And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he became his armourbearer.
Parallel translations
- WEB David came to Saul, and stood before him. He loved him greatly; and he became his armor bearer.
- BSB When David came to Saul and entered his service, Saul admired him greatly, and David became his armor-bearer.
- NKJV So David came to Saul and stood before him. And he loved him greatly, and he became his armorbearer.
- NASB Then David came to Saul and attended him; and Saul greatly loved him, and he became his armor bearer.
- NLT So David went to Saul and began serving him. Saul loved David very much, and David became his armor bearer.
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
David enters Saul's service, wins his affection, and becomes his armor-bearer. David is brought into close, trusted proximity to the king.
Overview
Saul comes to love David and makes him his armor-bearer, a position of intimacy and trust near the throne. The very king destined to be replaced cherishes his successor, a poignant irony. God places David where he can be prepared and proven for the kingship to come.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Gen 41:46And 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.
- Prov 22:29Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.
- Ps 146:3Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.
- Ps 118:9It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.
- Deut 10:8At that time the LORD separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, unto this day.
- Ps 62:9Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity.
- Deut 1:38But Joshua the son of Nun, which standeth before thee, he shall go in thither: encourage him: for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.
- 1 Kgs 10:8Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 16:21 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.