:1–15; 31:4–6; Judges 9:54; 2 Samuel 18:15).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2121. David came to Saul--Providence thus prepared David for his destiny, by placing him in a way to become acquainted with the manners of the court, the business of government, and the general state of the kingdom. became his armour-bearer--This choice, as being an expression of the king's partiality, shows how honorable the office was held to be.Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Samuel 16:21

• Armor-Bearer
• David
• Demons
• Jesse
• Saul

In the dictionaries

• David
• Saul
• Paul, Saul
• Appearance
• Armourbearer
• Comely
• Jesse
• Psalms, Book of
• Samuel, Books of

Commentaries on 1 Samuel 16

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings