Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah, the son of a Benjamite, a mighty man of valor.
Parallel Translations
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Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah, the son of a Benjamite, a mighty man of valor.
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Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power.
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Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah, the son of a Benjamite, a mighty man of valour.
Examined in Scripture Analysis
Contradictions (1)
Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
Cross-references (7)
Passages linked to 1 Samuel 9:1 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- 1 Samuel 14:51 Kish was the father of Saul; and Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel.
- Acts 13:21 Afterward they asked for a king, and God gave to them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.
- 1 Chronicles 9:36-39 his firstborn son Abdon, Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab, Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah, and Mikloth. Mikloth became the father of Shimeam. They also lived with their brothers in Jerusalem, near their brothers. Ner became the father of Kish. Kish became the father of Saul. Saul became the father of Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Eshbaal.
- 1 Samuel 25:2 There was a man in Maon, whose possessions were in Carmel; and the man was very great. He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats; and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.
- 1 Chronicles 8:30-33 with his firstborn son Abdon, Zur, Kish, Baal, Nadab, Gedor, Ahio, and Zecher. Mikloth became the father of Shimeah. They also lived with their brothers in Jerusalem, near their brothers. Ner became the father of Kish. Kish became the father of Saul. Saul became the father of Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Eshbaal.
- Job 1:3 His possessions also were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the children of the east.
- 2 Samuel 19:32 Now Barzillai was a very aged man, even eighty years old. He had provided the king with sustenance while he stayed at Mahanaim; for he was a very great man.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (22 sources)
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain That is, both valiant and rich.
That is, both valiant and rich.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 1Sa 9:1 Now there was a man of Benjamin,…
1Sa 9:1 Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name [was] Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power.
Ver. 1. Now there was a man of Benjamin.] Here beginneth the second part of this book: and here properly begin the Books of the Kings, saith A. Lapide.
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A mighty man of power.] Heros fortis, and so the fitter to be father to a king. Mighties beget mighties.
“ Fortes creantur fortibus et bonis. ” - Horat.
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 Whose name was Kish.
Whose name was Kish.
Object. His name was Ner, 1Ch 8:33; 9:39.
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Answ. Either his father had two names, as was usual among the Hebrews; or Kish was really his father that begot him; and Ner, the brother of Kish, 1Sa 14:51; 1Ch 9:36, is called his father, because, upon the death of Kish, he took the care of his education, and brought him up as his own son.
A Benjamite, Heb. the son of a man of Jemini, i.e. either of Benjamin, or of a place, or of a man, called Jemini.
A mighty man of power, i.e. a man of great courage and strength; which tends to Saul’s commendation: otherwise, a man of great wealth. But that seems confuted by Saul’s words below, 1Sa 9:21, and the people’s contempt of him, 1Sa 10:27.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain We are here told, 1. What a good family…
We are here told, 1. What a good family Saul was of, Sa1 9:1. He was of the tribe of Benjamin; so was the New Testament Saul, who also was called Paul, and he mentions it as his honour, for Benjamin was a favourite, Rom 11:1; Phi 3:5. That tribe had been reduced to a very small number by the fatal war with Gibeah, and much ado there was to provide wives for those 600 men that were the poor remains of it out of that diminished tribe, which is here called, with good reason, the smallest of the tribes of Israel, Sa1 9:21. Saul sprang as a root out of a dry ground. That tribe, though fewest in number, was first in dignity, God giving more abundant honour to that part which lacked, Co1 12:24. His father was Kish, a mighty man of power, or, as the margin reads it, in substance; in spirit bold, in body strong, in estate wealthy. The whole lot of the tribe of Benjamin coming to be distributed among 600 men, we may suppose their inheritances were much larger than theirs who were of other tribes, an advantage which somewhat helped to balance the disadvantage of the smallness of their number. 2. What a good figure Saul made, Sa1 9:2. No mention is here made of his wisdom or virtue, his learning or piety, or any of the accomplishments of his mind, but that he was a tall, proper, handsome man, that had a good face, a good shape, and a good presence, graceful and well proportioned: Among all the children of Israel there was not a goodlier person than he; and, as if nature had marked him for preeminence and superiority, he was taller by the head and shoulders than any of the people, the fitter to be a match for the giants of Gath, the champions of the Philistines. When God chose a king after his own heart he pitched upon one that was not at all remarkable for the height of his stature, nor any thing in his countenance but the innocence and sweetness that appeared there, Sa1 16:7, Sa1 16:12. But when he chose a king after the people's heart, who aimed at nothing so much as stateliness and grandeur, he pitched upon this huge tall man, who, if he had no other good qualities, yet would look great. It does not appear that he excelled in strength so much as he did in stature; Samson did, and him they slighted, bound, and betrayed into the hands of the Philistines; justly therefore are they now put off with one who, though of uncommon height, is weak as other men. They would have a king like the nations, and the nations commonly chose portly men for their kings.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain Now there was a man of Benjamin,.... Of the…
Now there was a man of Benjamin,.... Of the tribe of Benjamin, which had its name from the youngest son of Jacob, and one of this tribe was the first king of Israel:
whose name was Kish: whom the apostle calls Cis, Act 13:21, and Josephus (i) Cises; his name, according to Hillerus (k), signifies "ensnared"; for what reason it was given him is not certain:
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the son of Abiel; in Ch1 8:33, he is called Ner that begat Kish; and in this book, Sa1 14:50 Ner and Kish are represented as brethren, the sons of Abiel: to reconcile this, it may be observed, that Ner being the elder brother, on the death of his father Abiel, had the care and bringing up of his younger brother Kish; and therefore when he is said to beget him, the meaning is, not that he was the parent of him, but the bringer up of him; or rather, as Kimchi thinks, Abiel had two sons, one of which was Ner; and that he had two sons, one that was called after his own name Ner, who was the father of Abner; and the other Kish, the father of Saul:
the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite; of these persons we nowhere else read:
a mighty man of power; not a man of riches, or of authority, neither a wealthy man, nor a magistrate, for his family was mean and contemptible, Sa1 9:21 but a man of great strength, an able bodied man, and of great natural fortitude, and courage of mind.
