Bible Strands
1 Samuel 16:3
Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you are to do. You are to anoint for Me the one I indicate.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — God addresses Samuel after Samuel expresses fear that Saul will kill him for traveling to Bethlehem. God instructs Samuel to invite Jesse to a sacrifice and promises to reveal which son to anoint.
The words — The verb קָרָאתָ (qara'ta) means "you will invite," directing Samuel to formally call Jesse to the sacrificial meal. The phrase אוֹדִיעֲךָ (odi'eka) translates literally as "I will make known to you," indicating divine revelation of the chosen king.
The thread — This command echoes the earlier divine instruction in 1 Samuel 9:16 to anoint a ruler from Benjamin, establishing a pattern of God directing prophetic anointing through sacrificial contexts.
Why it lands — The text requires immediate obedience to a risky divine directive without demanding prior understanding of the outcome. It places the burden of action on the prophet to execute the command exactly as revealed.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will shew thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee.
Cross-references
- 1 Samuel 9:16 “At this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you are to anoint him ruler over My people Israel; he will save them from the hand of the Philistines. For I have looked upon My people, because their cry has come to Me.”
- 1 Samuel 16:12 So Jesse sent for his youngest son and brought him in. He was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And the LORD said, “Rise and anoint him, for he is the one.”
- 2 Samuel 15:11 Two hundred men from Jerusalem accompanied Absalom. They had been invited as guests and they went along innocently, for they knew nothing about the matter.
- Acts 9:6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
- Exodus 4:15 You are to speak to him and put the words in his mouth. I will help both of you to speak, and I will teach you what to do.
- Deuteronomy 17:14 When you enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,”
- 1 Samuel 9:12 “Yes, he is ahead of you,” they answered. “Hurry now, for today he has come to the city because the people have a sacrifice on the high place.
- Matthew 22:1 Once again, Jesus spoke to them in parables: