1 Samuel 16:19 (GNV)

Passage

Wherefore Saul sent messengers vnto Ishai, and said, Send me Dauid thy sonne which is with the sheepe.

Nearby Context

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.

1 Samuel 16:18 Then answered one of his seruauntes, and sayde, Beholde, I haue seene a sonne of Ishai, a Bethlehemite, that can plaie, and is strong, valiant and a man of warre and wise in matters, and a comely person, and the Lord is with him.

1 Samuel 16:19 Wherefore Saul sent messengers vnto Ishai, and said, Send me Dauid thy sonne which is with the sheepe.

1 Samuel 16:20 And Ishai tooke an asse laden with breade and a flagon of wine and a kidde, and sent them by the hand of Dauid his sonne vnto Saul.

1 Samuel 16:21 And Dauid came to Saul, and stoode before him: and he loued him verie well, and he was his armour bearer.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "sheep", "wherefore", "saul", "sent", "messengers", "vnto", "ishai", and "said". 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 his seruauntes and..." into verse 20's "And Ishai tooke an asse 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.