(i) Antiqu. l. 6. c. 4. sect. 1. (k) Onomastic. Sacr. p. 405.
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 A short account of Saul, ver. 1, 2. Seeking…
A short account of Saul, ver. 1, 2. Seeking his father's asses, he is advised to consult Samuel, ver. 3-10. He is directed to him, ver. 11-14. Samuel being informed of God concerning him, treats him with respect, and prepares him for the news, that he must be king, ver. 15-27.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Saul's lineage and description; he is sent by his…
CHAPTER IX
Saul's lineage and description; he is sent by his father to
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seek some lost asses, 1-5.
Not finding them, he purposes to go and consult Samuel
concerning the proper method of proceeding, 6-14.
The Lord informs Samuel that he should anoint Saul king, 15, 16.
Samuel invites Saul to dine with him, and informs him that the
asses are found; and gives him an intimation that he is to be
king, 17-21.
Saul dines with Samuel, and afterwards he is taken to the
house-top, where both commune together, 22-27.
NOTES ON CHAP. IX
Verse 1. A mighty man of power.] Literally, a strong man; this appears to be the only power he possessed; and the physical strength of the father may account for the extraordinary size of the son. See 1Sa 9:2.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain 1Sa 9:1-2. A mighty man of power — This…
1Sa 9:1-2. A mighty man of power — This seems not to be meant of his wealth or interest in his country, for Saul himself says he was of a mean family, 1Sa 9:21; but of his great strength, courage, and fortitude. A choice young man and goodly — Comely and personable. Higher than any of the people — A tall stature was much valued in a king in ancient times, and in the eastern countries.
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 The genealogy of Saul is here given as far…
The genealogy of Saul is here given as far as Aphiah (“Abiah,” 1Ch 7:8), who was of the house of Becher the son of Benjamin Gen 46:21. “Kish” 1Ch 9:35-39 was the son of “Ner” the son of “Jehiel,” (or, “Abiel” here and 1Sa 14:51), the first settler (“father,” 1Ch 9:35) at Gibeon, or Gibeah of Saul, and who married “Maachah,” a daughter or granddaughter of Caleb. If so, it is obvious that the names of several generations are omitted between Kish and Abiel, and among them that from which the family of Matri 1Sa 10:21 was called.
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 Abiel, who is also called Ner, 1 Paralipomenon viii.…
Abiel, who is also called Ner, 1 Paralipomenon viii. 33. (Cajetan) --- Strong. Hebrew, "a mighty man of power," either of body, or of riches.
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).
Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures 1864 · Public Domain II. Samuel meets Saul and Learns that he is…
II. Samuel meets Saul and Learns that he is Destined by God to be King over Israel
1Sa_9:1-27
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1Now [And] there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah,1 [ins. the son of2] a Benjamite, a mighty man of power.3 And he had a son whose name was Saul, a choice young man and a goodly [young and goodly4]; 2and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he; from the shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.
3And the asses5 of Kish, Saul’s father, were lost. And Kish said to Saul, his 4son, Take now one of the servants with thee, and arise, go seek the asses. And he passed through6 mount Ephraim [the hill-country of Ephraim], and passed through the land of Shalisha, but [and] they found them not, then [and] they passed through the land of Shalim [Shaalim], and there they were not, and he passed through the 5land of the Benjamites,7 but [and] they found them not. And [om. and] when they8 were come to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant that was with him, Come and let us return, lest my father leave caring for the asses and take thought 6for [be anxious about9] us. And he said unto [to] him, Behold, now, there is in this city a man of God,10 and he is an honorable11 man [the man is honorable]; all that he saith cometh surely to pass; now let us go thither; peradventure he Song of Solomon 7[will] show us our way that we should go.12 Then said Saul [And Saul said] to his servant, But, [And] behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? for the bread is spent in our vessels, and there is not a present to bring to the man of God; what have 8we? And the servant answered Saul again and said, Behold, I have here at hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver, that will I give [and I13 will give it] to the 9man of God to tell [that he may show] us our way. (Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, thus he spake, Come and let us go to the seer; for Hebrews 10 that is now14 called a prophet was beforetime called a seer.) Then said Saul [And Saul said] to his servant, Well said; come, let us go. So [And] they went unto the city where the man of God was.
11And [om. and] as they went up [were going up15] the hill to [on which was16] the city, they found [came upon] young maidens going out to draw water, and said 12unto them, Is the seer here? And they answered them and said, He is; behold, he is before you [thee]; make haste,17 now, for he came to-day17 to the city, for 13there is a sacrifice of the people to-day in [on] the high place; As soon as ye be come into the city, ye shall straightway find him, before he go up to the high place to eat; for the people will not eat until he come, because he doth bless the sacrifice; and [om. and] afterwards they eat that be bidden. Now therefore [And now] get 14you up, for [ins. he18], about this time ye shall find him. And they went up into [to] the city; and [om. and] when they were come [As they were going] into the city, behold, Samuel came out [was coming out] against [towards] them, for [om. 15for] to go up to the high place. Now [And] the Lord [Jehovah] had told Samuel 16in his ear [had informed Samuel19] a day before Saul came, saying, To-morrow, about this time [About this time to-morrow] I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be captain [prince] over my people Israel, that he may [and he shall] save my people out of the hand of the Philistines; for I have looked upon my people,20 because their cry is come unto me. 17And when [om. when] Samuel saw Saul, [ins. and] the Lord [Jehovah] said unto [answered] him, Behold the man whom I spake to thee of! this same [the man of whom I said to thee, he] shall reign over my people.
18Then [And] Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate,21 and said, Tell me, I pray 19thee, where the seer’s house is. And Samuel answered Saul, and said, I am the seer; go up before me unto the high place, for [and] ye shall eat with me to-day, and to-morrow I will let thee go, and will tell thee all that is in thine heart [and I 20will let thee go in the morning, and all that is in thy heart I will tell thee]. And as for thine asses, that were lost three days ago, set not thy mind on them; for they are found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel [And to whom belongs all that is desirable22 in Israel]? is it not on [does it not belong to] thee, and on [to] 21all thy father’s house? And Saul answered and said, Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe23 of Benjamin? [ins. and] wherefore then [om. then] speakest thou so to 22me? And Samuel took Saul and his servant, and brought them into the parlor [eating-room], and made them sit in the chiefest place among [and gave them a place at the head of] them that were bidden, which [and they] were about thirty24 23persons. And Samuel said unto [to] the cook, Bring the portion which I gave 24thee, of which I said unto thee, Set it by thee. And the cook took up the shoulder, and that which was upon it, and set it before Saul, and Samuel [om. Samuel, ins. he25] said, Behold that which is left! set it before thee [what was reserved is set26 before thee]; and [om. and] eat, for unto this time hath it been kept for thee since I said,27I have invited the people. So [And] Saul did eat with Samuel that day.
25And when they were come [And they came] down from the high place unto [to] the city, Samuel [om. Samuel, ins. and he] communed [spake] with Saul upon the 26top of the house [the roof]. And they arose early;28 and it came to pass about the spring of the day [at day-dawn] that Samuel called [ins. to] Saul to [on] the top of the house [roof], saying, Up [Rise], that I may [and I will] send thee away. And Saul arose, and they went out both of them, he and Samuel, abroad [on the 27street]. And [om. and] as they were going down to the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, Bid the servant pass on before us (and he passed on29), but [and] stand thou still a while, that I may [and I will] show [tell] thee the word of God.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
1Sa_9:1-2. Saul’s family and person.—The statement that Kish was the son of Abiel is opposed to that of 1Ch_8:33; 1Ch_9:39, according to which Ner was the father of Kish, but agrees with 1Sa_14:51, according to which Ner was the father of Abner and the son of Abiel, and therefore the brother of Kish. This difference is not to be set aside by the arbitrary assumption that Ner in Chron. is not the father, but the grandfather, or a still remoter ancestor of Kish (Keil), but the statement in Chron is to be corrected by this and 1Sa_14:51. [Keil’s supposition of an omitted name in the list is scarcely “arbitrary,” since such omissions are elsewhere found in genealogical records. To construct Saul’s genealogy it is natural to compare the various statements in the Scriptures, and attempt to make them accord. Bringing together Gen_46:2; 1Sa_9:1; 1Sa_14:51; 1Ch_7:6-8; 1Ch_8:29-33; 1Ch_9:35-39, the following line may be made out: 1. Benjamin. 2. Becher. 3. Aphiah—perhaps same with Abiah. 4. Bechorath. 5. Zeror or Zur. 6. Abiel or Jehiel. 7. Ner. 8. Kish. 9. Saul, in which, however, some links may be omitted, as Matri, mentioned 1 Sam. 1Sa_10:21. Abner is thus Saul’s uncle, as in 1Sa_14:50. If Ehud in 1Ch_7:10 be the judge of that name (Judges 3.), he was not of the same family with Saul. In 1Ch_9:35 Jehiel, the ancestor of Saul, is said to have been the father, that is, the first settler of Gibeon; but it is uncertain how far back we have to put him. The name “Saul” was borne by others, see Gen_36:37-38; Gen_46:10; 1Ch_6:24; Act_7:58. See Bib. Dicts., s. v. Ner and Saul, and Comms. on “Chronicles.”—Tr.]. The phrase גִּבּוֹר חָיִל [Eng. A.V. “a mighty man of power”] here means a rich well-to-do man (Ges., De Wette) and not as in 1Sa_16:18, a strong, valiant man (Vulgate, Cler., Then.); for it undoubtedly refers to Kish, who is, indeed, “not represented in the history as specially wealthy” (Then.), but is all the more distinctly described as in easy circumstances and prosperous. It is intended to state that Saul came from a substantial family. This accords much better with the connection than the representation of him as a man of vigor and strength by the statement that his father was a valiant man.—The genealogical statement about Saul’s descent is followed (1Sa_9:2) by a short description of his person. The name Saul means the “asked” (comp. Gen_46:10); “it occurs frequently, and was, probably, usually the name of the desired (asked) first-born” (Then.). Saul was a choice and handsome man. בָחוּר is to be rendered electus (Vulg.), 30 not only because he had a grown son (1Sa_13:1-3), but also because it is expressly said (1Sa_10:24) that the Lord elected and chose him, because his like was not to be found in all the people, that is, in respect to his distinguished personal appearance; in spite of the first-mentioned fact, he might else still have ranked as a young man. He excelled all other Israelites both in warlike beauty and in height, according to the vivid description “from the shoulder upward;” his person was in keeping with the lofty position to which, as ruler over Israel, he was chosen by God, as is expressly said in 1Sa_10:24.31
1Sa_9:3-10. The occasion of Saul’s meeting with Samuel: The loss of and search for the asses of Kish.
