1 Samuel 16:16

1 Samuel 16:16

Let our lord now command thy servants, which are before thee, to seek out a man, who is a cunning player on an harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well.

a. ASV: Let our lord now command thy servants, that are before thee, to seek out a man who is a skilful player on the harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well.

b. YLT: 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 from God being upon thee, that he hath played with his hand, and it is well with thee.'

c. Amplified Bible Classic: Let our lord now command your servants here before you to find a man who plays skillfully on the lyre; and when the evil spirit from God is upon you, he will play it, and you will be well.

d. Septuagint: 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.

e. Stone Edition Torah/Prophets/Writings: Let our lord tell your servants [who are] before you [that] they should seek a man who knows how to play [the harp] with his hand and it will be well with you.”

1. “Let our lord now command thy servants, which are before thee, to seek out a man, who is a cunning player on an harp…”

a. Let [Strong: 4994 na' naw a primitive particle of incitement and entreaty, which may usually be rendered: "I pray," "now," or "then"; added mostly to verbs (in the Imperative or Future), or to interjections, occasionally to an adverb or conjunction:--I beseech (pray) thee (you), go to, now, oh.]

b. [our] lord [Strong: 113 ʼâdôwn, aw-done'; or (shortened) אָדֹן ʼâdôn; from an unused root (meaning to rule); sovereign, i.e. controller (human or divine):—lord, master, owner.] [BLB: The KJV translates Strong's H113 in the following manner: lord (197x), master(s) (105x), Lord (31x), owner (1x), sir (1x).]

c. [now] command [Strong: 559 ʼâmar, aw-mar'; a primitive root; to say (used with great latitude):—answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, × desire, determine, ×expressly, × indeed, × intend, name, × plainly, promise, publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), × still, × suppose, talk, tell, term, × that is, × think, use (speech), utter, × verily, × yet.] [BLB: The KJV translates Strong's H559 in the following manner: said (4,874x), speak (179x), answer (99x), command (30x), tell (29x), call (7x), promised (6x), miscellaneous (84x).]

d. [your] servants 5650 ʻebed, eh'-bed; from H5647; a servant:—× bondage, bondman, (bond-) servant, (man-) servant.] [BLB: The KJV translates Strong's H5650 in the following manner: servant (744x), manservant (23x), bondman (21x), bondage (10x), bondservant (1x), on all sides (1x).]

e. [which are] before [thee] [Strong: 6440 pânîym, paw-neem'; plural (but always as singular) of an unused noun פָּנֶה pâneh; from H6437); the face (as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally and figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a preposition (before, etc.):— accept, a-(be-) fore(-time), against, anger, × as (long as), at, battle, because (of), beseech, countenance, edge, employ, endure, enquire, face, favour, fear of, for, forefront(-part), form(-er time, -ward), from, front, heaviness, × him(-self), honourable, impudent, in, it, look(-eth) (-s), × me, meet, × more than, mouth, of, off, (of) old (time), × on, open, out of, over against, the partial, person, please, presence, prospect, was purposed, by reason of, regard, right forth, serve, × shewbread, sight, state, straight, street, × thee, × them(-selves), through ( -out), till, time(-s) past, (un-) to(-ward), upon, upside ( down), with(-in, -stand), × ye, × you.] [BLB: The KJV translates Strong's H6440 in the following manner: before (1,137x), face (390x), presence (76x), because (67x), sight (40x), countenance (30x), from (27x), person (21x), upon (20x), of (20x), ...me (18x), against (17x), ...him (16x), open (13x), for (13x), toward (9x), miscellaneous (195x).]

f. [to] seek out [Strong: 1245 bâqash, baw-kash'; a primitive root; to search out (by any method, specifically in worship or prayer); by implication, to strive after:—ask, beg, beseech, desire, enquire, get, make inquisition, procure, (make) request, require, seek (for).] [BLB: The KJV translates Strong's H1245 in the following manner: seek (189x), require (14x), request (4x), seek out (4x), enquired (3x), besought (2x), ask (2x), sought for (2x), begging (1x), desire (1x), get (1x), inquisition (1x), procureth (1x).]

g. [a] man [Strong: 376 ʼîysh, eesh; contracted for H582 (or perhaps rather from an unused root meaning to be extant); a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation):—also, another, any (man), a certain, champion, consent, each, every (one), fellow, (foot-, husband-) man, (good-, great, mighty) man, he, high (degree), him (that is), husband, man(-kind), none, one, people, person, steward, what (man) soever, whoso(-ever), worthy.] [BLB: The KJV translates Strong's H376 in the following manner: man (1,002x), men (210x), one (188x), husband (69x), any (27x), miscellaneous (143x).]

h. [who is a] cunning [Strong: 3045 yâdaʻ, yaw-dah'; a primitive root; to know (properly, to ascertain by seeing); used in a great variety of senses, figuratively, literally, euphemistically and inferentially (including observation, care, recognition; and causatively, instruction, designation, punishment, etc.):—acknowledge, acquaintance(-ted with), advise, answer, appoint, assuredly, be aware, (un-) awares, can(-not), certainly, comprehend, consider, × could they, cunning, declare, be diligent, (can, cause to) discern, discover, endued with, familiar friend, famous, feel, can have, be (ig-) norant, instruct, kinsfolk, kinsman, (cause to let, make) know, (come to give, have, take) knowledge, have (knowledge), (be, make, make to be, make self) known, be learned, lie by man, mark, perceive, privy to, × prognosticator, regard, have respect, skilful, shew, can (man of) skill, be sure, of a surety, teach, (can) tell, understand, have (understanding), × will be, wist, wit, wot.] [BLB: The KJV translates Strong's H3045 in the following manner: know (645x), known (105x), knowledge (19x), perceive (18x), shew (17x), tell (8x), wist (7x), understand (7x), certainly (7x), acknowledge (6x), acquaintance (6x), consider (6x), declare (6x), teach (5x), miscellaneous (85x).]

i. player [Strong: 5059 nâgan, naw-gan'; a primitive root; properly, to thrum, i.e. beat a tune with the fingers; expectation. to play on a stringed instrument; hence (generally), to make music:—player on instruments, sing to the stringed instruments, melody, ministrel, play(-er, -ing).] [BLB: The KJV translates Strong's H5059 in the following manner: play (8x), instrument (3x), minstrel (2x), melody (1x), player (1x).]

j. [on a] harp [Strong: 3658 kinnôwr, kin-nore'; from a unused root meaning to twang; a harp:—harp.] [BLB: The KJV translates Strong's H3658 in the following manner: harp (42x).]

2. “...and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well.”

a. [and it] shall come to pass [Strong: 1961  hayah haw-yaw a primitive root (Compare 1933); to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary):--beacon, X altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, + follow, happen, X have, last, pertain, quit (one-)self, require, X use.]

b. when [Strong: 1961  hayah haw-yaw a primitive root (Compare 1933); to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary):--beacon, X altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, + follow, happen, X have, last, pertain, quit (one-)self, require, X use.]

c. [the] evil [Strong: 7451 raʻ, rah; from H7489; bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral):—adversity, affliction, bad, calamity, displease(-ure), distress, evil((-favouredness), man, thing), +exceedingly, × great, grief(-vous), harm, heavy, hurt(-ful), ill (favoured), + mark, mischief(-vous), misery, naught(-ty), noisome, + not please, sad(-ly), sore, sorrow, trouble, vex, wicked(-ly, -ness, one), worse(-st), wretchedness, wrong. (Including feminine raaah; as adjective or noun.)] [BLB: The KJV translates Strong's H7451 in the following manner: evil (442x), wickedness (59x), wicked (25x), mischief (21x), hurt (20x), bad (13x), trouble (10x), sore (9x), affliction (6x), ill (5x), adversity (4x), ill favoured (3x), harm (3x), naught (3x), noisome (2x), grievous (2x), sad (2x), miscellaneous (34x).]

d. spirit [Strong: 7307 rûwach, roo'-akh; from H7306; wind; by resemblance breath, i.e. a sensible (or even violent) exhalation; figuratively, life, anger, unsubstantiality; by extension, a region of the sky; by resemblance spirit, but only of a rational being (including its expression and functions):—air, anger, blast, breath, × cool, courage, mind, ×quarter, × side, spirit(-ual), tempest, × vain, (whirl-) wind(-y).] [BLB: The KJV translates Strong's H7307 in the following manner: Spirit or spirit (232x), wind (92x), breath (27x), side (6x), mind (5x), blast (4x), vain (2x), air (1x), anger (1x), cool (1x), courage (1x), miscellaneous (6x).]

e. [from] God [Strong: 430  ʼĕlôhîym, el-o-heem'; plural of H433; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative:—angels, × exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), × (very) great, judges, × mighty.] [BLB: The KJV translates Strong's H430 in the following manner: God (2,346x), god (244x), judge (5x), GOD (1x), goddess (2x), great (2x), mighty (2x), angels (1x), exceeding (1x), God-ward (with H4136) (1x), godly (1x).]

f. [is] upon thee [Strong: 5921  `al al properly, the same as 5920 used as a preposition (in the singular or plural often with prefix, or as conjunction with a particle following); above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications (as follow):--above, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, X as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, X both and, by (reason of), X had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-)on, over, than, through(-out), to, touching, X with.]

g. [that he shall] play [Strong: 5059 nâgan, naw-gan'; a primitive root; properly, to thrum, i.e. beat a tune with the fingers; expectation. to play on a stringed instrument; hence (generally), to make music:—player on instruments, sing to the stringed instruments, melody, ministrel, play(-er, -ing).] [BLB: The KJV translates Strong's H5059 in the following manner: play (8x), instrument (3x), minstrel (2x), melody (1x), player (1x).]

h. [with his] hand [Strong: 3027 yâd, yawd; a primitive word; a hand (the open one [indicating power, means, direction, etc.], in distinction from 3709, the closed one); used (as noun, adverb, etc.) in a great variety of applications, both literally and figuratively, both proximate and remote [as follows]:—( be) able, × about, armholes, at, axletree, because of, beside, border, × bounty, broad, (broken-) handed, × by, charge, coast, consecrate, creditor, custody, debt, dominion, × enough, fellowship, force, × from, hand(-staves, -y work), × he, himself, × in, labour, large, ledge, (left-) handed, means, × mine, ministry, near, × of, × order, ordinance, × our, parts, pain, power, ×presumptuously, service, side, sore, state, stay, draw with strength, stroke, swear, terror, × thee, × by them, × themselves, × thine own, × thou, through, × throwing, thumb, times, × to, × under, × us, × wait on, (way-) side, where, wide, × with (him, me, you), work, yield, × yourselves.] [BLB: The KJV translates Strong's H3027 in the following manner: hand (1,359x), by (44x), consecrate (with H4390) (14x), him (14x), power (12x), them (11x), places (8x), tenons (6x), thee (6x), coast (6x), side (5x), miscellaneous (130x).]

i. [and thou shalt be] well with thee [Strong: 2895 ṭôwb, tobe; a primitive root, to be (transitively, do or make) good (or well) in the widest sense:—be (do) better, cheer, be (do, seem) good, (make) goodly, × please, (be, do, go, play) well.] [BLB: The KJV translates Strong's H2895 in the following manner: ...well (10x), good (9x), please (6x), goodly (2x), better (2x), cheer (1x), comely (1x), do (1x), pleased (with H5869) (1x).]