Now therefore listen to their voice. However you shall protest solemnly to them, and shall show them the way of the king who will reign over them.”
Samuel told all Yahweh’s words to the people who asked him for a king. He said, “This will be the way of the king who shall reign over you: he will take your sons, and appoint them as his servants, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and they will run before his chariots. He will appoint them to him for captains of thousands, and captains of fifties; and he will assign some to plow his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and the instruments of his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers, to be cooks, and to be bakers. He will take your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, even their best, and give them to his servants. He will take one tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give it to his officers, and to his servants. He will take your male servants, your female servants, your best young men, and your donkeys, and assign them to his own work. He will take one tenth of your flocks; and you will be his servants. You will cry out in that day because of your king whom you will have chosen for yourselves; and Yahweh will not answer you in that day.”
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv9, 11, 15, 18 To prove if they will forsake their wicked purpose.
To prove if they will forsake their wicked purpose.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv9–18 1Sa 8:9 Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit…
1Sa 8:9 Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.
Ver. 9. Now therefore hearken.] See 1Sa 8:7.
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Protest solemnly unto them.] That they may fall with open eyes, and be left as inexcusable as they are wilful.
And show them the manner of the king.] Rationem istam, παμβισιλειαν, {a} how he will domineer with Sic volo, sic iubeo: setting up his will for a law, as an absolute monarch. {Luk 22:25}
{a} Arist., De Politic., p. 3.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 Protest solemnly unto them; that, if it be possible,…
Protest solemnly unto them; that, if it be possible, thou mayst yet prevent their sin and misery.
The manner of the king, i.e. of the kings which they desire, like the kings of other nations. He speaks not of the just authority, or the right of their kings, but of their practice, as is evident from divers of the following particulars, which are expressly forbidden and condemned in Scripture, as we shall see.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv9–18 Now therefore hearken unto their voice,.... And appoint them…
Now therefore hearken unto their voice,.... And appoint them a king as they desire:
howbeit, yet protest solemnly unto them; not against the thing itself, which was permitted, but against the evil of their request, as to the unseasonable time, ill manner, and unjustifiable reason, in and for which it was made; the Lord would have Samuel lay before them their evil in requesting it, and the evils that would follow upon it to them, and faithfully represent them to them, that they might be left without excuse, and have none to blame but themselves when they, should come upon them:
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and show them the manner of the king that shall reign over them: or the right or judgment (z); not a legal right or form of government, but an assumed, arbitrary, and despotic power, such as the kings of the east exercised over their subjects, a king like whom the Israelites desired to have; namely, what unbounded liberties he would take with them, what slaves he would make of them, and what of their property he would take to himself at pleasure, as is after related. The word signifies, not a divine law, according to which the king should govern, but a custom, or a custom he would introduce, as the word is rendered, Sa1 2:13 and is different from that in Sa1 10:25.
(z) "jus regis", V. L. Tigurine version, Munster; "judicium regis", Vatablus, Drusius.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 Ye protest - That, if it be possible, thou…
Ye protest - That, if it be possible, thou mayst yet prevent their sin and misery. The manner - That is, of the kings which they desire like the kings of other nations.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On v9 Verse 9. Show them the manner of the king]…
Verse 9. Show them the manner of the king] The word משפט mishpat, which we here render manner, signifies simply what the king would and might require, according to the manner in which kings in general ruled; all of whom, in those times, were absolute and despotic.
