The Meaning of 1 Samuel 16:16 Explained

1 Samuel 16:16

KJV: 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.

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.'

Darby: Let our lord now speak; thy servants are before thee: they shall seek out a man, a skilful player on a 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.

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.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does 1 Samuel 16:16 Mean?

Context Summary

1 Samuel 16:14-23 - The Young Harper Before The Dejected King
In one sentence we are told of the Spirit of the Lord coming upon David, 1 Samuel 16:13, and in the next of the departure of the Spirit from Saul. This does not necessarily imply that all religious sensibility had become extinct, but that the special enduement which had fitted him for his kingly office had been withdrawn. An evil spirit "from the Lord" troubled him; that is, God permitted this spirit to enter. The garrison of peace and love had, been willfully dismissed by Saul, and by the inevitable operation of the divine law, as He had banished the light, he was necessarily left in darkness. God gave him up to a reprobate mind, Romans 1:24; Romans 1:26; Romans 1:28.
The king's depression demanded an antidote, which was provided by music. Philip V of Spain was helped in the same fashion. The minstrel was none other than the young shepherd so recently anointed. A directing Providence superintends every incident in life. That a servant of Saul's had seen David in some country contest was only a link in the chain, 1 Samuel 16:18. God has a plan for each life. "All things work together for good to them that love God," Romans 8:28. [source]

Chapter Summary: 1 Samuel 16

1  Samuel sent by God, under pretense of a sacrifice, comes to Bethlehem
6  His human judgment is reproved
11  He anoints David
15  Saul sends for David to quiet his evil spirit

What do the individual words in 1 Samuel 16:16 mean?

Command let now our master your servants [who are] before you to seek out a man skillful [who is] a player on the harp and it shall be when is upon you the spirit from God distressing that he shall play it with his hand and [will be] well you -
יֹאמַר־ נָ֤א אֲדֹנֵ֙נוּ֙ עֲבָדֶ֣יךָ לְפָנֶ֔יךָ יְבַקְשׁ֕וּ אִ֕ישׁ יֹדֵ֖עַ מְנַגֵּ֣ן בַּכִּנּ֑וֹר וְהָיָ֗ה בִּֽהְי֨וֹת עָלֶ֤יךָ רֽוּחַ־ אֱלֹהִים֙ רָעָ֔ה וְנִגֵּ֥ן בְּיָד֖וֹ וְט֥וֹב לָֽךְ פ

יֹאמַר־  Command 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
נָ֤א  let  now 
Parse: Interjection
Root: נָא  
Sense: I (we) pray, now, please.
אֲדֹנֵ֙נוּ֙  our  master 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common plural
Root: אָדֹון  
Sense: firm, strong, lord, master.
עֲבָדֶ֣יךָ  your  servants  [who  are] 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: עֶבֶד  
Sense: slave, servant.
לְפָנֶ֔יךָ  before  you 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, common plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
יְבַקְשׁ֕וּ  to  seek  out 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: בָּקַשׁ  
Sense: to seek, require, desire, exact, request.
אִ֕ישׁ  a  man 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
יֹדֵ֖עַ  skillful 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: דָּעָה 
Sense: to know.
מְנַגֵּ֣ן  [who  is]  a  player 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Participle, masculine singular
Root: נָגַן  
Sense: to play or strike strings, play a stringed instrument.
בַּכִּנּ֑וֹר  on  the  harp 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: כִּנּׄור  
Sense: lyre, harp.
וְהָיָ֗ה  and  it  shall  be 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
עָלֶ֤יךָ  is  upon  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine singular
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
רֽוּחַ־  the  spirit 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct
Root: רוּחַ  
Sense: wind, breath, mind, spirit.
אֱלֹהִים֙  from  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
רָעָ֔ה  distressing 
Parse: Adjective, feminine singular
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
וְנִגֵּ֥ן  that  he  shall  play  it 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נָגַן  
Sense: to play or strike strings, play a stringed instrument.
בְּיָד֖וֹ  with  his  hand 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
וְט֥וֹב  and  [will  be]  well 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: יָטַב  
Sense: to be good, be pleasing, be joyful, be beneficial, be pleasant, be favourable, be happy, be right.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation