1 Samuel 16:23
in 1 Samuel 16And whenever the spirit from God came upon Saul, David would pick up his harp and play, and Saul would become well, and the spirit of distress would depart from him.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took the harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.
KJV
And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.
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This verse in 1 Samuel 16
Commentary
14 notes on this verseA commentator
Gregory the DialogistThe Book of Pastoral Rule, Part 3, Chapter 2 · Written before 604.
For neither is this to be lightly regarded, that, when an adverse spirit entered into Saul, David took his harp and assuaged his madness. For what is intimated by Saul but the elation of men in power, and what by David but the humble life of the holy?
This 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," formalizing what began as an errand. When the spirit comes upon Saul, David plays the harp, Saul becomes well, and "the spirit of distress would depart from him" each time. The chapter closes with the man who will take the throne easing the affliction of the man he will replace.
This site's exposition
David would pick up his harp and play
Adam Clarke notes that the Hebrew text lacks the word evil where the spirit from God comes upon Saul, while the Septuagint, the Vulgate and the Targum supply it. Matthew Henry cites Josephus that David sang hymns to the harp as he played. Gregory the Great saw the humble quieting the proud.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers4 voices
The discipline of music incorporates great power and knowledge which brings delight; teachers of secular literature, through the generosity of God who grants all that is useful, have made it possible through theoretical texts to ascertain what was earlier regarded as hidden from view in …
After this, you will find plenty of men and women, filled with a divine spirit, who sang of the mysteries of God. Among these was David. As a boy, he was given a special call to this office, and by God's grace he became the …
You, a man of the church, ought to be better instructed by the music of the church than by Pythagoras. Think what David's lyre did for Saul, who was harassed by an evil spirit but recovered from this disturbance when the holy man played his lyre; beware of thinking the concupiscence of the flesh is a good merely because it is sometimes checked by musical sounds.
Once when he came to Saul, who was frenzied and out of his right mind, he healed him by soothing his passions with song, so that Saul's understanding returned to him again in accordance with nature. The goal, then, of the symbolism of the singing is clear from these words. It recommends that we achieve the subjugation of those passions which arise in us in various ways from the circumstances of life.
The Medieval Church1 voice
Therefore whenever the evil spirit of God seized Saul, etc. The sense is clear from the preceding, and it is suitable not only to the faithful Jews but also to us. For it must be that whenever any temptation of the evil spirit seizes our …
6 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
Departed - Namely, for a season. And the reason of this success, may be, partly natural, and partly, supernatural, respecting David; whom God designed by this means to bring into favour with the king, and so to smooth the way for his advancement.
Only his instrumental music with his harp is mentioned, but it should seem, by the account Josephus gives, that he added vocal music to it, and sung hymns, probably divine hymns, songs of praise, to his harp. David's music was Saul's physic. [1.] Music has a natural tendency to compose and exhilarate the mind, when it is disturbed and saddened.
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 it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
The evil spirit from God - The word evil is not in the common Hebrew text, but it is in the Vulgate, Septuagint, Targum, Syriac, and Arabic, and in eight of Kennicott’s and De Rossi’s MSS., which present the text thus: רוח אלהים רעה ruach Elohim raah, spiritus Domini malus, the evil spirit of God. The Septuagint leave out Θεου, of God, and have πνευμα πονηρον, the evil spirit. The Targum says, The evil spirit from before the Lord; and the Arabic has it. The evil spirit by the permission of God; this is at least the sense.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well--The ancients believed that music had a mysterious influence in healing mental disorders.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-run:16w-of-29
The words behind it
20 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְהָיָ֗ה | vehayah | and it was | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| בִּֽהְי֤וֹת | bihyot | when was | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| רֽוּחַ־ | ruach- | a spirit of | H7307 → | 378 times |
| אֱלֹהִים֙ | ʾelohim | God | H430 → | 2601 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| שָׁא֔וּל | shaul | Saul | H7586 → | 402 times |
| וְלָקַ֥ח | velakach | and he took | H3947 → | 966 times |
| דָּוִ֛ד | david | David | H1732 → | 999 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הַכִּנּ֖וֹר | hakinor | the harp | H3658 → | 42 times |
| וְנִגֵּ֣ן | venigen | and he played | H5059 → | 15 times |
| בְּיָד֑וֹ | beyado | with hand his | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| וְרָוַ֤ח | veravach | and it was relief | H7304 → | |
| לְשָׁאוּל֙ | leshaul | to Saul | H7586 → | 402 times |
| וְט֣וֹב | vetov | and good | H2896 → | 538 times |
| ל֔וֹ | lo | [belonged] to <the> him | ||
| וְסָ֥רָה | vesarah | and it departed | H5493 → | 299 times |
| מֵעָלָ֖יו | mealav | from on <the> him | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| ר֥וּחַ | ruach | [the] spirit of | H7307 → | 378 times |
| הָרָעָֽה׃ פ | haraah | <the> evil | H7451 → | 662 times |
וְהָיָ֗הand it was
vehayahH1961 →3559 times
בִּֽהְי֤וֹתwhen was
bihyotH1961 →3559 times
רֽוּחַ־a spirit of
ruach-H7307 →378 times
אֱלֹהִים֙God
ʾelohimH430 →2601 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
שָׁא֔וּלSaul
shaulH7586 →402 times
וְלָקַ֥חand he took
velakachH3947 →966 times
דָּוִ֛דDavid
davidH1732 →999 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הַכִּנּ֖וֹרthe harp
hakinorH3658 →42 times
וְנִגֵּ֣ןand he played
venigenH5059 →15 times
בְּיָד֑וֹwith hand his
beyadoH3027 →1618 times
וְרָוַ֤חand it was relief
veravachH7304 →
לְשָׁאוּל֙to Saul
leshaulH7586 →402 times
וְט֣וֹבand good
vetovH2896 →538 times
ל֔וֹ[belonged] to <the> him
lo
וְסָ֥רָהand it departed
vesarahH5493 →299 times
מֵעָלָ֖יוfrom on <the> him
mealavH5921 →5755 times
ר֥וּחַ[the] spirit of
ruachH7307 →378 times
הָרָעָֽה׃ פ<the> evil
haraahH7451 →662 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
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 12 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Augustine of Hippo, AGAINST JULIAN 5.5.23; Bede, Commentary on Samuel; Cassiodorus, EXPOSITION OF THE PSALMS 80.4; Gregory of Nyssa, ON THE INSCRIPTIONS OF THE PSALMS 1.3.24; Gregory the Dialogist, The Book of Pastoral Rule, Part 3, Chapter 2; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Nicetas of Remesiana, LITURGICAL SINGING 4.