1 Samuel 16:22
in 1 Samuel 16Then Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, “Let David remain in my service, for I am pleased with him.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he hath found favor in my sight.
KJV
And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he hath found favour in my sight.
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This verse in 1 Samuel 16
Commentary
3 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
Let David remain in my service, for I am pleased with him
on 1 Samuel 16:22-23
Saul asks Jesse to "Let David remain in my service." When the spirit comes, David plays the harp, Saul becomes well, and "the spirit of distress would depart from him." The chapter closes with the man who will take the throne easing the affliction of the man he will replace.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably? 5 And he said, Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice unto the L ORD : sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — scripture-overlap:96%@v4-5
And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, let David, I pray thee, stand before me,.... Continue in his service; which was great condescension in him, and great respect shown to Jesse, not to detain his son without his leave, and to ask it as a favour of him: for he hath found favour in my sight: was very acceptable to him which must be very pleasing to Jesse to hear; especially if he was in any fear that Saul had an ill design upon him, when he first sent for him.
The words behind it
13 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּשְׁלַ֣ח | vaiyishlach | and he sent | H7971 → | 845 times |
| שָׁא֔וּל | shaul | Saul | H7586 → | 402 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| יִשַׁ֖י | yishai | Jesse | H3448 → | 42 times |
| לֵאמֹ֑ר | lemor | <to> saying | H559 → | 5305 times |
| יַעֲמָד־ | yaamod- | let him stand | H5975 → | 521 times |
| נָ֤א | na' | please | H4994 → | 404 times |
| דָוִד֙ | david | David | H1732 → | 999 times |
| לְפָנַ֔י | lefanai | <to> before me | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| מָ֥צָא | matza' | he has found | H4672 → | 455 times |
| חֵ֖ן | chen | favor | H2580 → | 69 times |
| בְּעֵינָֽי׃ | beeinai | in view my | H5869 → | 887 times |
וַיִּשְׁלַ֣חand he sent
vaiyishlachH7971 →845 times
שָׁא֔וּלSaul
shaulH7586 →402 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
יִשַׁ֖יJesse
yishaiH3448 →42 times
לֵאמֹ֑ר<to> saying
lemorH559 →5305 times
יַעֲמָד־let him stand
yaamod-H5975 →521 times
נָ֤אplease
na'H4994 →404 times
דָוִד֙David
davidH1732 →999 times
לְפָנַ֔י<to> before me
lefanaiH6440 →2123 times
כִּֽי־for
ki-H3588 →4482 times
מָ֥צָאhe has found
matza'H4672 →455 times
חֵ֖ןfavor
chenH2580 →69 times
בְּעֵינָֽי׃in view my
beeinaiH5869 →887 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies14
About 1 Samuel
Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PersonUnited MonarchyDavidSecond king of united Israel, shepherd-turned-monarch, ancestor of the Messiah, and traditional author of many Psalms.
- PersonUnited monarchySaulIsrael's first king, head and shoulders above the people; began in humility, ended in rejection — sparing what God devoted, consul…
This page draws on John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.