The whole of this manner of the king is well illustrated by Puffendorf. "Hitherto," says he, "the people of Israel had lived under governors raised up of God, who had exacted no tribute of them, nor put them to any charge; but, little content with this form of government. they desire to have a king like other nations, who should live in magnificence and pomp, keep armies, and be able to resist any invasion. Samuel informs them what it was they desired; that when they understood it, they might consider whether they would persist in their choice If they would have a king splendidly attended, he tells them that he would take their sons for his chariots, c. if they would have him keep up constant forces, then he would appoint them for colonels and captains, and employ those in his wars who were accustomed to follow their family business; and since, after the manner of other kings, he must keep a stately court, they must be content that their daughters should serve in several offices, which the king would think below the dignity of his wives and daughters, 1Sa 8:13. Many ministers also, in several departments, both of war and peace, must have salaries to support them, which must be paid out of their fields and vineyards, 1Sa 8:14. In one word, that to sustain his dignity their king would exact the tenth of all they possessed, and be maintained in a royal manner out of their estates,"
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It is perfectly vain in Grotius, or any one else, to state that this shows what a king, as king, may any where in virtue of his office, claim and exact; and that he can take the property and persons of his subjects, and dispose of them as he may judge necessary for the exigence of the state. This was the manner of Saul, but Saul was not a king of God's choosing: "He gave him in his wrath, and took him away in his displeasure;" and the manner of such a king should not be arrogated by any potentate who affects to rule jure divino, by Divine right. The manner of the king of God's choice is distinctly detailed, De 17:15-20, to which the reader will do well to refer, that he may have an impartial statement of the subject.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv11, 12, 13, 14, 16 1Sa 8:11. He will take your sons — Injuriously,…
1Sa 8:11. He will take your sons — Injuriously, and by violence. And appoint them for himself — To attend him as the guards of his body, and in other offices. This shows that he speaks of the arbitrary power which the kings in those days used. And therefore Samuel doth not say absolutely, I will show you the manner (Hebrews משׂפת, mispeth, judgment, or right) of a king, as if it were a right belonging to all kings, but, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: or, such will be the consequence of your having kings. They will indeed be like those of the neighbouring nations, puffed up with their authority, haughty, arbitrary, and tyrannical: and you will find yourselves in a state of oppression and servitude. For his chariots, and to be his horsemen — To look after his chariots and his horses. Some shall run before his chariots — As his footmen.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv12, 14 This organization was as old as the time of…
This organization was as old as the time of Moses Num 31:14; Deu 1:15, and prevailed among the Philistines also 1Sa 29:2. The civil and military divisions were identical, and the civil officers were the same as the captains of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, in time of war.
To ear his ground - literally, “to plow his plowing.” “To ear” is an old English word, now obsolete, for to plow.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv9, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 The right. That is, the manner (mishpat) after which…
The right. That is, the manner (mishpat) after which he shall proceed, having no one to control him, when he has the power in his hands. (Challoner) --- He intimates that the kings will frequently act in a tyrannical manner, ver. 11. (Menochius) --- But the holy Fathers observe, that herein they do what is unjust, and contrary to God’s law. St. Gregory remarks, that Achab is punished for taking the vineyard of Naboth, (3 Kings xxi.) while David will not take a piece of ground belonging to Ornan, even for an altar, without first paying a just price for it, 1 Paralipomenon xxi. 25. Some of these rights or customs are prohibited to the king, Deuteronomy xvii. 16. It is true, kings enjoy great prerogatives above judges, but never contrary to the law. They cannot take their subjects’ goods: but the latter are bound to contribute to the maintenance of government; and, if they refuse, may be compelled. If kings should be guilty of excesses, "yet them are not to be deposed by the people,....but must be tolerated with patience, peace, and meekness, till God, by his sovereign authority, left in his Church, dispose of them, which his divine wisdom and goodness often deferred to do, as here he expressly forewarneth, (ver. 18) because he will punish the sins of the people by suffering evil princes to reign," Job xxxiv. 30. (Conc. Later. c. iii. de hœret.[Fourth Lateran Council, constitution iii., On Heretics?]) (Worthington) See St. Thomas Aquinas, [Summa Theologiae] 2. 