1 Samuel 16:4

King James Version (KJV)

And Samuel did that which the LORD spake, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably?

Translations

1 Samuel 16:4 - Amplified Bible

And Samuel did what the Lord said, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming and said, Have you come peaceably?

1 Samuel 16:4 - American Standard Version

And Samuel did that which Jehovah spake, and came to Beth-lehem. And the elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, Comest thou peaceably?

1 Samuel 16:4 - Bible in Basic English

And Samuel did as the Lord said and came to Beth-lehem. And the responsible men of the town came out to him in fear and said, Do you come in peace?

1 Samuel 16:4 - Darby Bible

And Samuel did what Jehovah said, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the city came trembling to meet him, and said, Dost thou come peaceably?

1 Samuel 16:4 - English Standard Version

Samuel did what the Lord commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said, "Do you come peaceably?"

1 Samuel 16:4 - King James Version

And Samuel did that which the LORD spake, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably?

1 Samuel 16:4 - La Biblia de las Americas

Samuel hizo lo que el SEÑOR dijo, y fue a Belén. Y los ancianos de la ciudad vinieron a su encuentro temblando y dijeron: ¿Vienes en paz?

1 Samuel 16:4 - The Message

Samuel did what God told him. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the town fathers greeted him, but apprehensively. "Is there something wrong?"

1 Samuel 16:4 - New American Standard Bible

So Samuel did what the LORD said, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and said, "Do you come in peace?"

1 Samuel 16:4 - Nueva Biblia Latinoamericana de Hoy

Samuel hizo lo que el SEÑOR dijo, y fue a Belén. Y los ancianos de la ciudad vinieron a su encuentro temblando y dijeron: "¿Vienes en paz?"

1 Samuel 16:4 - World English Bible

Samuel did that which Yahweh spoke, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, Come you peaceably?

1 Samuel 16:4 - Young's Living Translation

And Samuel doth that which Jehovah hath spoken, and cometh in to Beth-Lehem, and the elders of the city tremble to meet him, and [one] saith, `Is thy coming peace?`

1 Samuel 16:4 - Additional Comments

Bethlehem is just a few miles south of Jerusalem, a small town.
Why do they fear Samuel? What if we had a preacher whose visits were for the purpose of blessing or condemning for wrongdoing? Since we are all sinners, if the preacher was coming to visit, we would naturally expect the worse. Guilt causes fear. Samuel was known for aggressively removing false idols. The elders here probably feared they or their people were under suspicion of some kind of wrongdoing. Plus, they may have heard how Saul travelled, and in his disobedience could be very aggressive against the people (so much that even Samuel feared him - 16:1), and may have felt Samuel was travelling on Saul's behalf.
And, Samuel normally stayed at his home city or Ramah (northeast of Jerusalem), and it was a strange thing to see him travel from his own city: they therefore concluded it must be some extraordinary occasion that brought him, and feared the worst.

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