1 Samuel 16:16
New International Version
Let our lord command his servants here to search for someone who can play the lyre. He will play when the evil spirit from God comes on you, and you will feel better.”

New Living Translation
Let us find a good musician to play the harp whenever the tormenting spirit troubles you. He will play soothing music, and you will soon be well again.”

English Standard Version
Let our lord now command your servants who are before you to seek out a man who is skillful in playing the lyre, and when the harmful spirit from God is upon you, he will play it, and you will be well.”

Berean Standard Bible
Let our lord command your servants here to seek out someone who can skillfully play the harp. Whenever the spirit of distress from God is upon you, he is to play it, and you will be well.”

King James Bible
Let our lord now command thy servants, which are before thee, to seek out a man, who is a cunning player on an harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well.

New King James Version
Let our master now command your servants, who are before you, to seek out a man who is a skillful player on the harp. And it shall be that he will play it with his hand when the distressing spirit from God is upon you, and you shall be well.”

New American Standard Bible
May our lord now command your servants who are before you. Have them search for a man who is a skillful musician on the harp; and it shall come about whenever the evil spirit from God is upon you, that he shall play the harp with his hand, and you will become well.”

NASB 1995
“Let our lord now command your servants who are before you. Let them seek a man who is a skillful player on the harp; and it shall come about when the evil spirit from God is on you, that he shall play the harp with his hand, and you will be well.”

NASB 1977
“Let our lord now command your servants who are before you. Let them seek a man who is a skillful player on the harp; and it shall come about when the evil spirit from God is on you, that he shall play the harp with his hand, and you will be well.”

Legacy Standard Bible
Let our lord now speak to your servants who are before you. Let them seek a man who is a skillful musician on the harp; and it shall be that when the evil spirit from God is on you, he shall play the harp with his hand, and you will be well.”

Amplified Bible
Let our lord now command your servants who are here before you to find a man who plays skillfully on the harp; and when the evil spirit from God is on you, he shall play the harp with his hand, and you will be well.”

Christian Standard Bible
Let our lord command your servants here in your presence to look for someone who knows how to play the lyre. Whenever the evil spirit from God comes on you, that person can play the lyre, and you will feel better.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Let our lord command your servants here in your presence to look for someone who knows how to play the lyre. Whenever the evil spirit from God troubles you, that person can play the lyre, and you will feel better.”

American Standard Version
Let our lord now command thy servants, that are before thee, to seek out a man who is a skilful player on the harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well.

Contemporary English Version
"Your Majesty, let us go and look for someone who is good at playing the harp. He can play for you whenever the evil spirit from God bothers you, and you'll feel better."

English Revised Version
Let our lord now command thy servants, which are before thee, to seek out a man who is a cunning player on the harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Your Majesty, why don't you command us to look for a man who can play the lyre well? When the evil spirit from God comes to you, he'll strum a tune, and you'll feel better."

Good News Translation
So give us the order, sir, and we will look for a man who knows how to play the harp. Then when the evil spirit comes on you, the man can play his harp, and you will be all right again."

International Standard Version
Let our lord order his servants who attend you to look for a man who is skilled in playing the lyre. And then when an evil spirit from God comes on you, he will play and you will be better."

Majority Standard Bible
Let our lord command your servants here to seek out someone who can skillfully play the harp. Whenever the spirit of distress from God is upon you, he is to play it, and you will be well.”

NET Bible
Let our lord instruct his servants who are here before you to look for a man who knows how to play the lyre. Then whenever the evil spirit from God comes upon you, he can play the lyre and you will feel better."

New Heart English Bible
Let our lord now command your servants who are before you, to seek out a man who is a skillful player on the harp. It shall happen, when the harmful spirit is on you, that he shall play with his hand, and you shall be well, and it will give you relief."

Webster's Bible Translation
Let our lord now command thy servants, who are before thee, to seek a man who is a skillful player on a harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he will play with his hand, and thou wilt be well.

World English Bible
Let our lord now command your servants who are in front of you to seek out a man who is a skillful player on the harp. Then when the evil spirit from God is on you, he will play with his hand, and you will be well.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
now let our lord command your servants before you [that] they seek a skillful man playing on a harp, and it has come to pass, in the spirit of sadness [from] God being on you, that he has played with his hand and [it is] well with you.”