2. q. 12. a. 2. --- We may here also remark, that the people petitioned for a king, yet God made the choice; and, when he proved rebellious, selected another by the hand of Samuel, though he permitted the former to enjoy his dignity till death, chap. xiii., and xxxi. (Haydock) --- Grotius (Jur. i. 1., and 4.) maintains that Samuel here proposes the just rights of the king, and that the prince has a greater right to any one’s personal property, for the public good, than he has himself. In effect, the eastern kings regarded their subjects as slaves. But those who governed the Hebrews were to follow a different conduct; and Samuel is so far from approving of what some of them would do, that he mentions their tyranny, in order to dissuade the people from what they so inconsiderately requested. (Calmet) --- The misconduct of rulers, is one of the most trying inconveniences to which a nation can be exposed. In such circumstances, "bear, say a pagan historian, (Haydock) with the luxury and avarice of those who hold dominion, as with other natural evils. There will be vices as long as men subsist, but neither will these continue for ever, and they are compensated by the intervention of better things or men." Meliorum interventu pensantur. (Tacitus) --- Grotius at last seems to conclude, (Sup. c. iv. p. 97) that the right of the king here specified is only apparent, in as much as it includes "the obligation of making no resistance." (Haydock)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv11–14 This will be the manner of the king--The following…
This will be the manner of the king--The following is a very just and graphic picture of the despotic governments which anciently and still are found in the East, and into conformity with which the Hebrew monarchy, notwithstanding the restrictions prescribed by the law, gradually slid.
He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself--Oriental sovereigns claim a right to the services of any of their subjects at pleasure.
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some shall run before his chariots--The royal equipages were, generally throughout the East (as in Persia they still are), preceded and accompanied by a number of attendants who ran on foot.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv9, 11, 18 9. Protest solemnly — Their ill-judged notions of a…
9. Protest solemnly — Their ill-judged notions of a monarchy needed rebuke, and a monarchical form of government has its peculiar dangers. Israel must not take the responsibility of adopting that form of government without solemn warning as to the possible, and even probable, consequences.
The manner of the king — The powers and privileges which a king will think it his right to exercise. See next verse.
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That shall reign over them — If we render this, as is equally proper, that may reign over them, the sense will be more plain. The Lord would fully warn his people of the possible dangers of a human monarchy, but he does not say that the king must necessarily, or would certainly, exercise despotic power and purposely afflict the people. It is clear from this passage that Jehovah did not favour Israel’s adoption of a monarchical form of government. But his wisdom and power did not interfere with their free action. The nation had long suffered from the neglect to fix upon a central place of worship, and the lack of a strong national government, whose proper authority should be heeded in every part of the land.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv9–18 9. Now therefore hearken] Or, And now. There is…
9. Now therefore hearken] Or, And now. There is no inference ‘because they reject me and thee, therefore, &c.,’ but the command of 1Sa_8:7 is repeated. For the reasons why the request was granted, see Introduction, ch. iv. § 4.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv11, 12, 13, 16, 17, 18 (11) And he said, This will be the manner…
(11) And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you.—In obedience to the word of the Lord, Samuel, the judge of Israel, without blaming the people for their desire, quietly asks them if they were in real earnest—if they had fully considered the grave changes which such an appointment as that of a sovereign over the nation would bring about in the constitution. Were they willing to exchange their Republican freedom for the condition of subjection to a sovereign who, after the manner of those other kings of foreign nations—the Pharaohs, for instance—would of course govern Israel after his own will? in other words, were they really willing to give up their Republic for a Despotism?
In this whole transaction of the appointment of an earthly king in Israel, we must not forget that although under the present circumstances of Israel it was the best course to pursue, and, as such, received the Divine sanction, yet it was giving up the old grand ideal of a nation dwelling on earth ruled over directly by a King whose throne and home were in the eternal heavens. The glorious hope had to be given up, because Israel had been tried and found unworthy to share in the undreamed-of blessings of such a Government.
