1 Samuel 16:4

1 Samuel 16:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And Samuel did that which the Lord spake, and came to Beth–lehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably?
• New International Version (NIV)Samuel did what the Lord said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, “Do you come in peace?”
• English Standard Version (ESV)Samuel did what the Lord commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said, "Do you come peaceably?"
• New King James Version (NKJV)So Samuel did what the Lord said, and went to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, “Do you come peaceably?”

Context of 1 Samuel 16:4

2And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul shall hear it, he will kill me. And the LORD said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. 3And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint to me him whom I name to thee. And Samuel did that which the LORD spoke, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably? 5And he said, Peaceably: I have come to sacrifice to the LORD: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice. 6And it came to pass, when they had come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD’S anointed is before him.

1 Samuel 16:4 word by word

וַיַּ֣עַשׂ שְׁמוּאֵ֗ל אֵ֚ת אֲשֶׁ֣ר דִּבֶּ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה וַיָּבֹ֖א בֵּ֣ית לָ֑חֶם וַיֶּחֶרְד֞וּ זִקְנֵ֤י הָעִיר֙ לִקְרָאת֔וֹ וַיֹּ֖אמֶר שָׁלֹ֥ם בּוֹאֶֽךָ׃Read the interlinear

• Samuelשְׁמוּאֵלshemû'êl · SamuelH8050
• didעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
• LORDיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• spokeדָבַרdâbar · to speak: speakH1696
• cameבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• Bethlehemבֵּית לֶ֫חֶםbêyth lechem · BethlehemH1035
• eldersזָקֵןzâqên · old: elderH2205
• townעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
• trembledחָרַדchârad · to trembleH2729
• comingקִרְאָהqir'âh · befallH7125
• saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• peaceablyשָׁלוֹםshâlôm shâlôm · peaceH7965

Cross-references for 1 Samuel 16:4

• 1 Samuel 21:1Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said to him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee?
• 2 Samuel 6:9And David was afraid of the LORD that day, and said, How shall the ark of the LORD come to me?
• 1 Kings 17:18And she said to Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come to me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?
• Hosea 6:5Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth: and thy judgments are as the light that goeth forth.
• Hosea 11:10They shall walk after the LORD: he shall roar like a lion: when he shall roar, then the children shall tremble from the west.
• Luke 5:8When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.
• Luke 8:37Then the whole multitude of the country of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes besought him to depart from them; for they were seized with great fear: and he went into the boat, and returned back again.
• 1 Kings 2:13And Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, Comest thou peaceably? And he said, Peaceably.
• 2 Kings 9:22And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, Is it peace, Jehu? And he answered, What peace, so long as the harlotries of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many?
• 1 Chronicles 12:17And David went out to meet them, and answered and said to them, If ye have come peaceably to me to help me, my heart shall be knit to you: but if ye have come to betray me to my enemies, seeing there is no wrong in my hands, the God of our fathers look on it, and rebuke it .

Commentaries on 1 Samuel 16:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4The elders of the town trembled at his coming - They knew he was a prophet of the Lord, and they were afraid that he was now come to denounce some judgments of the Most High against their city.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4Trembled - There was evidently something unusual in Samuel‘s coming to Bethlehem; and the elders, knowing that Samuel was no longer at friendship with Saul, foreboded some evil.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4The elders … trembled: The elders were afraid because news had likely reached Bethlehem that Samuel had rebuked Saul and put Agag to death.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. the elders of the town trembled at his coming--Beth-lehem was an obscure town, and not within the usual circuit of the judge. The elders were naturally apprehensive, therefore, that his arrival was occasioned by some extraordinary reason, and that it might entail evil upon their town, in consequence of the estrangement between Samuel and the king.Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Samuel 16:4

• Church and State
• Government
• Jesse
• King
• Minister, Christian
• Reverence

In the dictionaries

• Samuel
• Appearance
• Bethlehem
• Comely
• David
• Elder in the Old Testament
• Jesse
• Sacrifice
• Samuel, Books of
• Saul

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