1 Samuel 16:1

Samuel Anoints David as King

16:1 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long do you intend to mourn for Saul? I have rejected him as king over Israel. ¹  Fill your horn with olive oil and go! I am sending you to Jesse in Bethlehem, ²  for I have selected a king for myself from among his sons.” ³ 

1 Samuel 16:13

16:13 So Samuel took the horn full of olive oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers. The Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day onward. Then Samuel got up and went to Ramah.

1 Samuel 16:2

16:2 Samuel replied, “How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me!” But the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you ⁴  and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’

1 Samuel 7:7

7:7 When the Philistines heard that the Israelites had gathered at Mizpah, the leaders of the Philistines went up against Israel. When the Israelites heard about this, they were afraid of the Philistines.

Mazmur 78:71

78:71 He took him away from following the mother sheep, ⁵ 

and made him the shepherd of Jacob, his people,

and of Israel, his chosen nation. ⁶ 

Yesaya 40:11

40:11 Like a shepherd he tends his flock;

he gathers up the lambs with his arm;

he carries them close to his heart; ⁷ 

he leads the ewes along.

Yeremia 3:15

3:15 I will give you leaders ⁸  who will be faithful to me. ⁹  They will lead you with knowledge and insight.

Mikha 5:2

A King Will Come and a Remnant Will Prosper

5:2 (5:1) As for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, ¹⁰ 

seemingly insignificant ¹¹  among the clans of Judah –

from you a king will emerge who will rule over Israel on my behalf, ¹² 

one whose origins ¹³  are in the distant past. ¹⁴ 

Mikha 5:4

5:4 He will assume his post ¹⁵  and shepherd the people ¹⁶  by the Lord’s strength,

by the sovereign authority of the Lord his God. ¹⁷ 

They will live securely, ¹⁸  for at that time he will be honored ¹⁹ 

even in the distant regions of ²⁰  the earth.

Matius 2:6

2:6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are in no way least among the rulers of Judah,

for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” ²¹ 

[16:1]  ¹ tc The Lucianic recension of the Old Greek translation includes the following words: “And the Lord said to Samuel.”

[16:1]  ² map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[16:1]  ³ tn Heb “for I have seen among his sons for me a king.”

[16:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “in your hand.”

[78:71]  ⁵ tn Heb “from after the ewes he brought him.”

[78:71]  ⁶ tn Heb “to shepherd Jacob, his people, and Israel, his inheritance.”

[40:11]  ⁷ tn Heb “in his bosom” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV), an expression which reflects closeness and protective care.

[3:15]  ⁸ tn Heb “shepherds.”

[3:15]  ⁹ tn Heb “after/according to my [own] heart.”

[5:2]  ¹⁰ sn Ephrathah is either an alternate name for Bethlehem or the name of the district in which Bethlehem was located. See Ruth 4:11.

[5:2]  map For location of Bethlehem see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[5:2]  ¹¹ tn Heb “being small.” Some omit לִהְיוֹת (lihyot, “being”) because it fits awkwardly and appears again in the next line.

[5:2]  ¹² tn Heb “from you for me one will go out to be a ruler over Israel.”

[5:2]  ¹³ tn Heb “his goings out.” The term may refer to the ruler’s origins (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT) or to his activities.

[5:2]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “from the past, from the days of antiquity.” Elsewhere both phrases refer to the early periods in the history of the world or of the nation of Israel. For מִקֶּדֶם (miqqedem, “from the past”) see Neh 12:46; Pss 74:12; 77:11; Isa 45:21; 46:10. For מִימֵי עוֹלָם (mimey ’olam, “from the days of antiquity”) see Isa 63:9, 11; Amos 9:11; Mic 7:14; Mal 3:4. In Neh 12:46 and Amos 9:11 the Davidic era is in view.

[5:2]  sn In riddle-like fashion this verse alludes to David, as the references to Bethlehem and to his ancient origins/activities indicate. The passage anticipates the second coming of the great king to usher in a new era of national glory for Israel. Other prophets are more direct and name this coming ideal ruler “David” (Jer 30:9; Ezek 34:23-24; 37:24-25; Hos 3:5). Of course, this prophecy of “David’s” second coming is actually fulfilled through his descendant, the Messiah, who will rule in the spirit and power of his famous ancestor and bring to realization the Davidic royal ideal in an even greater way than the historical David (see Isa 11:1, 10; Jer 33:15).

[5:4]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “stand up”; NAB “stand firm”; NASB “will arise.”

[5:4]  ¹⁶ tn The words “the people” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[5:4]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “by the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.”

[5:4]  ¹⁸ tn The words “in peace” are supplied in the translation for clarification. Perhaps וְיָשָׁבוּ (vÿyashavu, “and they will live”) should be emended to וְשָׁבוּ (vÿshavu, “and they will return”).

[5:4]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “be great.”

[5:4]  ²⁰ tn Or “to the ends of.”

[2:6]  ²¹ sn A quotation from Mic 5:2.