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He will take your sons.—Here follows a graphic picture of the changed life of the people under a despotic monarch. They must be prepared, must those elders, for a court—a gorgeous court such as they had heard of, and perhaps some of them had seen on the banks of the Nile, the Euphrates, or the Tigris; all that was best and choicest in Israel would be summoned there. The old pastoral life would disappear; the dwelling under their own vines and fig-trees would give place to a very different way of living; the pleasures and vices of a gay and brilliant city life would allure the sons and daughters. and tempt them from the old simple way of living, dear to so many in Israel. War, too, on a scale they hitherto had never dreamed of, would be their portion—all these heavy burdens would become the heritage of Israel if they chose to imitate in their government the nations of the world. Had they thought of all this when they asked for a king?
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv10–18 Permitted, not approved.
Vers. 10-22.
Permitted, not approved.
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The facts are
1. Samuel points out to the people that their desired king will aggrandise himself at their expense, and that, once entering on their course, there will be no deliverance.
2. The people, nevertheless, decide to have a king, and assign the motive oftheir preference.
3. Samuel, on laying the matter before God, receives a command to makethem a king. The question at issue was not whether this or that form of government was intrinsically best, nor whether at some time in the near future God might or might not cause judgeship gradually to develop into kingship; but whether, at this juncture, it was God"s will to introduce a monarchy. The references in Deu_17:14-20 were probably a forecast of the events now brought to pass. At all events, God"s time for monarchy in Israel was not yet come; the people"s had come. The historian sets forth the bearings and result of the controversy. The instance is unique, but the principle involved is of frequent exemplification in human affairs.
I THERE ARE SPHERES OF ACTION IN WHICH GOD ALLOWS MEN TO TAKE THEIR CHOICE OF THE METHODS BY WHICH HIS PURPOSES ARE TO BE WROUGHT OUT. Israel was a nation working out a spiritual issue. The day must come when in the seed of Abraham" all nations shall be blessed Thus far, politically, this issue was being reached by a peculiar arrangement with as much success as the perverse spirit of the people would allow to any system. When "Samuel told all the words of the Lord unto the people that asked of him a king" (ver. 10), it was understood that, though they were not at liberty to set aside recognition of Jehovah, the institutions of worship, and the moral law, they were free, if they so willed, to adopt political methods of their own. They would not cease to be Messianic in purpose, but they would work toward the goal by a new method unusually characterised by human frailty. There is a marked distinction in the accomplishment of Divine purposes through irrational and rational agents. The one is a channel of necessity; the other the free organ of controllable actions. Every stone falls because it must; every will acts because it wills. The marvel and mystery is that the eternal Will should in the end get its own through, or in spite of, the free action of other wills.
Yet so it is. Likewise there are differences in the ruling of rational creatures. In one sense every free being can, and is left to, take what course he pleases. He may sin or not sin; he may love God or not; and this, too, while the obligation is most binding. But, nevertheless, God enforces some things and in others allows option. It is essential that God be loved; that Christ be the Medium through which saving mercy comes to all, infant and adult; that repentance and faith be exercised by all who bear the gospel call; and that certain duties to man be discharged. These are conditions of safety, purity, and bliss. But it is not essential to the same degree and in the same sense that men should pursue their calling in one way only. There is an option left as to how men shall obtain and use their knowledge; what methods shall be followed in pursuit of life"s calling; what means taken to promote spiritual culture and material advantage; what social and national arrangements may best subserve the common good. Having laid down the broad lines of faith in Christ and righteousness of principle in all things, God seems to have left a margin for the exercise of our discretion. It is as though the Eternal would thus mark his estimate of the great prerogative of freedom. He educates the individual and the race by the accumulation of varied experiences, the outgrowth of freedom.
