1 Samuel 16:17
in 1 Samuel 16And Saul commanded his servants, “Find me someone who plays well, and bring him to me.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Saul said unto his servants, Provide me now a man that can play well, and bring him to me.
KJV
And Saul said unto his servants, Provide me now a man that can play well, and bring him to me.
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This verse in 1 Samuel 16
Commentary
5 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
Surely a spirit of distress from God is tormenting you
on 1 Samuel 16:15-18
Saul’s servants propose music, someone who can "skillfully play the harp" when the spirit of distress comes. Their description of David, "a mighty man of valor, a warrior, eloquent and handsome," already sounds like more than a shepherd. Albert Barnes notes the difficulty beside chapter 17, where Saul asks whose son David is, and the usual answer is that the report ran ahead of what Saul had seen.
This site's exposition
Find me someone who plays well
John Gill reads the command as Saul's approval of his servants' counsel, given with a king's right to summon any man. Saul asks for skill alone. The servant of verse 18 answers with a warrior, a speaker and a man the LORD is with.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
Provide for me someone who sings well, etc., Indeed, he said, I know many who are skilled in singing, but provide and bring to me someone who sings well; which is like the Jews agreeing with the words of the apostles, saying, indeed we know …
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 said unto his servants,.... Approving of, and pleased with the advice they gave: provide me now a man that can play well, and bring him to me; for being a sovereign prince, he could command whom he would to attend to his person and service.
The words behind it
12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֥אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| שָׁא֖וּל | shaul | Saul | H7586 → | 402 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| עֲבָדָ֑יו | ʾavadav | servants his | H5650 → | 799 times |
| רְאוּ־ | reu- | see | H7200 → | 1300 times |
| נָ֣א | na' | please | H4994 → | 404 times |
| לִ֗י | li | for <the> me | ||
| אִ֚ישׁ | ʾish | a person | H376 → | 1663 times |
| מֵיטִ֣יב | meitiv | [who] does well | H3190 → | 117 times |
| לְנַגֵּ֔ן | lenagen | to play | H5059 → | 15 times |
| וַהֲבִיאוֹתֶ֖ם | vahaviotem | and you will bring [him] | H935 → | 2568 times |
| אֵלָֽי׃ | ʾelai | to me | H413 → | 5510 times |
וַיֹּ֥אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
שָׁא֖וּלSaul
shaulH7586 →402 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
עֲבָדָ֑יוservants his
ʾavadavH5650 →799 times
רְאוּ־see
reu-H7200 →1300 times
נָ֣אplease
na'H4994 →404 times
לִ֗יfor <the> me
li
אִ֚ישׁa person
ʾishH376 →1663 times
מֵיטִ֣יב[who] does well
meitivH3190 →117 times
לְנַגֵּ֔ןto play
lenagenH5059 →15 times
וַהֲבִיאוֹתֶ֖םand you will bring [him]
vahaviotemH935 →2568 times
אֵלָֽי׃to me
ʾelaiH413 →5510 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About 1 Samuel
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Bede, Commentary on Samuel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.