שמואל א 16:4

Hebrew Modern Translation

ויעש שמואל את אשר דבר יהוה ויבא בית לחם ויחרדו זקני העיר לקראתו ויאמר שלם בואך׃

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Aleppo Codex
ויעש שמואל את אשר דבר יהוה ויבא בית לחם ויחרדו זקני העיר לקראתו ויאמר שלם בואך

Biblia Hebrica Stuttgartensia (1967/77)
וַיַּ֣עַשׂ שְׁמוּאֵ֗ל אֵ֚ת אֲשֶׁ֣ר דִּבֶּ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה וַיָּבֹ֖א בֵּ֣ית לָ֑חֶם וַיֶּחֶרְד֞וּ זִקְנֵ֤י הָעִיר֙ לִקְרָאתֹ֔ו וַיֹּ֖אמֶר שָׁלֹ֥ם בּוֹאֶֽךָ ׃

Westminster Leningrad Codex
וַיַּעַשׂ שְׁמוּאֵל אֵת אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר יְהוָה וַיָּבֹא בֵּית לָחֶם וַיֶּחֶרְדוּ זִקְנֵי הָעִיר לִקְרָאתוֹ וַיֹּאמֶר שָׁלֹם בּוֹאֶֽךָ ׃

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

trembled: 1 Samuel 21:1, 2 Samuel 6:9, 1 Kings 17:18, Hosea 6:5, Hosea 11:10, Luke 5:8, Luke 8:37

coming: Heb. meeting

Comest: 1 Kings 2:13, 2 Kings 9:22, 1 Chronicles 12:17, 1 Chronicles 12:18

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 18:12 - afraid 2 Kings 9:17 - Is it peace Matthew 8:34 - they besought Matthew 21:10 - all Mark 5:15 - and they Luke 2:4 - unto Luke 8:47 - she came John 7:42 - where Acts 5:13 - of 1 Thessalonians 5:19 - the Spirit

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Samuel did that which the Lord spake,.... He filled a horn of oil, and took an heifer with him:

and came to Bethlehem; where Jesse and his family lived, which, according to Bunting y, was sixteen miles from Ramah; though it could hardly be so much, since Ramah was six miles from Jerusalem on one side, as Bethlehem lay six miles from it on the other z;

and the elders of the town trembled at his coming; for he being now an old man, and seldom went abroad, they concluded it must be something very extraordinary that brought him thither; and they might fear that as he was a prophet of the Lord, that he was come to reprove them, or denounce some judgment upon them for their sins. The Targum is,

"the elders of the city gathered together to meet him;''

out of respect and in honour to him, and to the same sense Jarchi's note is,

"they hasted to go out to meet him'';

see Hosea 11:11

and, said comest thou peaceably? the word "said" is singular; one of the elders put this question, the chiefest of them, perhaps Jesse; and the meaning of it is, whether he came with ill news and bad tidings, or as displeased with them himself on some account or another; or with a message from God, as displeased with them; or whether he came there for his own peace and safety, to be sheltered from Saul; and which, if that was the case, might not be for their peace and good; but would draw upon them the wrath and vengeance of Saul; for they doubtless knew that there was a variance, at least a shyness, between Saul and Samuel.

y Travels of the Patriarchs, &c. p. 125. z Vid. Hieron. de loc. Heb. fol. 89. F. & 94. B.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Trembled - There was evidently something unusual in Samuel’s coming to Bethlehem; and the elders, knowing that Samuel was no longer at friendship with Saul, foreboded some evil.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 16:4. The elders of the town trembled at his coming — They knew he was a prophet of the Lord, and they were afraid that he was now come to denounce some judgments of the Most High against their city.