And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.

1 SAMUEL 16:1KJV
Know the Bible

1 Samuel 16:1 (KJV)

What does 1 Samuel 16:1 mean?

1 Samuel 16:1 describes God telling the prophet Samuel to stop grieving over Saul, because God has decided Saul will no longer be king of Israel. God instructs Samuel to fill his horn with oil and go to Jesse in Bethlehem, because God has chosen one of Jesse’s sons to be the next king.

God is speaking directly to Samuel, who is still mourning Saul’s failure as king. The verse marks a turning point: God has "rejected" (from the Hebrew מָאַס, ma'as) Saul, and now commands Samuel to take action by anointing a new king. The mention of the horn of oil points to the ancient practice of anointing leaders, and God’s direction to Jesse’s family sets up the introduction of David.

The Hebrew behind 1 Samuel 16:1

  • מָאַס (ma'as, "rejected"): This word means to despise or refuse, showing God’s firm decision that Saul’s reign is over, not just a temporary setback.
  • מָשַׁל (mashal, "reigning"): This word means to rule or have dominion, emphasizing that Saul’s authority as king is what God has ended.
  • קֶרֶן (qeren, "horn"): The horn was a container for oil, used in anointing, symbolizing God’s choice and empowerment of a new king.
  • רָאָה (ra’ah, "provided"): This word often means "to see" or "to provide," suggesting that God has already identified and chosen the new king among Jesse’s sons.

Why 1 Samuel 16:1 matters

  • 1 Samuel 16:1 clarifies that God’s choice of leaders is not permanent if they turn away from Him; God can and does move on to someone else.
  • The verse shows that mourning over past failures can keep someone from moving forward with God’s new plans, as seen in God’s gentle rebuke to Samuel.
  • This verse introduces the family of Jesse and sets the stage for the rise of David, a central figure in the rest of the book and in the history of Israel.

Where else these words appear

“Bethlehemite” Hebrew H1022 · used in 4 verses

  • 1 Samuel 16:18 Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the LORD is with him.
  • 1 Samuel 17:58 And Saul said to him, Whose son art thou, thou young man? And David answered, I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.
  • 2 Samuel 21:19 And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim, a Bethlehemite, slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.

“mourn” Hebrew H56 · used in 38 verses

  • Genesis 37:34 And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.
  • Nehemiah 8:9 And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law.
  • Jeremiah 23:10 For the land is full of adulterers; for because of swearing the land mourneth; the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up, and their course is evil, and their force is not right.

“Jesse” Hebrew H3448 · used in 39 verses

  • Ruth 4:17 And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.
  • 1 Samuel 17:12 Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehemjudah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons: and the man went among men for an old man in the days of Saul.
  • 2 Samuel 20:1 And there happened to be there a man of Belial, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite: and he blew a trumpet, and said, We have no part in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to his tents, O Israel.

“rejected” Hebrew H3988 · used in 69 verses

  • Leviticus 26:15 And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant:
  • Job 31:13 If I did despise the cause of my manservant or of my maidservant, when they contended with me;
  • Isaiah 41:9 Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.