After the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, a spirit of distress from the LORD began to torment him.
Parallel translations
- WEB Now Yahweh’s Spirit departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from Yahweh troubled him.
- KJV But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.
- NKJV But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the Lord troubled him.
- NASB Now the Spirit of the Lord left Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord terrified him.
- NLT Now the Spirit of the Lord had left Saul, and the Lord sent a tormenting spirit that filled him with depression and fear.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The Spirit departs from Saul, and a troubling evil spirit from the LORD afflicts him. It shows the consequence of Saul's rejection and God's sovereign hand over all spirits.
Overview
As the Spirit empowers David, it withdraws from Saul, marking the transfer of God's favor and the spiritual consequences of Saul's rebellion. That the harmful spirit comes 'from the LORD' affirms God's sovereignty even over evil, which he permits and overrules for his purposes without being the author of sin. Saul's torment is a sobering picture of life under judgment, apart from the sustaining presence of God's Spirit.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Ps 51:11Cast me not away from Your presence; take not Your Holy Spirit from me.
- 1 Sam 18:12So Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with David but had departed from Saul.
- Judg 9:23God sent a spirit of animosity between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem and caused them to treat Abimelech deceitfully,
- 1 Sam 18:10The next day a spirit of distress sent from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied inside the house while David played the harp as usual. Now Saul was holding a spear,
- 1 Sam 28:15Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” “I am deeply distressed,” replied Saul. “The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has turned away from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do.”
- Judg 16:20Then she called out, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” When Samson awoke from his sleep, he thought, “I will escape as I did before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him.
- Acts 19:15–16Eventually, one of the evil spirits answered them, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?”
- 1 Kgs 22:22And he replied, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ ‘You will surely entice him and prevail,’ said the LORD. ‘Go and do it.’
- Hos 9:12Even if they raise their children, I will bereave them of each one. Yes, woe be to them when I turn away from them!
- 1 Sam 11:6When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he burned with great anger.
- 1 Sam 19:9–10But as Saul was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand, a spirit of distress from the LORD came upon him. While David was playing the harp,
- Judg 16:29And Samson reached out for the two central pillars supporting the temple. Bracing himself against them with his right hand on one pillar and his left hand on the other,
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Christ at the center
The rise of the anointed king after Israel's failed first choice points to the true Anointed One (Messiah means 'anointed'), the shepherd-king after God's own heart from Bethlehem.
How 1 Samuel 16:14 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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