1Sa_9:3. Kish’s preparations for recovering the lost asses show him to be a substantial and propertied man. His command to his son “take a servant, arise, go, seek,” gives a vivid description of what occurred. 1Sa_9:4 sqq. contain a similarly fresh and animated description of Saul’s wandering search with his servant. The mention of the hill-country of Ephraim first as scene of the search is explained by the fact that these hills stretched from the north down into the territory of Benjamin, and Gibeah, Saul’s home and starting-point (comp. 1Sa_10:26; 1Sa_11:4; 1Sa_15:34; 1Sa_23:19; 1Sa_26:1) lay on their slope. The land of Shalisha, which they next traversed, probably takes its name from שָׁלשׁ [“three”], because there three valleys united in one, or one divided into three = Threeland (see then. in Käuffer’s Stud. d. sächs. Geistl. II., 142); it is the region in which, according to 2Ki_4:42, Baalshalisha lay [15 miles north of Diospolis or Lydda.—Tr.]. Thereupon they traversed the land of Shaalim, according to Then., “perhaps a very deep valley (comp. שׁעַל ‘the hollow of the hand,’ and משְׁעֹל ‘a hollow or narrow way’ ”), probably the region which lay eastward from Shalisha, where on the maps of Robinson and Vandevelde the Beni Mussah and Beni Salem are marked (comp. Keil in loco).32 The next statement that they traversed the land of Benjamin, indicates that from Shaalim they go from north-east to south-west. Thence they came into the land of Zuph, which, as Keil supposes, lay on the south-west of the tribe-territory of Benjamin, since “Saul and his follower on the return home pass first (1Sa_10:2) by the tomb of Rachel, and then come to the border of Benjamin.”—[Kitto remarks that Saul’s tender regard for his father’s feelings (1Sa_9:5) is a favorable indication of character.—Tr.].
1Sa_9:6. The servant prevents Saul from returning home immediately, pointing out to him the city before him standing on an eminence, where they would find the man of God, who would perhaps tell them how they might attain the object of their search. The way, on which they came,33 is the way on which they now are, that they may find what they are seeking; the seer will now perhaps tell them the direction in which they must go on this way, in order to find the asses. From the connection of the whole history of Samuel the city can be no other than his residence, Ramathaim (or, Ramah) Zophim (1Sa_1:1), that is, in the district of Zuph, in the Tribe of Benjamin (Jos_18:25). Keil is wrong in pressing against this general assumption the fact that the servant does not say “here dwells,” but “here is” a man of God, which is plainly farfetched. Equally forced is his explanation of the answer of the maidens (1Sa_9:12): “He came today to the city, for there is a great sacrifice of the people on the high-place,” from which he infers that the seer’s house was not in the city, but that he had only come thither to the sacrificial feast; their answer rather confirms the former view, since the question “is the seer here?” referred to the city, while the place of offering was on the eminence behind the city, where Samuel in those days worked and dwelt. Samuel has his residence in this city (comp. 1Sa_9:25 with 1Sa_9:18); Keil’s supposition of a temporary residence, which he occupied during his presence at the festival, is wholly untenable. As Samuel had built an altar to the Lord at Ramah (1Sa_7:17), it is more natural to think of this residence of Samuel than of any other place, the name of which would no doubt otherwise have been given. Finally, it is to be added that Samuel is known to the servant, and the latter knows that he is here. On the other supposition, how should he know that Samuel was here precisely at this time, if it was not his residence? [These arguments are replied to in various ways by expositors who hold that this city was not Ramah. But Erdmann is undoubtedly right in saying that the impression made by this narrative is that it was Samuel’s residence to which Saul came. The difficulty lies in reconciling this statement with the itinerary in 1Sa_10:2-5. See the exposition and translator’s note on 1Sa_1:1. As Rachel’s tomb was near Bethlehem, and Saul was going towards Bethel, one would suppose the city in 1 Samuel 9 to be south or southwest from Bethlehem, that is, not in the territory of Benjamin at all. And if it was not Ramah it is impossible to say what it was.—It is worthy of note that Saul seems to know nothing about Samuel; it is the servant that knows and does everything. Saul rather appears as a simple-minded rustic youth, who has rarely left his pastoral occupations, and knows little of the political and religious elements of the time.—Tr.].—From this passage it appears (comp. 1Sa_9:9) that the earliest prophets were consulted by the people about ordinary matters of life, of which they were looked on as having superior knowledge. It is, however, undetermined, whether Samuel would have answered the question about the asses, if the loss of and search for them had not been, according to the revelation made him from above, the divinely-appointed means for bringing him into connection with the person of the designated king.
1Sa_9:7-8. Those who went to question the prophets carried them presents (comp. 1Ki_14:3). These are in the first place to be regarded as honorary gifts, intended to show respect. But this does not exclude the supposition that they depended for support on these voluntary gifts offered in return for information desired. Saul fears that he has no gift worthy of the man, but the servant, who is drawn to the life, is ready with the reply: “There is in my hand (I have here at hand) the fourth of a shekel of silver” (called zuz (זוּז) by the later Jews, see Targ. Jon. in loc). The silver-shekel and its parts (½,⅓,¼), are not pieces weighed in transference, but already of determined weight and value, coins “current with the merchant” (Gen_23:16), which were “counted.” The Shekel was in German money about 26 silbergroschen, the quarter, therefore, about 6½ silbergroschen. [There is no means of determining precisely the value of the shekel in Samuel’s time. In our Lord’s time a stater = shekel seems to have been about 70 cents United States currency, and a quarter about 18 (equivalent perhaps to two dollars now). A German Silbergroschen is about 2½ cents in our currency. There is no evidence that coined money existed in Israel before the captivity, and the first native coins were probably struck some centuries after the Return.—Tr.]. The Preterites give an admirably true picture of the animated manner of the servant, who is intent only on the object of their search, and willingly makes the sacrifice of the money for the asses.
