1 Samuel 16:15 (GNV)

Passage

And Sauls seruants said vnto him, Beholde nowe, the euill spirite of God vexeth thee.

Nearby Context

1 Samuel 16:13 Then Samuel tooke the horne of oyle, and anoynted him in the middes of his brethren. And the Spirit of the Lord came vpon Dauid, from that day forwarde: then Samuel rose vp, and went to Ramah.

1 Samuel 16:14 But the Spirite of the Lord departed from Saul, and an euill spirite sent of the Lord vexed him.

1 Samuel 16:15 And Sauls seruants said vnto him, Beholde nowe, the euill spirite of God vexeth thee.

1 Samuel 16:16 Let our Lord therefore command thy seruants, that are before thee, to seeke a man that is a cunning plaier vpon the harpe: that when the euil spirit of God commeth vpon thee, hee may play with his hand, and thou maiest be eased.

1 Samuel 16:17 Saul then saide vnto his seruantes, Prouide me a man, I pray you, that can play well, and bring him to me.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "Spirit", "sauls", "seruants", "said", "vnto", "beholde", "nowe", and "euill". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "Spirit" and "sauls", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

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