II Any CHOICE OF MEN, AS TO METHODS of pursuing their course, is ATTENDED WITH INCONVENIENCE IN SO FAR AS IT DEVIATES FROM THAT WHICH GOD CLEARLY APPROVES. Samuel declares to the people that the choice of a monarchy would impose on them inconvenient burdens, and rob them of much of the happiness they enjoyed under the form of government already approved of God (vers. 1118). Personal pomp and splendour would mean taxation and regal aggrandisement. The sense, therefore, of this warning is that Israel might yet be God"s chosen people, subject to Mosaic law, guided in great affairs by prophets, and working to a Messianic goal; but the form of government chosen by man would be more costly and hindering than that at present approved by God. The teaching is true generally. There are clear lines of conduct laid down by Providence indicative of the way in which God would have us fulfil our purpose in the world. The man of business will not realise the end in view in so far as his methods are precisely contrary to the teachings of Providence. Statesmen may take a course of their own, heedless of what God prefers; their troubles will be proportionate. It is God"s method of developing the full manhood of Christian life that, while walking humbly with him in private, we do not "forsake the assembling of ourselves together." Men who chose a different course may do so, but must bear the consequences of a dwarfed Christianity.
III NOTWITHSTANDING A CLEAR STATEMENT OF THE PERILS OF DEVIATING FROM GOD"S METHODS, MEN, UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF A MASTERFUL PASSION, WILL SOMETIMES TAKE THEIR OWN COURSE. In vain did Samuel warn the people of the disapproval of God, and the costs of their desired monarchy; they refused to obey his voice, and said, "Nay; but we will have a king to reign over us" (ver. 19). It was not whether God approved or not; it was not a question of promoting righteousness; it was not a desire to see the Messianic purposes more speedily realised; but a longing to be like other nations, and consequently a desire to be less in direct connection with God as Ruler. The strength of this passion is obvious; for it disregards personal loss, the prophet"s aversion, and the declared disapproval of God.
1. The overpowering influence of a passion may be felt by the individual Christian. It is possible for Christian men, when piety is at low ebb, to hanker after the mode of life pursued by the Christless. The prayer of Christ that his people may "not be of the world" is sometimes either forgotten or freely interpreted. "Come out from among them, and be ye separate" may be admitted as a general duty, while its execution is sadly deficient. It is only when the soul has, in unguarded hours, come under the spell of the world passion that the clear lessons of Scripture and of experience are set aside for the paltry gratification of being like other men.
2. The same passion may lay hold of the Church. History shows that the Church has not been free from the spell which once laid hold of Israel. The simplicity of Christ has sometimes perished in the attempt to reproduce in the Church the formalities and pomp of the Philistines. "How far the Church can safely conform to the world" is a dangerous question, and should be substituted by "How may the Church best fashion the world to its own pure and lofty standard?
IV MEN DEGRADE THEMSELVES in so far as the METHODS THEY ADOPT DO NOT HARMONISE WITH THE SUPREME OBJECT FOR WHICH THEY LIVE. The ordinary reader feels that Israel was self-degraded in preferring to live like heathen nations when another course was open. The ends of Israel"s existence were highly moral; the mere love of pomp and splendour had no congruity with this end. What had grand military and regal parade to do with the righteousness which alone exalts a nation, and which was the peculiar qualification for advancing Messianic issues? It would not save them from the disasters consequent on loss of righteousness rather it would aggravate them (ver. 18); nor would it make the practice of righteousness more easy. There is an intellectual and moral debasement in choice of means for an end not congruous with it, and in face of warning. The individual Christian and the Church profess to live for spiritual purposes. They degenerate when, from sheer self-will and hankering after the outwardly sensational, they seek to promote private or public ends pertaining to their Christian calling by anything not spiritual in character and tendency.
V The CHOICE OF METHODS NOT APPROVED BY GOD IS NO BAR TO THE FINAL REALISATION OF THE DIVINE PURPOSE. As when men from discontent with God"s provision sought flesh, he sent them quails in abundance, so now he allows their freedom and gives a king. The quails and manna were only means of subsistence. "The life was more than meat." So the government by judges or kings was only method of training the people for their ultimate purpose in life. Men might sicken and die with excess of flesh, but the nation would live on. Trouble and sorrow might arise from a change of form of government, and the people might morally sink in the choice, yet God would overrule all and effect his purpose. The Church may suffer much from her perverseness, and comparatively tedious advance will be made in the world; yet Christ will at last subdue all to himself, albeit his foolish people have to learn many a bitter lesson. Likewise personally the image of Christ will some day be more perfect in the soul, though late in life, and after many a sorrow induced by our own self-will in deviating from his methods of perfecting character.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v10 And Samuel told all the words of the Lord…
1Sa_8:10
And Samuel told all the words of the Lord unto the people that asked of him a king.
