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1 Samuel 16:1

WEB · Bible Passage

Bible Text

Yahweh said to Samuel, How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from being king over Israel? fill your horn with oil, and go: I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite; for I have provided me a king among his sons.

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Map of Palestine (The Holy Land)A general map of Palestine showing towns and regions across the Holy Land.

Historical maps are public-domain atlas plates, digitized by Wikimedia Commons.

Bethlehem was a small town in Judah, southwest of Jerusalem, and the home of Jesse. In this passage, God sends Samuel there to anoint one of Jesse’s sons as Saul’s successor, identifying Bethlehem as the setting for David’s divinely chosen rise to kingship.

Places in this passage

1 Samuel 16:1 mentions Bethlehem.

Bethlehem · Berthold Werner

Place data & photos: OpenBible.info (CC BY). Map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors.