1 Samuel 16:14 (WEB)

Passage

Now Yahweh’s Spirit departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from Yahweh troubled him.

Nearby Context

1 Samuel 16:12 He sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with a handsome face and good appearance. Yahweh said, “Arise! Anoint him, for this is he.”

1 Samuel 16:13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the middle of his brothers. Then Yahweh’s Spirit came mightily on David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.

1 Samuel 16:14 Now Yahweh’s Spirit departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from Yahweh troubled him.

1 Samuel 16:15 Saul’s servants said to him, “See now, an evil spirit from God troubles you.

1 Samuel 16:16 Let our lord now command your servants who are in front of you to seek out a man who is a skillful player on the harp. Then when the evil spirit from God is on you, he will play with his hand, and you will be well.”

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "Spirit", "yahweh", "departed", "saul", "evil", and "troubled". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "Spirit" and "yahweh", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "Then Samuel took the horn of oil..." into verse 15's "Saul s servants said to him See...", so "Spirit" and "yahweh" 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 "yahweh" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.