DID YOU KNOW?

Before David ever reaches court, one of Saul's servants describes him in a single breath. Besides "skillful in playing," what does he call the son of Jesse?

The answer

A man of valor, a warrior, prudent in speech, a man of good presence, "and the Lord is with him" (1 Samuel 16:18). David comes and enters Saul's service, and "Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor-bearer." Whenever the evil spirit comes on Saul, David takes up the lyre and plays (1 Samuel 16:21-23).

Why it’s interesting

It is a king's resume, handed to a king who sent for a harpist. "The Lord is with him" is a line the story keeps coming back to, and armor-bearer was a soldier's post, close to the king. The text calls this harpist a warrior before he has fought anyone we are told about.

Scholarly consensus

Learn the Bible.

Not just the stories, but the history, authorship, and scholarship behind it.