1 Samuel 16:15 (DRB)

Passage

And the servants of Saul said to him: Behold now an evil spirit from God troubleth thee.

Nearby Context

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: and Samuel rose up, and went to Ramatha.

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 the servants of Saul said to him: Behold now an evil spirit from God troubleth thee.

1 Samuel 16:16 Let our lord give orders, and thy servants who are before thee, will seek out a man skilful in playing on the harp, that when the evil spirit from the Lord is upon thee, he may play with his hand, and thou mayst bear it more easily.

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

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "Spirit", "servants", "saul", "said", "behold", "evil", "troubleth", and "thee". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "Spirit" and "servants", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "But the Spirit of the Lord departed..." into verse 16's "Let our lord give orders and thy...", so "Spirit" and "servants" 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 "servants" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.