David, Saul's Minstrel. (J), the ancient narrative, continues 1 Samuel 14:52. The earlier and more authentic of the two accounts of David's introduction to Saul (cf. 1 Samuel 17:55 ff.).
Saul became possessed with some form of recurrent mania, which the primitive combination of pathology and theology explained by saying that the Spirit of Yahweh had departed from him, and that Yahweh had sent an evil spirit to torment him; so, according to Micaiah, 1 Kings 22:23, Yahweh put a lying spirit in the mouth of Ahab's prophets. For us such statements connect themselves with the problem of the relation between the Divine Omnipotence and the origin of evil, but here they show that the Israelites did not yet fully understand the ethical perfection of God. At the suggestion of his courtiers, Saul seeks relief from music, and sends for David, a skilful musician, a brave and experienced warrior, an orator, a man of fine presence, and happy in the favour of Yahweh. Saul is greatly taken with David, and makes him his armourbearer. When his spirit is troubled, he obtains relief from David's music.
1 Samuel 16:18. a mighty man of valour and a man of war: HK and Cent.B propose to omit these words as irrelevant in an enumeration of the qualifications of a minstrel, and because the post of armourbearer would have been beneath the dignity of a man of war. Neither consideration is cogent; the clause is a general panegyric, and to be the royal armourbearer would be a post of importance. The omission would lessen the discrepancy with 1 Samuel 17:33 ff., and so far it is tempting; but this kind of temptation should be resisted.
1 Samuel 16:20. an ass laden with bread: read ten loaves of bread.