1 Samuel 16:14 (KJV)

Passage

But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.

Nearby Context

1 Samuel 16:12 And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he.

1 Samuel 16:13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.

1 Samuel 16:14 But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.

1 Samuel 16:15 And Saul’s servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee.

1 Samuel 16:16 Let our lord now command thy servants, which are before thee, to seek out a man, who is a cunning player on an harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "Spirit", "lord", "departed", "saul", "evil", and "troubled". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "Spirit" and "lord", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "Then Samuel took the horn of oil..." into verse 15's "And Saul s servants said unto him...", so "Spirit" and "lord" belong inside that flow. In 1 Samuel context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "Spirit" and "lord" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.