Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.

1 SAMUEL 16:13KJV
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1 Samuel 16:13 (KJV)

What does 1 Samuel 16:13 mean?

1 Samuel 16:13 marks David as the person God has chosen to become king. Samuel pours oil on David as a public sign of that choice, and the Spirit of the LORD comes upon David from that day forward.

After the LORD tells Samuel to anoint David in verse 12, Samuel acts while David’s brothers are present. The oil comes from a horn, a container used to hold the oil poured during such a ceremony. Samuel then leaves for Ramah.

The Hebrew behind 1 Samuel 16:13

  • “anointed” — מָשַׁח (mashach): This word means to smear or apply liquid. Here the act of applying oil marks David out for a particular role.
  • “came” — צָלַח (tsalach): This word can carry the sense of coming powerfully upon someone. The wording gives force to the account of the Spirit’s arrival.

Why 1 Samuel 16:13 matters

  • David’s selection happens before he takes the throne. Saul is still king at this point, and David later enters Saul’s service, as the following verses describe.
  • The verse places David’s new role alongside the Spirit’s presence. The words “from that day forward” connect that presence to the day Samuel anoints him.
  • David is chosen in front of his brothers, after Samuel has seen the older sons. The setting makes clear that the chosen son is the youngest, whom Jesse had initially left tending sheep.

Where else these words appear

“Ramah” Hebrew H7414 · used in 35 verses

  • Joshua 18:25 Gibeon, and Ramah, and Beeroth,
  • 1 Samuel 19:18 So David fled, and escaped, and came to Samuel to Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth.
  • 2 Kings 8:29 And king Joram went back to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.

“came” Hebrew H6743 · used in 64 verses

  • Genesis 24:21 And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not.
  • 1 Chronicles 22:11 Now, my son, the LORD be with thee; and prosper thou, and build the house of the LORD thy God, as he hath said of thee.
  • Isaiah 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

“anointed” Hebrew H4886 · used in 66 verses

  • Genesis 31:13 I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred.
  • Numbers 6:15 And a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, and wafers of unleavened bread anointed with oil, and their meat offering, and their drink offerings.
  • 1 Kings 1:39 And Zadok the priest took an horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet; and all the people said, God save king Solomon.

“horn” Hebrew H7161 · used in 69 verses

  • Genesis 22:13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
  • 2 Samuel 22:3 The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.
  • Jeremiah 48:25 The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, saith the LORD.