1Sa_9:9. “The man” (הָאִישׁ) is the indef. subject (Germ. man [Eng. one]), though the Art. makes the individual personality more prominent. Ew. Gr. § 294 d. An express difference is made here between the ancient designation of the prophet Roeh (רֹאֶה), for which later in the solemn, poetic language the synonymous Chozeh (חֶזה “gazer“) was used, and the term in use in the author’s time Nabi (נָבִיא). The former (Roeh, seer), points only to the form in which “the insight” into what was hidden came to them, the latter (Nabi), on the contrary, “to the source of the divinatory insight, to God” (Tholuck, Die Propheten, p. 21). The remark in 1Sa_9:9 belongs according to its content to 1Sa_9:11.
[Note on Roeh.—The statement in 1Sa_9:9 has special interest in connection with the history of prophetic work in Israel. The three terms named above have each its peculiar meaning and its special use, though to a certain extent employed interchangeably. Besides in this chapter, Roeh occurs three times of Samuel (1Ch_9:22; 1Ch_26:28; 1Ch_29:29), twice of Hanani (2Ch_16:9-10), once with a general application (Isa_30:10), and once apparently of Zadok the priest in a passage (2Sa_15:27) where the text is somewhat involved in suspicion; it is used, that is, c. B. C. 1100–700. Chozeh is found in 2 Sam., in the prophets, and in Chron., about B. C. 800–400. Nabi occurs from Gen. to Mai., in nearly every book of the Old Testament. As to the meaning, Nabi is clearly one who speaks for God (see the general meaning in Exo_7:1), announcing or representing His will by His command. Cnozeh, the “gazer,” is one who sees visions of God; the verb, where it means “behold,” is used only in poetry, and always of divine visions, and the noun was employed as synonymous with Nabi, meaning prophet in the fullest sense. So, too, Roeh the “seer,“ in the one passage (Isa_30:10) where it occurs with a general application, is used as synonymous with Chozeh, while our verse here affirms the substantial identity of Roeh and Nabi. But, as the Nabi always claims inspiration, whether he be true or false, we must regard the Roeh also as an inspired person. Dr. R. Payne Smith (“Prophecy a prep. for Christ,” Lect. II.) holds that the Roeh was simply a man of acute understanding, uninspired, to whom the people were in the habit of resorting for advice in difficult matters. He bases his view chiefly on this chapter, and especially on the Sept. reading of 1Sa_9:9 : “the people called Roeh him,” etc., a reading which can hardly be sustained; and, for the reasons given above, it seems necessary to regard the Roeh as inspired. The change of name from Roeh to Nabi and Chozeh had its ground probably in the development of the religious constitution. Up to some time before the author of “Samuel” wrote, the non-sacerdotal, non-Levitical religious teacher was one distinguished by seeing visions, or by seeing into the will of God. This is God’s definition of the prophet in Num_11:6; it is involved in 1Sa_3:1; 1Sa_3:15, and in the visions of the patriarchs. The Law of Moses was the complete and sufficient guide for life and worship, and it was only in special individual matters that the divine direction was given, and then it was through the medium of a vision. He who saw the vision was a Roeh, and it was natural enough that he should be consulted by the people about many matters. But in process of time the mechanicalness and deadness to which the legal ritual constantly tended called forth an order of men who expounded and enforced the spirituality of the Law, speaking as God bade them, speaking for God, entering as a prominent element into the religious life of the nation. He who thus spake was a Nabi, and, as he too might have visions, he was sometimes called Chozeh “the gazer” (the verb חזהis not necessarily always to “gaze” as Dr. Smith maintains (ubi sup.), as, for ex., in Pro_22:29, but is the poetic conception “behold” as distinguished from “see,” though in the visional use it is appropriately rendered “gaze”). As this speaker for God gradually took the place of the old seer of visions, the word Nabi replaced Roeh in popular usage. It seems that the change began in or about Samuel’s time, and was completed about three centuries later, Roeh still maintaining itself in the language, though rarely used. On the other hand, Nabi may have been used infrequently in early times, in reference to Abraham and Moses, and have become afterwards the common term, or the occurrence of the word in the Pentateuch may be the transference of a late word to earlier scenes.—Tr.]
1Sa_9:11-14. The announcement of the “Seer” (הֵמָּה עֹלִים, Just as they were going up … then (וְהֵמָּה); the Partcp. with preceding subject denotes a circumstance or fact, synchronously with which or at the occurrence of which another fact or circumstance takes place, which is introduced by וְ before the subject (Ew, Gr., § 341 d). A similar construction with המה ... והמה follows in 1Sa_9:14 and 1Sa_9:27)—The word “here” (בַּזֶּה) refers to the city, which was on an eminence, since they met the water-drawers as they were going up The answer of the maidens (1Sa_9:12) “before thee” is a “direction to go simply straightforward” (Bunsen). Here too the description is very lively, answering perfectly to the peculiarities of the persons. “He came into the city” presupposes either that his residence was without it, or that he had been absent from it some time (Then.). The “height” on which the offering took place must be distinguished from the height on which the city stood. The name Ramathaim34 [= the two Ramahs, or heights] refers to those two heights. The Bamah, high-place (comp. Mic_3:12, where it is synonymous with הַר “mountain,” and Mic_1:3-4; Jer_26:18 with Amo_4:1) is the sacred place of sacrifice on the mountain which rose still higher than the city (comp. 1Sa_9:11 with 1Sa_9:13; 1Sa_9:25; 1Sa_9:27). Of such “Bamoth,” holy places on heights, where the people assembled for sacrifice and prayer, there were several during the unquiet times of the Judges, especially after the central Sanctuary at Shiloh ceased to exist, till the building of the Temple (comp. 1Sa_7:9; 1Sa_10:8; 1Sa_13:8 sq.; 1Sa_16:2-3; 1Ki_3:2 sq.), as indeed the Patriarchs sacrificed on high places (Gen_12:8). It was not till after the building of the Temple that the high-place-worship, which easily degenerated into idolatry (wherefore the Law forbade sacrifice except in Jehovah’s dwelling, the Sanctuary) was completely done away with (2Ki_23:4-23).—In 1Sa_9:13 כֵּן corresponds to כְּ, both expressing identity of time, or the concurrence of the acts of coming and finding = “as … forthwith,” or “when … straightway.” Ew. Gram. § 360 b.—The seer is just going to a sacrificial meal on the high-place. The “people” await him there. A large assembly is therefore gathered to-day on the high-place for a thank-offering, בֵּרֵךְ here = ἐυλογεῖν, ἐυχαριστεῖν [“bless,”. “give thanks”]. The “him” is repeated in this animated discourse, because the somewhat garrulous and circumstantial women wish to bring the chief person prominently before the inquirer.35 “They that are bidden” are those whom Samuel had invited to this sacrificial meal, comp. 1Sa_9:24.
1Sa_9:14. The course of events now, according to the very precise and detailed account of the narrator, is as follows: First Saul and his servant go up to the city. Pursuant to the directions of the maidens they pass quickly in. The curt, rapid character of the narration corresponds to the movement. Next, they are already in the midst of the city, when, this is the third fact, Samuel, going out of the city, meets them; they meet in the middle of the city, he going outward toward the high-place, they going inward. That they had gone through the gate was a matter of course and did not require mention. And the statement of 1Sa_9:18 : “And Saul drew near to Samuel in the midst of the gate,” or, stepped up to him, the fourth fact, need not be regarded as contradictory to the preceding statement: “in the midst of the city;” for, from these two statements it is clear that Saul did not go up to Samuel as soon as he met him, as appears also from 1Sa_9:17, where it is expressly said what intervened: Samuel saw Saul, and received from God the disclosure that this was the man in reference to whom He had before made a revelation to him. We must therefore suppose a pause between the meeting in the city and the talk in the gate, during which Saul followed Samuel till he approached him in the gate. Thus there is no need for the conjecture that the verse read originally “gate” instead of “city” (Then.), nor the supposition that the narrator was guilty of carelessness (Reuss), nor the artificial, unclear explanation that the words mean “to go into the city, enter, and the entrance was through the gate” (Keil). Ewald’s remark that, since Raman, Samuel’s city, was certainly not large, “in the midst of the city” (1Sa_9:4) is not very different from “in the midst of the gate” (1Sa_9:18), comes in excellently, in the sense that the distance between the middle of the city and the middle of the gate was small, to explain satisfactorily why Saul, after the meeting in the city, did not approach Samuel to speak to him till he was in the middle of the gate. Further it is to be noted that conversation and consultation were usually held “in the gate,” not on the street, and the pause which Saul’s question supposes Samuel to have made could properly occur only in the place set aside for public interviews.
1Sa_9:15-17. The revelation which Samuel received the day before Saul’s arrival, that a man of Benjamin would come to him, whom he was to anoint prince over Israel, was psychologically based on his constant prayerful expectant reflection as to how God would establish the monarchy promised to the people. “To uncover the ear” when said of God, signifies, as in 2Sa_7:27, the divine Spirit’s announcement to the human spirit, the inbreathing of divine thoughts from above through the word.—I will send to thee, (1Sa_9:16): The “I will send” sets forth the divine providence, which so guides the ways of Saul, the chosen king, that he must come to Samuel, the head of Israel and mediator between God and his people. Clericus: “I will take care that he come to thee. For Saul was ignorant of the whole matter, and, while vainly seeking asses, found an unexpected kingdom.” The future king came from the most warlike tribe, and this revelation to Samuel declares that his mission was a warlike one, the deliverance, namely, of Israel from the domination of the Philistines. Israel’s victory over the Philistines (1Sa_7:13) was not followed by a complete liberation of land and people from these enemies; rather the words: “The hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel” point to repeated successful battles against them. It was these that Saul fought, and Samuel survived during the greater part of his reign. Comp. the remarks on 1Sa_7:13. “I have looked upon my people” means not “I have had regard to their prayers” (Cleric.), but, as in Exo_2:25, in reference to the Egyptian bondage, which was the type of every oppression of Israel by external means, that God, ever present to help His people, had a compassionate knowledge of their needs and misery. The insertion of the Sept. of the words “affliction of,” before “my people,” is a correct explanation, but not necessary as a part of the original text; for the following words: “their cry is come to me” explain sufficiently in what sense God’s seeing, to which the hearing of the people’s cry corresponds, is to be understood.
1Sa_9:17. At the moment when Samuel saw Saul, he received by divine revelation the inward assurance that this man was the king chosen by God. The phrase “answered” refers to the question which Samuel internally asked God when he saw Saul, whether this was the Benjamite of whom he had been divinely told the day before. The word “bind, restrain” (יַעְצֹר) characterizes his government as a sharp and strict one, as a coercere imperio. To this mental experience of Samuel’s corresponded the short interval between his passage to the gate and Saul’s approach to him in the gate with the question about the seer.