Young's Literal Translation
let our lord command, we pray thee, thy servants before thee, they seek a skilful man, playing on a harp, and it hath come to pass, in the spirit of sadness from God being upon thee, that he hath played with his hand, and it is well with thee.'

Smith's Literal Translation
Will our lord now say to thy servants before thee, Seek out a man knowing to play upon the harp: and it was in the evil spirit of God being upon thee, and he playing with the hand and doing good to thee.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Let our lord give orders, and thy servants who are before thee will seek out a man skilful in playing on the harp, that when the evil spirit from the Lord is upon thee, he may play with his hand, and thou mayest bear it more easily.

Catholic Public Domain Version
May our lord order, and your servants, who are before you, will seek a man skillful in playing a stringed instrument, so that when the evil spirit from the Lord assails you, he may play with his hand, and you may bear it more easily.”

New American Bible
If your lordship will order it, we, your servants here attending to you, will look for a man skilled in playing the harp. When the evil spirit from God comes upon you, he will play and you will feel better.”

New Revised Standard Version
Let our lord now command the servants who attend you to look for someone who is skillful in playing the lyre; and when the evil spirit from God is upon you, he will play it, and you will feel better.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Let them seek out a man who can play well on the harp; and when the evil spirit is upon you, he will play with his hands, and you shall be well.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
We will seek a man who knows to play on the harp, and when the evil spirit is upon you, he will play with his hands, and it shall be good for you”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Let our lord now command thy servants, that are before thee, to seek out a man who is a skilful player on the harp; and it shall be, when the evil spirit from God cometh upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Let now thy servants speak before thee, and let them seek for our lord a man skilled to play on the harp; and it shall come to pass when an evil spirit comes upon thee and he shall play on his harp, that thou shalt be well, and he shall refresh thee.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
David Serves Saul
15Saul’s servants said to him, “Surely a spirit of distress from God is tormenting you. 16Let our lord command your servants here to seek out someone who can skillfully play the harp. Whenever the spirit of distress from God is upon you, he is to play it, and you will be well.” 17And Saul commanded his servants, “Find me someone who plays well, and bring him to me.”…

Cross References
2 Kings 3:15
But now, bring me a harpist.” And while the harpist played, the hand of the LORD came upon Elisha

2 Chronicles 5:13-14
The trumpeters and singers joined together to praise and thank the LORD with one voice. They lifted up their voices, accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and musical instruments, in praise to the LORD: “For He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.” And the temple, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud / so that the priests could not stand there to minister because of the cloud. For the glory of the LORD filled the house of God.

Psalm 33:2-3
Praise the LORD with the harp; make music to Him with ten strings. / Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully with a shout of joy.

Psalm 92:1-3
A Psalm. A song for the Sabbath day. It is good to praise the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High, / to proclaim Your loving devotion in the morning and Your faithfulness at night / with the ten-stringed harp and the melody of the lyre.

Psalm 98:5-6
Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, in melodious song with the harp. / With trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn shout for joy before the LORD, the King.

Psalm 144:9
I will sing to You a new song, O God; on a harp of ten strings I will make music to You—

Psalm 150:3-5
Praise Him with the sound of the horn; praise Him with the harp and lyre. / Praise Him with tambourine and dancing; praise Him with strings and flute. / Praise Him with clashing cymbals; praise Him with resounding cymbals.

Isaiah 38:20
The LORD will save me; we will play songs on stringed instruments all the days of our lives in the house of the LORD.

Daniel 3:5
As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.

Daniel 3:7
Therefore, as soon as all the people heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, and all kinds of music, the people of every nation and language would fall down and worship the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

Matthew 9:23-24
When Jesus entered the house of the synagogue leader, He saw the flute players and the noisy crowd. / “Go away,” He told them. “The girl is not dead, but asleep.” And they laughed at Him.

Mark 5:38-40
When they arrived at the house of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw the commotion and the people weeping and wailing loudly. / He went inside and asked, “Why all this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead, but asleep.” / And they laughed at Him. After He had put them all outside, He took the child’s father and mother and His own companions, and went in to see the child.

