1 Samuel 16:4 (ASV)

Passage

And Samuel did that which Jehovah spake, and came to Beth-lehem. And the elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, Comest thou peaceably?

Nearby Context

1 Samuel 16:2 And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And Jehovah said, Take a heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to Jehovah.

1 Samuel 16:3 And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee.

1 Samuel 16:4 And Samuel did that which Jehovah spake, and came to Beth-lehem. And the elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, Comest thou peaceably?

1 Samuel 16:5 And he said, Peaceably; I am come to sacrifice unto Jehovah: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.

1 Samuel 16:6 And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely Jehovah`s anointed is before him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "samuel", "jehovah", "spake", "came", "beth-lehem", "elders", and "city". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "samuel" and "jehovah", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "And call Jesse to the sacrifice and..." into verse 5's "And he said Peaceably I am come...", so "samuel" and "jehovah" 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 "samuel" and "jehovah" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.