anointed” (v. 17), with the personal pronoun referring in each case to YHWH. This pattern of usage suggests that there is a close bond between YHWH and his anointed royal agent (indicating authorization, dependence, or submission). The verb “to anoint” (māšaḥ) is used fourteen times in the book of Samuel. These verbal occurrences make the point that the person in question (usually Saul or David) was anointed by YHWH (1 Sam. 10:1; 15:17; 2 Sam. 12:7), by the prophet under divine instruction (1 Sam. 9:16; 15:1;