Luke 8:51-53
When He entered the house, He did not allow anyone to go in with Him except Peter, John, James, and the child’s father and mother. / Meanwhile, everyone was weeping and mourning for her. But Jesus said, “Stop weeping; she is not dead but asleep.” / And they laughed at Him, knowing that she was dead.

Acts 16:25
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.

Romans 15:9
so that the Gentiles may glorify God for His mercy. As it is written: “Therefore I will praise You among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to Your name.”


Treasury of Scripture

Let our lord now command your servants, which are before you, to seek out a man, who is a cunning player on an harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is on you, that he shall play with his hand, and you shall be well.

before thee

1 Samuel 16:21,22
And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he became his armourbearer…

Genesis 41:46
And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.

1 Kings 10:8
Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom.

play

1 Samuel 16:23
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.

1 Samuel 10:5
After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines: and it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they shall prophesy:

2 Kings 3:15
But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him.

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1 Samuel 16
1. Samuel sent by God, under pretense of a sacrifice, comes to Bethlehem
6. His human judgment is reproved
11. He anoints David
15. Saul sends for David to quiet his evil spirit














Let our lord command
This phrase indicates a request for action from a position of respect and submission. The Hebrew word for "lord" here is "adon," which signifies authority and leadership. In the context of ancient Israel, this reflects the hierarchical structure where servants or subjects would seek the guidance and command of their leader, in this case, King Saul. It underscores the importance of recognizing and respecting God-ordained authority.

your servants here
The term "servants" in Hebrew is "ebed," which can mean a servant, slave, or subject. This reflects the societal norms of the time, where individuals served under a king or master. The use of "your servants" indicates loyalty and readiness to serve, highlighting the communal and hierarchical nature of ancient Israelite society.

to seek out a man
The phrase "seek out" comes from the Hebrew "baqash," meaning to search or inquire. This implies a diligent and purposeful search, not a casual or haphazard one. The emphasis on finding "a man" suggests the need for a specific skill set, in this case, musical talent, which was highly valued in the cultural and religious practices of the time.

who knows how to play the harp
The harp, or "kinnor" in Hebrew, was a stringed instrument commonly used in ancient Israel. It was associated with worship, celebration, and soothing the soul. The ability to play the harp was a respected skill, often linked to spiritual and emotional healing. This reflects the broader biblical theme of music as a means of connecting with God and bringing peace.

Whenever the spirit from God is upon you
The "spirit from God" refers to a troubling spirit that afflicted Saul, as described earlier in the chapter. The Hebrew word for spirit is "ruach," which can mean breath, wind, or spirit. In this context, it signifies a divine influence or presence, albeit a distressing one. This highlights the belief in God's sovereignty over all spiritual matters, both comforting and challenging.

he can play the harp
The act of playing the harp is seen as a remedy for Saul's distress. This suggests the therapeutic power of music, a concept supported by both ancient and modern understandings. The use of music for healing and spiritual purposes is a recurring theme in the Bible, emphasizing the holistic nature of God's care for His people.

and you will be well
The promise of wellness, or "tov" in Hebrew, implies not just physical health but also emotional and spiritual peace. This reflects the biblical view of shalom, a state of complete well-being and harmony with God. The assurance of wellness through music underscores the belief in God's provision for healing and restoration in all aspects of life.

(16) And it shall come to pass . . . thou shalt be well.--It has been a well-known fact in all ages that music exerts a powerful influence on the mind. We have several instances in ancient Greek literature, where this influence is recommended to soothe the passions or to heal mental disease. Pythagoras, whenever he would steep his mind in Divine power, was in the habit before he slept of having a harp played to him; 'sculapius, the physician, would often restore such sick souls with music. (See reference from Censorinus, De die natali, quoted by Keil.)

"Priests would call

On Heaven for aid: but then his brow would lower

With treble gloom. Peace! Heaven is good to all.

To all, he sighed, but one--God hears no prayers for Saul

At length one spake of music."--HANKINSON.

