illustrating Saul and David’s relative status before Yahweh. Saul’s rejection is worked out by the loss of the Spirit, while David’s election is shown by the Spirit’s enduring presence. Hence the chapter as a whole has a certain unity, in spite of its seemingly disparate material. A further link appears in v. 22, when Saul writes to Jesse, indicating David has found favour ‘in my eyes’. The statement is formulaic, but takes on a special significance due to the unusual use of the word ‘eyes’ in 16:7,