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An admonition to the wilful
When about to frame the Tabernacle in the wilderness, Moses was specially instructed by God to make it after the pattern which had been shown him in the holy mount. When Jeremiah was set apart to the prophetical office, for which he confessed himself unfit, God said, Thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee; and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak (Jer_1:7). The rule with respect to all preachers of the gospel is after a similar form: If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God (1Pe_4:11); It is required of stewards that a man be found faithful (1Co_4:2). Ministerial fidelity is the full declaration of the word of God to the consciences of men. Who is a true and faithful steward? asked Latimer of old. He is true, he is faithful, that coineth no new money, but seeketh it ready coined of the goodman of the house; and neither changeth it nor clippeth it, after it is taken to him to spend, but spendeth even the selfsame that he had of his Lord; and spendeth it as his Lord commanded him. Such a man was Samuel, who told all the words of the Lord unto the people. This fidelity is essential to the proper discharge of the ministerial office, as it was of the prophetical. The fear of man may not alter the doctrine of the pulpit. The preacher of the word must declare all the counsel of God, whether men hear or whether they forbear. Ere the people proceeded to make a change of Government, Samuel declared the manner of the king that should reign over them. Samuel did not show the people what a king ought to be--that was written in the books of the law of Moses; but what he would be. In the East, kings maintain great magnificence, live in highest luxury, and indulge their passions. Followed by sycophants baser than themselves, they soon get beyond amendment, and, secure in their self-sufficiency, are heedless of the complaints and wrongs of their subjects. Such were the men who wore a crown in the days of Samuel, nor have Eastern monarchs much changed since then. But when an object is earnestly desired, all connected with it is viewed through the coloured glasses of the beholder, The people of Israel saw only the magnificence, not the luxury; the dignity, not the expense; the power, not the oppression of a king. They were willing to run before a royal chariot,--that would be no slavery. They would enlist in an army,--that would be no yoke. They would give the best to a Hebrew king,--that would be no sacrifice. The enthusiasm of the people saw no evil in a royal crown or a courtly retinue. Like little children, the passions of a people are blind to the future. They will have their desire, though it prove their ruin. Thus French factions would have their objects in the revolutionary era, regardless of the wrong they caused, the blood they shed, the religion they blasphemed, the God they dishonoured, until the Red Republic was more cruel than ever despotic monarchy had been. Thus the sinner will have his desire, though he imperil his soul foreverse The avaricious will have gold, though it becomes his idol, and his immortal spirit worships the golden calf. The inebriate will have his drink, though he degrade his being, blast his character, beggar his family, and damn his soul. The sinner will have his sin though it ruin him foreverse But there is personal danger resulting from the indulgence of wrong motives, and from the eager pursuit of sin. The soul is debased, made guilty, and exposed to retribution. It may awaken too late to retrace its steps, to secure pardon and salvation. Present decision to be right with God is therefore an imperative duty, as it is the guarantee of future blessing. Faithful as Samuel was to the people in declaring the words of God, he is none the less so in rehearsing the words of the people of God. The decided indication of the popular will does not alter Samuels views, or tempt him to depart from God. He can go back to the presence of God with the same uprightness as he bad come from that sacred place. The tides of popular feeling did not bear him away. He could stand alone in his devotedness to God if the people should all reject the word of the Most High. He acted as the commissioner of Jehovah, and therefore laid the wish of the people before the throne of God. He was willing to abide by the Divine decision. God granted the request of the people, and Samuel gave information accordingly. This did not indicate Divine approbation of their conduct; for it showed that they were to bear the responsibility of the step. They become new opportunities of well-doing if rightly improved, or means of conviction of the sin committed. They had confidence in Samuels prayers, and were willing to abide the issue. The history of the world, says a judicious commentator, cannot produce another instance in which a public determination was formed to appoint a king, and yet no one proposed either himself or any other person to be king, but referred the determination entirely to God. (R. Steel.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On v10 The Disadvantages Set Forth to the People
The Disadvantages Set Forth to the People
v. 10. And Samuel told all the words of the Lord unto the people that asked of him a king, thereby exhorting them to repentance.