Verses 16-18. - A cunning player on an harp. Literally, one skilful in striking the chords on the harp. In Saul's case music would have a soothing influence, and turn the current of his thoughts. His officers suggest, therefore, that search should be made for an expert musician, and Saul consents; whereupon one of the servants recommended the son of Jesse. The word used here is not the same as that found in vers. 15, 16, 17. There we have Saul's officers; here it is na'arim, "young men." Thus it was a youth of David's own age, who had probably been with him at Naioth in Ramah, that described him to Saul. The description is full and interesting, but it has its difficulties. David is not only skilful in music, of which art he would have had ample scope to manifest his powers in the service of the sanctuary at Ramah, but he is also a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, or, rather, intelligent in speech (see margin), as well as handsome and successful. Nevertheless, in 1 Samuel 17:33-36 David appears as a youth about to make his first essay in fighting; and though the two exploits mentioned there, of killing the lion and the bear, might justify his friend in calling him a mighty valiant man, literally, "a hero of valour," they do not justify the words a man of war. It is strange, moreover, that Saul should be so entirely ignorant of David's person and lineage as he is represented in the narrative in ch. 17, if thus David was court musician, though reference is made there to this visit of David to Saul in ver. 15. Possibly, however, David and this youth may have served together in repelling some marauding expedition of the Philistines, and though David may not have actually done much, - nothing, at all events, so well worth repeating to Saul as the combats with the wild beasts, - yet he may have achieved enough to convince his friend that he had in him the qualities of a man of war, i.e. of a good soldier. For the rest, we must conclude that this first visit of David was a very short one, and that after playing before Saul and being approved of, he then returned home, ready to come again whenever summoned, but that Saul's malady did not immediately return, and so a sufficient interval elapsed for Saul not to recognise him when he saw him under altered circumstances. Saul's question, "Whose son is this stripling?" (1 Samuel 17:56) seems to imply that he had a sort of confused idea about him, without being able exactly to recall who he was. The ultimate consequences of this introduction to Saul, as well as its immediate effect, are all narrated here after the usual manner of Old Testament history (see 1 Samuel 7:13).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Let our lord
אֲדֹנֵ֙נוּ֙ (’ă·ḏō·nê·nū)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common plural
Strong's 113: Sovereign, controller

command
יֹאמַר־ (yō·mar-)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

your servants
עֲבָדֶ֣יךָ (‘ă·ḇā·ḏe·ḵā)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 5650: Slave, servant

here
לְפָנֶ֔יךָ (lə·p̄ā·ne·ḵā)
Preposition-l | Noun - common plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 6440: The face

to seek out
יְבַקְשׁ֕וּ (yə·ḇaq·šū)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1245: To search out, to strive after

someone
אִ֕ישׁ (’îš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

who can skillfully
יֹדֵ֖עַ (yō·ḏê·a‘)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 3045: To know

play
מְנַגֵּ֣ן (mə·nag·gên)
Verb - Piel - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 5059: To touch or play a stringed instrument

the harp.
בַּכִּנּ֑וֹר (bak·kin·nō·wr)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3658: A harp

Whenever
בִּֽהְי֨וֹת (bih·yō·wṯ)
Preposition-b | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

the spirit
רֽוּחַ־ (rū·aḥ-)
Noun - common singular construct
Strong's 7307: Wind, breath, exhalation, life, anger, unsubstantiality, a region of the sky, spirit

of distress
רָעָ֔ה (rā·‘āh)
Adjective - feminine singular
Strong's 7451: Bad, evil

from God
אֱלֹהִים֙ (’ĕ·lō·hîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

is upon you,
עָלֶ֤יךָ (‘ā·le·ḵā)
Preposition | second person masculine singular
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

he is to play it,
וְנִגֵּ֥ן (wə·nig·gên)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5059: To touch or play a stringed instrument

and you
לָֽךְ׃ (lāḵ)
Preposition | second person feminine singular
Strong's Hebrew

[will be] well.”
וְט֥וֹב (wə·ṭō·wḇ)
Conjunctive waw | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 2895: To be pleasing or good


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OT History: 1 Samuel 16:16 Let our lord now command your servants (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa)
1 Samuel 16:15
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