1Sa_9:18-27. Saul Samuel’s guest, and the tatter’s talk with him. 1Sa_9:18 takes up the thread from 1Sa_9:14, after the parenthesis, 1Sa_9:17. In reply to Saul’s question as to the seer’s house, Samuel announces himself (1Sa_9:19) as the” seer.” The direction: “go up before me” is a mark of respect, like the invitation to take the chief place (1Sa_9:22), and the selection of the best portion at the meal (1Sa_9:24). Ye shall eat with me today includes the servant, while the courtesy could only be meant for Saul as the master. All that is in thy heart I will tell thee—not: “whatsoever thou shalt desire” (Cleric.) in reference to the object of his coming; for in respect to the asses he gives him information immediately (1Sa_9:20), but Samuel will reveal to him his innermost thoughts (Bunsen). He speaks to him as prophet, and prepares him for what he has to communicate to him as prophet. Thenius’ reference of the words to what Saul does in chap. 13, as if he had “long had it in mind,” seems too particular for the general connection here. The reference is rather to the powers and impulses of an aspiring soul, which lay latent in Saul, and fitted him for his destined calling, as well as to his sinful nature, which, by opposing God, might prove a hindrance. In 1Sa_9:20 Samuel says two things, by which he showed Saul that he was a prophet. First, he announces to him that the ground of anxiety for the asses is already removed.—Which were lost to-day three days, that is, “to-day is the third day,” day before yesterday, see Ew., Gr., § 287, k [Ges., Gr., § 118, 2].—Set not thy mind on them stands over against the preceding “what is in thy heart.” From now on his heart is to claim and accomplish something higher. To this Samuel’s second expression refers, which hints indistinctly at the great and noble destiny to which God has elected him, in order to awaken and call out what was hidden in his heart. All the desire (כָּל־חֶמְדַּת י׳), omnis eupiditas, omne desiderium Israelis, but in the objective sense: everything worthy of desire, valuable, optima quœque (Vulg.): This signifies, in contrast with the sought and found asses, that noblest possession, which pertained to all Israel, and was destined for him and his father’s house, was to be his, unsought and undesired: the royal dignity. Samuel “draws him away from caring about the asses, and first lifts him up to high thoughts and hopes” (O. v. Gerlach). Samuel’s obscure, enigmatic words only give him a glimpse of something great and lofty pertaining to himself and his house, and give occasion (1Sa_9:21) to a disclamatory reply, which exhibits that which is now in his heart, namely, humility and modesty. The supposition that Saul “well understood that Samuel spoke of the honor of the kingdom” (Dächsel) does not accord with the purposely general and indefinite character of Samuel’s words. It is without support from the connection and inconsistent with 1Sa_10:20-21, to explain Saul’s “answer—that the best thing in Israel could not belong to him and his house, because his tribe was the smallest in Israel, and his family the least in this tribe—in reference to his later very different bearing, as “pretended modesty” (Then.). Saul came only afterwards to be untrue to this disposition of mind, which was the condition of his election. (Instead of the obviously erroneous plural, שִׁבְטֵי, “tribes,” read sing., “tribe”). The warlike tribe of Benjamin, one of the smallest already in the census of Num_1:36 sq., had been reduced by the frightful execution recorded in Jdg_20:20 to an inconsiderable power. The consciousness of this fact is expressed in Saul’s words. Looking at his tribe and family, he will not presume to claim so high a consideration as the seer has intimated. Samuel makes him no answer. “He wishes to awaken in him astonishment, expectation, hope” (O. v. Gerlach).
1Sa_9:22-24 now relate how Samuel entertains him as an honored guest at the sacrificial meal.
1Sa_9:22. A select number of thirty men of note were invited to this festival, and had taken their places in the room (לִשְׁכָּה) provided for the purpose. The uppermost place, as the place of honor, is assigned to Saul and his companion. All the people could not be in the room, but held the feast in the open air. Samuel (1Sa_9:23) orders the reserved piece of the meat, as the best, to be set before them. This is more exactly described in 1Sa_9:24 as the thigh or shoulder, and “what was on it” [attached to it] (הֶעָלֶיהָ Art. with Rel. force), not “what was over it,” the broth with which the meat was eaten (Maur.). That which was attached to it was the best of the flesh of the offered animals; whether the fat on it, not used in the offering, or the flesh near the shoulder, cannot be determined; it could not be the kidneys (Then., Bunsen), for they, with the attached fat (אֲשֶׁר עֲלֵהֶן), were burned in the slain-offering (Lev_3:4). It was probably the right36 leg, which Samuel, as priest, had ordered to be reserved; for it belonged to the priest, according to the Law, Lev_7:32 sqq.—“The resemblance to Gen_42:34 is rather from the facts themselves, not from an imitation of one passage by the other.” Ew. Gesch. III. 29, Rem. 3.—The minute description of the cook’s procedure is worthy of note: “and the cook took up,” etc., corresponding to the precise account of Samuel’s conduct as host. The insertion of “Samuel to Saul” (Sept.), or “Samuel” (Vulg.), after “and he said,” is not necessary (Then.), for, considering 1Sa_9:23 and the first sentence of 1Sa_9:24 as a parenthesis (like 1Sa_9:15-17), the “and he said” continues the principal matter, the speech of Samuel. The following words so obviously suit Samuel and not the cook, that a misunderstanding was impossible.37 Here also the translation of the Sept. is explicative. שִׂים [Eng. A. V. “set”] is not Imper., but Pas. Partcp. (as in Oba_1:4; Num_24:21). For the construction see Ew., Gr., § 149 sq., Böttcher, Neue Ærenlese in loco. As to the occurrence, the latter properly remarks that Saul could not be bidden to do what the cook had already just done (וַיָשֶׂם). Render: “behold, the reserved piece is set before thee.” The following words, in which Samuel invites Saul to eat, present great difficulties in the text.