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v. 11. And he said, This will be the manner of the king, the way in which he would probably comport himself, that shall reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them for himself, press them into his own service, for his chariots, namely, as drivers, and to be his horsemen, to make up the cavalry in his army or in his body-guard; and some shall run before his chariots, as runners, or heralds. It is a description of the usual Oriental royal cavalcade on state occasions.
v. 12. And he will appoint him, simply press into service, captains over thousands and captains over fifties, men for every position in his army, from the highest to the lowest; and will set them to ear his ground, to till the soil of the royal dominion, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war and instruments of his chariots, the tools, vessels, and vehicles which he used in peace times.
v. 13. And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, to prepare fine oils and ointments for perfumery, and to be cooks, and to be bakers, for the household of an Oriental prince was organized on a gigantic scale, with a great deal of luxury and pomp.
v. 14. And he will take your fields and your vineyards and your olive yards, even the best of them, the choicest land for agricultural and horticultural purposes,and give them to his servants, to his courtiers.
v. 15. And he will take the tenth of your seed and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, the eunuchs of the Oriental courts, and to his servants.
v. 16. And he will take your men-servants and your maid-servants, the very slaves whom they had purchased for their own work, and your goodliest young men, rather, your oxen, and your asses, and put them to his work.
v. 17. He will take the tenth of your sheep, the small cattle, including goats; and ye shall be his servants, they would lose all their political and social freedom and place a yoke upon their necks which they would not be able to remove.
v. 18. And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; finding their condition unbearable, they would pray for deliverance; and the Lord will not hear you in that day, all their lamentation would be unavailing, as a just punishment of the Lord; the yoke once assumed they must bear forever. The description given by Samuel summarizes the tyranny and despotism of the average Oriental monarch, especially in ancient times, and some of the oppressions mentioned were later experienced by Israel in full measure.
v. 19. Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel, they would not be dissuaded from their intention; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us,
v. 20. that we also may be like all the nations, like all the heathen people surrounding them; they no longer wanted the proud distinction of being ruled by Jehovah only; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles. Those were the duties of the king as they saw them, to be the leader and the governor of the people, in peace and in war.
v. 21. And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the Lord, again laying the whole matter before the Lord, after his unsuccessful dealing with the people.
v. 22. And the Lord said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye, every man unto his city. He needed some time to consider, with the Lord’s advice, the necessary steps for the selection of a king. Thus the Lord, in yielding to the demand of the people, laid a punishment upon them. Sinful men cannot be kept in check but by force and oppression; that is a result of man’s natural disobedience.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv10, 13, 16 This will be the practice ... He will take
This will be the practice ... He will take
The practice of the king will be to take. This begins the list of things he will take.
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This will be the practice of the king who will reign over you
The abstract noun "practice" can be translated as a verb. AT: "This is how the king who will reign over you will act" or "This is what the king who will reign over you will do" (See: Abstract Nouns)
appoint them to his chariots
"have them drive chariots in battle"
be his horsemen
They will ride horses into battle.
translationWords
word of God
reign
son
appoint
chariot
horseman
soldier
plow
reap
harvest
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv10, 11, 12, 15, 17, 18 8:10-18 These verses list the disadvantages of kingship. Each…
8:10-18 These verses list the disadvantages of kingship. Each sentence begins with something the king would take. A king would be a confiscator, not just a protector.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.