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Thursday, June 19th, 2025
the Week of Proper 6 / Ordinary 11
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Read the Bible

Brenton's Septuagint

1 Samuel 16:15

And Saul’s servants said to him, Behold now, and evil spirit from the Lord torments thee.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Demons;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Diseases;   Music;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Jesse;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Disease;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - David;   Demon;   Disease;   Evil;   Psalms, Theology of;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Prayer;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - David;   Samuel, the Books of;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Samuel, Books of;   Saul;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Bethlehem;   David;   Samuel, Books of;   Saul;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Exorcism;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Jesse ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Music;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Kingdom of christ of heaven;   Kingdom of god;   Kingdom of heaven;   Saul;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Da'vid;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - David;   Jesse;   Psalms, Book of;   Samuel, Books of;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Exorcism;   Samuel, Books of;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
so Saul’s servants said to him, “You see that an evil spirit from God is tormenting you.
Hebrew Names Version
Sha'ul's servants said to him, See now, an evil spirit from God troubles you.
King James Version
And Saul's servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee.
Lexham English Bible
So the servants of Saul said to him, "Look please, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you.
English Standard Version
And Saul's servants said to him, "Behold now, a harmful spirit from God is tormenting you.
New Century Version
Saul's servants said to him, "See, an evil spirit from God is troubling you.
New English Translation
Then Saul's servants said to him, "Look, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you!"
Amplified Bible
Saul's servants said to him, "Behold, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you.
New American Standard Bible
Saul's servants then said to him, "Behold now, an evil spirit from God is terrifying you.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And Sauls seruants said vnto him, Beholde nowe, the euill spirite of God vexeth thee.
Legacy Standard Bible
Saul's servants then said to him, "Behold now, an evil spirit from God is terrorizing you.
Contemporary English Version
"It's an evil spirit from God that's frightening you," Saul's officials told him.
Complete Jewish Bible
Sha'ul's servants said to him, "Do you notice that there's an evil spirit from God that suddenly comes over you?
Darby Translation
And Saul's servants said to him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubles thee.
Easy-to-Read Version
Saul's servants said to him, "An evil spirit from God is bothering you.
George Lamsa Translation
And Sauls servants said to him, Behold, your servants are before you;
Good News Translation
His servants said to him, "We know that an evil spirit sent by God is tormenting you.
Literal Translation
And Saul's servants said to him, Behold, now an evil spirit from God is terrifying you.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then sayde Sauls seruauntes vnto him: Beholde, an euell sprete from God vexeth the.
American Standard Version
And Saul's servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee.
Bible in Basic English
And Saul's servants said to him, See now, an evil spirit from God is troubling you.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Sauls seruauntes said vnto him: Beholde, an euill spirite [sent] of God vexeth thee.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Saul's servants said unto him: 'Behold now, an evil spirit from God terrifieth thee.
King James Version (1611)
And Sauls seruants said vnto him, Behold now, an euill spirit from God troubleth thee.
English Revised Version
And Saul’s servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee.
Berean Standard Bible
Saul's servants said to him, "Surely a spirit of distress from God is tormenting you.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the seruauntis of Saul seiden to hym, Lo! an yuel spirit of the Lord traueilith thee;
Young's Literal Translation
and the servants of Saul say unto him, `Lo, we pray thee, a spirit of sadness [from] God is terrifying thee;
Update Bible Version
And Saul's slaves said to him, Look now, an evil spirit from God troubles you.
Webster's Bible Translation
And Saul's servants said to him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee.
World English Bible
Saul's servants said to him, See now, an evil spirit from God troubles you.
New King James Version
And Saul's servants said to him, "Surely, a distressing spirit from God is troubling you.
New Living Translation
Some of Saul's servants said to him, "A tormenting spirit from God is troubling you.
New Life Bible
Saul's servants said to him, "See, a bad spirit from God is bringing you trouble.
New Revised Standard
And Saul's servants said to him, "See now, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then said the servants of Saul unto him, - Lo! we pray thee, a sad superhuman spirit, doth terrify thee:
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the servants of Saul said to him: Behold now an evil spirit from God troubleth thee.
Revised Standard Version
And Saul's servants said to him, "Behold now, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you.
THE MESSAGE
Saul's advisors said, "This awful tormenting depression from God is making your life miserable. O Master, let us help. Let us look for someone who can play the harp. When the black mood from God moves in, he'll play his music and you'll feel better."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Saul's servants then said to him, "Behold now, an evil spirit from God is terrorizing you.

Contextual Overview

14 And the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him. 15 And Saul’s servants said to him, Behold now, and evil spirit from the Lord torments thee. 16 Let now thy servants speak before thee, and let them seek for our lord a man skilled to play on the harp; and it shall come to pass when an evil spirit comes upon thee and he shall play on his harp, that thou shalt be well, and he shall refresh thee. 17 And Saul said to his servants, Look now out for me a skillful player, and bring him to me. 18 And one of his servants answered and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jessae the Bethleemite, and he understands playing on the harp, and the man is prudent, and a warrior, and wise in speech, and the man is handsome, and the Lord is with him. 19 And Saul sent messengers to Jessae, saying, Send to me thy son David who is with thy flock. 20 And Jessae took a homer of bread, and a bottle of wine, and one kid of the goats, and sent them by the hand of his son David to Saul. 21 And David went in to Saul, and stood before him; and he loved him greatly; and he became his armour-bearer. 22 And Saul sent to Jessae, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me, for he has found grace in my eyes. 23 And it came to pass when the evil spirit was upon Saul, that David took his harp, and played with his hand: and Saul was refreshed, and it was well with him, and the evil spirit departed from him.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 16:1 - seeing 1 Samuel 18:10 - the evil spirit

Cross-References

Genesis 16:9
And the angel of the Lord said to her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.
Genesis 16:11
And the angel of the Lord said to her, Behold thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ismael, for the Lord hath hearkened to thy humiliation.
Genesis 17:18
And Abraam said to God, Let this Ismael live before thee.
Genesis 17:20
And concerning Ismael, behold, I have heard thee, and, behold, I have blessed him, and will increase him and multiply him exceedingly; twelve nations shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.
Genesis 25:9
And Isaac and Ismael his sons buried him in the double cave, in the field of Ephron the son of Saar the Chettite, which is over against Mambre:
Genesis 25:12
And these are the generations of Ismael the son of Abraam, whom Agar the Egyptian the hand-maid of Sarrha bore to Abraam.
Genesis 28:9
Esau went to Ismael, and took Maeleth the daughter of Ismael, the son of Abraam, the sister of Nabeoth, a wife in addition to his other wives.
Genesis 37:27
Come, let us sell him to these Ismaelites, but let not our hands be upon him, because he is our brother and our flesh; and his brethren hearkened.
1 Chronicles 1:28
And the sons of Abraam, Isaac, and Ismael.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Saul's servants said unto him,.... His courtiers, who observing him to act in a frantic manner, to be dull and melancholy, timorous, and irresolute, unsteady, divided, and distressed; or his physicians, who were called in to assist him, and remove his disorder from him:

behold, now an evil spirit from God troubleth thee: the disorder was not from any natural cause, or any bodily disease, and therefore out of the reach of physicians to do any service, but was from an evil spirit suffered of God to harass and disturb him.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The “evil” or “melancholy” spirit here spoken of was “the Spirit of God,” or “of Jehovah,” as being God’s messenger and minister, sent by Him to execute His righteous purpose upon Saul (see 1 Kings 22:19-22 note).


 
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