1 Samuel 16:18 (YLT)

Passage

And one of the servants answereth and saith, `Lo, I have seen a son of Jesse the Beth-Lehemite, skilful in playing, and a mighty virtuous man, and a man of battle, and intelligent in word, and a man of form, and Jehovah <FI>is<Fi> with him.'

Nearby Context

1 Samuel 16:16 let our lord command, we pray thee, thy servants before thee, they seek a skilful man, playing on a harp, and it hath come to pass, in the spirit of sadness <FI>from<Fi> God being upon thee, that he hath played with his hand, and <FI> it is<Fi> well with thee.'

1 Samuel 16:17 And Saul saith unto his servants, `Provide, I pray you, for me a man playing well--then ye have brought <FI>him<Fi> in unto me.'

1 Samuel 16:18 And one of the servants answereth and saith, `Lo, I have seen a son of Jesse the Beth-Lehemite, skilful in playing, and a mighty virtuous man, and a man of battle, and intelligent in word, and a man of form, and Jehovah <FI>is<Fi> with him.'

1 Samuel 16:19 And Saul sendeth messengers unto Jesse, and saith, `Send unto me David thy son, who <FI>is<Fi> with the flock.'

1 Samuel 16:20 And Jesse taketh an ass, <FI>with<Fi> bread, and a bottle of wine, and one kid of the goats, and sendeth by the hand of David his son unto Saul.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "servants", "answereth", "saith", "seen", "jesse", "beth-lehemite", "skilful", and "playing". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "servants" and "answereth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "And Saul saith unto his servants Provide..." into verse 19's "And Saul sendeth messengers unto Jesse and...", so "servants" and "answereth" 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 "servants" and "answereth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.