The Church Fathers on this verse
THEOSIS
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1 Kingdoms (1 Samuel) 16:2Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

And Samuel said: How shall I go? for Saul will hear of it, and he will kill me. And the Lord said: Thou shalt take with thee a calf of the herd, and thou shalt say: I am come to sacrifice to the Lord.

Douay-Rheims

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר שְׁמוּאֵל֙ אֵ֣יךְ אֵלֵ֔ךְ וְשָׁמַ֥ע שָׁא֖וּל וַהֲרָגָ֑נִי וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהוָ֗ה עֶגְלַ֤ת בָּקָר֙ תִּקַּ֣ח בְּיָדֶ֔ךָ וְאָ֣מַרְתָּ֔ לִזְבֹּ֥חַ לַֽיהוָ֖ה בָּֽאתִי׃

Hebrew (Masoretic text)

The Church Fathers on this verse

2 Church Fathers comment on this verse · 3 commentaries

Theodoret of Cyrus

5th centuryChurch Father

Why did the Prophet experience fear when instructed to anoint David? (1 Sam. 16:2) This was due to the fact that he was not just a prophet but also a human being. If our Lord Jesus Christ, the Master of the Prophet, displayed human trepidation while preparing to endure redemptive suffering, who among us can claim to be free of weaknesses and criticize the Prophet for his fear?

Some individuals even go so far as to criticize God, suggesting that He taught the Prophet something false; for He commanded, "Take the young of the oxen in thy hand, and say, I go to eat the Lord"? (1 Sam. 16:2) Yet this is not a deception; the Prophet truly conducted the sacrifice. (1 Sam. 16:2) In fact, the Prophet did indeed fulfill the sacrificial act.

Philaret of Moscow (Drosdow)

19th centuryChurch Father

Samuel was apprehensive, perceiving the mission as fraught with peril. The Lord acknowledged this risk and instructed that the extraordinary mission be cloaked in the guise of a common offering; however, the task itself was not nullified.

Samuel experienced doubt, perceiving the mission as perilous. The Lord acknowledged this risk and directed that the remarkable mission be cloaked in the guise of a common offering; however, He did not nullify the task itself. This reflects the Christian teaching on divine sovereignty and serves as historical evidence of God's direct governance over the nations of humanity.

Cross references

Passages read together with this verse.