1 Samuel
1 Samuel 16:1–2
1Now the LORD said to Samuel, “How long are you going to mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have selected from his sons a king for Myself.”
2“How can I go?” Samuel asked. “Saul will hear of it and kill me!”
The LORD answered, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’
Word by word
Each English word or phrase beside the Hebrew it translates, in the order of the English. Choose a number to open that word’s study.
1 Samuel 16:1
| English | Hebrew | Sounds like | Grammar | Word study |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Now the LORD | יְהוָ֜ה | Yah·weh | Noun - proper - masculine singular | H3068 Yahweh |
| said | וַיֹּ֨אמֶר | way·yō·mer | Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular | H559 utter, say |
| to | אֶל־ | ’el- | Preposition | H413 motion to |
| Samuel | שְׁמוּאֵ֗ל | šə·mū·’êl | Noun - proper - masculine singular | H8050 Samuel |
| How long | עַד־ | ‘aḏ- | Preposition | H5704 as far as, even to, up to, until, while |
| are you | אַתָּה֙ | ’at·tāh | Pronoun - second person masculine singular | H859 thou |
| going to mourn | מִתְאַבֵּ֣ל | miṯ·’ab·bêl | Verb - Hitpael - Participle - masculine singular | H56 mourn |
| for | אֶל־ | ’el- | Preposition | H413 motion to |
| Saul | שָׁא֔וּל | šā·’ūl | Noun - proper - masculine singular | H7586 Shaul |
| since I | וַאֲנִ֣י | wa·’ă·nî | Conjunctive waw; Pronoun - first person common singular | H589 I |
| have rejected him | מְאַסְתִּ֔יו | mə·’as·tîw | Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular; third person masculine singular | H3988 reject |
| as king | מִמְּלֹ֖ךְ | mim·mə·lōḵ | Preposition-m; Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | H4427 be or become king, or queen, reign |
| over | עַל־ | ‘al- | Preposition | H5921 height |
| Israel | יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל | yiś·rā·’êl | Noun - proper - masculine singular | H3478 Israel |
| Fill your horn | קַרְנְךָ֜ | qar·nə·ḵā | Noun - feminine singular construct; second person masculine singular | H7161 horn |
| with | מַלֵּ֨א | mal·lê | Verb - Piel - Imperative - masculine singular | H4390 be full, fill |
| oil | שֶׁ֗מֶן | še·men | Noun - masculine singular | H8081 fat, oil |
| and go | וְלֵ֤ךְ | wə·lêḵ | Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular | H1980 go, come, walk |
| I am sending | אֶֽשְׁלָחֲךָ֙ | ’eš·lā·ḥă·ḵā | Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular; second person masculine singular | H7971 send |
| you to | אֶל־ | ’el- | Preposition | H413 motion to |
| Jesse | יִשַׁ֣י | yi·šay | Noun - proper - masculine singular | H3448 Jishai |
| of Bethlehem | הַלַּחְמִ֔י | hal·laḥ·mî | Noun - proper - masculine singular | H1022 Beth-lechemite |
| for | כִּֽי־ | kî- | Conjunction | H3588 burning, branding |
| I have selected | רָאִ֧יתִי | rā·’î·ṯî | Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular | H7200 see |
| from his sons | בְּבָנָ֛יו | bə·ḇā·nāw | Preposition-b; Noun - masculine plural construct; third person masculine singular | H1121 son |
| a king | מֶֽלֶךְ׃ | me·leḵ | Noun - masculine singular | H4428 king |
| for Myself | לִ֖י | lî | Preposition; first person common singular |
1 Samuel 16:2
| English | Hebrew | Sounds like | Grammar | Word study |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How | אֵ֣יךְ | ’êḵ | Interjection | H349 How? |
| can I go | אֵלֵ֔ךְ | ’ê·lêḵ | Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular | H1980 go, come, walk |
| Samuel | שְׁמוּאֵל֙ | šə·mū·’êl | Noun - proper - masculine singular | H8050 Samuel |
| asked | וַיֹּ֤אמֶר | way·yō·mer | Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular | H559 utter, say |
| Saul | שָׁא֖וּל | šā·’ūl | Noun - proper - masculine singular | H7586 Shaul |
| will hear of it | וְשָׁמַ֥ע | wə·šā·ma‘ | Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular | H8085 hear |
| and kill me | וַהֲרָגָ֑נִיס | wa·hă·rå̄·ḡå̄·nīs | Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular; first person common singular | H2026 kill, slay |
| The LORD | יְהוָ֗ה | Yah·weh | Noun - proper - masculine singular | H3068 Yahweh |
| answered | וַיֹּ֣אמֶר | way·yō·mer | Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular | H559 utter, say |
| Take | תִּקַּ֣ח | tiq·qaḥ | Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular | H3947 take |
| a heifer | בָּקָר֙ | bā·qār | Noun - masculine singular | H1241 cattle, herd, ox |
| with you | בְּיָדֶ֔ךָ | bə·yā·ḏe·ḵā | Preposition-b; Noun - feminine singular construct; second person masculine singular | H3027 hand |
| and say | וְאָ֣מַרְתָּ֔ | wə·’ā·mar·tā | Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular | H559 utter, say |
| I have come | בָּֽאתִי׃ | bā·ṯî | Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular | H935 come in, come, go in, go |
| to sacrifice | לִזְבֹּ֥חַ | liz·bō·aḥ | Preposition-l; Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | H2076 slaughter for sacrifice |
| to the LORD | לַֽיהוָ֖ה | Yah·weh | Preposition-l; Noun - proper - masculine singular | H3068 Yahweh |
Cross-references
Other passages that speak to the same thing. Point at one to read it.
1 Samuel 16:1 1 Samuel 15:23 · 2 Kings 9:1 · Psalm 78:68–71 · 1 Samuel 15:35 · 1 Samuel 15:26 · Romans 15:12 · 1 Samuel 10:1 · 1 Samuel 16:15 · 1 Samuel 13:13–14 · 1 Samuel 9:16 · 1 Samuel 15:11 · 2 Kings 9:6
1 Samuel 16:2 1 Samuel 9:12 · 1 Samuel 20:29 · Matthew 10:16
Cross-references from OpenBible.info, used under CC BY 4.0. The best-supported references for each verse are shown.
Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible.