So David went to Saul and began serving him. Saul loved David very much, and David became his armor bearer.
Parallel translations
- WEB David came to Saul, and stood before him. He loved him greatly; and he became his armor bearer.
- KJV And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he became his armourbearer.
- 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.
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 41:46Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.
- Prov 22:29Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve kings. He won’t serve obscure men.
- Ps 146:3Don’t put your trust in princes, each a son of man in whom there is no help.
- Ps 118:9It is better to take refuge in Yahweh, than to put confidence in princes.
- Deut 10:8At that time Yahweh set apart the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of Yahweh’s covenant, to stand before Yahweh to minister to him, and to bless in his name, to this day.
- Ps 62:9Surely men of low degree are just a breath, and men of high degree are a lie. In the balances they will go up. They are together lighter than a breath.
- Deut 1:38Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, shall go in there. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.
- 1 Kgs 10:8Happy are your men, happy are these your servants, who stand continually before you, who hear your 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.