1 Samuel 16:19 (KJV)

Passage

Wherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said, Send me David thy son, which is with the sheep.

Nearby Context

1 Samuel 16:17 And Saul said unto his servants, Provide me now a man that can play well, and bring him to me.

1 Samuel 16:18 Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the LORD is with him.

1 Samuel 16:19 Wherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said, Send me David thy son, which is with the sheep.

1 Samuel 16:20 And Jesse took an ass laden with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid, and sent them by David his son unto Saul.

1 Samuel 16:21 And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he became his armourbearer.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "sheep", "wherefore", "saul", "sent", "messengers", "jesse", "said", and "send". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "sheep" and "wherefore", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "Then answered one of the servants and..." into verse 20's "And Jesse took an ass laden with...", so "sheep" and "wherefore" 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 "sheep" and "wherefore" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.