1 Samuel 16:21 (DRB)

Passage

And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him exceedingly, and made him his armourbearer.

Nearby Context

1 Samuel 16:19 Then Saul sent messengers to Isai, saying: Send me David, thy son, who is in the pastures.

1 Samuel 16:20 And Isai took an ass laden with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid of the flock, and sent them by the hand of David, his son, to Saul.

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

1 Samuel 16:22 And Saul sent to Isai, saying: Let David stand before me: for he hath found favour in my sight.

1 Samuel 16:23 So whensoever the evil spirit from the Lord was upon Saul, David took his harp, and played with his hand, and Saul was refreshed, and was better, for the evil spirit departed from him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "david", "came", "saul", "stood", "before", "loved", "exceedingly", and "armourbearer". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "david" and "came", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "And Isai took an ass laden with..." into verse 22's "And Saul sent to Isai saying Let...", so "david" and "came" 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 "david" and "came" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.