Comments on 1 Samuel 16 This chapter is well known and straightforward so I won't comment on it much. v2 Saul is obviously willing to use unscrupulous means to preserve his position as king, and Samuel is justifiably concerned about being killed by him if it looks like he is about to anoint another in his stead. Samuel has also got to be concerned aboutwhoever he anoints as well, as Saul would certainly be out to kill him and his family. v4 The elders of the city know very well Saul's mind as did Samuel in v. 2 so they are worried about acts of retribution. v7 The opposite of 9:2. It grieves the Lord that Saul has not turned out to be a good king to Israel, so the Lord is explicitly making it clear that superficially physical things, that made Saul look so attractive as a king, are not what really counts. v12 "ruddy", i.e., he looked vigorous and healthy. The Hebrew is obscure, but the context is clear. v14-23 "evil spirit", there are two uses of such a term in the Scriptures, one being a literal spirit adversary, the other being a figurative usage indicating mental illness or some form of insanity. In this case it appears to be the latter as it comes and goes without being adjured by the Priesthood or the name of the Lord. We also see that Saul apparently has some mental problems in the following chapters, cp. 17:55-58, 18:10. We also see that David knew well what mental illness looked like, and the people in general did as well, cp. 21:13-15. Copyright © 2002 by S. Kurt Neumiller . All rights reserved. No part of this text may be reproduced in any form or by any means for commercial gain without the express written consent of the author. Digital or printed copies may be freely made and distributed for personal and public non-commercial use.