—[The literal rendering is: “eat, for at (or unto) the time (or festival) it was preserved for thee, saying (this is the word which makes the grammatical difficulty), the people I have invited.”—Tr.] The translation: “for it is kept for thee for the time when I said, I have invited the people,” is unclear (De Wette, Keil), and labors under the rendering “when I said” for לֵאמֹר [“saying”]. Thenius (following the Sept., and reading לְעֻמַּת for לֵאמֹר, and קְרָץ־נַא for קָרָאתִי) renders: “it has been kept for thee for a sign with (or, in reference to) the people (namely, that thou from now on will be the first), fall to (that is, begin);” against which Böttcher shows that מוֹעֵד cannot mean sign, and that this conjectured text is untenable (p. 114 in loco). But Böttcher’s own view is equally untenable: he holds that an Aceus. Pron. has fallen out (for קָרָאתִי stood originally ־תִיךְ or ־תִיו), and renders: “eat, for to the end (or for the time) it has been kept for thee, that the people might say (think), I have invited thee (or him).” But the people knew without this that he had invited this guest; no special indication of the invitation was needed, and the reserved portion would rather suggest a reference to the distinction thus conferred on Saul, as Thenius rightly remarks. Thenius further supposes that the original reading may have been “invited him” (קְרָאָהוּ), and renders: “to this end it is kept for thee, in order (thereby) to say, the people have invited him,” that is, he came in accordance with the general desire as honored guest, as chief person. But for this sense there is no historical authority; for the reservation of the portion of honor had nothing to do with an invitation of Saul by the people, and this invitation was in fact given by Samuel alone. Ewald (ubi sup., p. 29, Rem. 3)38 renders: “for a sign that thou wast invited before the rest of the people (1Sa_9:22), or that thou art marked out from the rest of the people,” which gives no clear sense. Bunsen retains the masoretic text, and translates: “the chief portion was kept for thee to this time; the meal was in fact arranged in honor of thee, as chief person, though I said, the people of the place shall be guests,” but himself admits that this is somewhat forced. “Though I said” is still less possible as translation of לֵאמֹר than “ when I said.” All the difficulties centre in this word. If a corruption of the text is to be supposed, it seems best to adopt Haug’s reading (see in Bunsen) לַאֲשֶׁר,and translate: “it was kept for thee for the feast, or festive gathering, to which I invited the people.” Luther: “for it was reserved for thee just at this time when I invited the people.” The sense of Samuel’s words is, that he knew by divine revelation (1Sa_9:15-16) that he would come. He sees a divine providence in Saul’s coming just at this time. In accordance with the intimation which he had received from above, he showed honor not merely to the guest as such, but to him whom God had chosen king of Israel, for such Samuel by the divine instruction had recognized him to be (1Sa_9:17). [As it stands, the Heb. of this clause does not admit of translation, the vss. do not suggest a satisfactory reading (Chald. follows Heb. literally, and Syr. omits the words “ saying, I have invited the people”), and the emendations proposed are all unsatisfactory. Yet the purpose seems clearly to be to inform Saul that this was not a chance-piece that was offered him, but one that had been set aside for him when the feast was prepared. This at once showed the intention to confer honor on Saul, and exhibited the prophetic foresight of Samuel.—Tr.].
1Sa_9:25-27. Samuel’s secret conversation with Saul. This took place, according to the narrative, on two occasions, and its purpose was, as the context shows, to prepare Saul for the important announcement that God had chosen him to be king, and for its confirmation by the act of anointing. 1Sa_9:25. After the return from the feast on the height, Samuel receives Saul into his house. He spoke with Saul on the roof.—There is no ground for adopting (with Then, and Ew.) the text of the Sept.:39 “and they prepared (in-def. subj.) Saul a bed on the roof, and he lay down.” To the Heb. text (which is supported by Chald., Syr. Arab., and Jerome) the Vulgate makes an addition “probably from the Itala” (Keil): “Saul spread a bed on the roof and slept.” This is a circumstantial description of what was self-evident from the connection (see 1Sa_9:26). Our text, on the contrary, furnishes simply the fact, the mention of which is of great importance for the pragmatical connection of the events related. The unmentioned subject-matter of the talk is not the election of Saul to be king (according to 1Sa_9:27). Thenius, wrongly assuming this to be the subject-matter, regards this talk as premature. Samuel prepared Saul for the important communication which he had to make to him, having already before the feast given him an indefinite hint (1Sa_9:20) of the honor that awaited him. This conversation (1Sa_9:25) is the connecting link between that on the height and the communication which Samuel made to Saul the following morning. The flat roof, arranged so that stay on it was safe (Deu_12:8), was the place to which people withdrew for quiet contemplation, prayer, undisturbed conversation and rest, and where also a guest-chamber was arranged, the place of honor of the house, comp. 1Ki_17:19 with 2Ki_4:10. There Saul slept (1Sa_9:20). The conversation which Samuel there held with Saul, probably at the close of the day, referred, as Otto von Gerlach well remarks, “not to the royal dignity, but surely to the deep religious and political decline of the people of God, the opposition of the heathen, the causes of the impotency to oppose these enemies, the necessity of a religious change in the people, and of a leader thoroughly obedient to the Lord.”
1Sa_9:26. And they arose early—each from his bed. What follows is a different thing from this—for the words: And when the morning dawned, etc. state not the rising from sleep, but the getting up and getting ready to depart; they are neither an exacter definition of “and they rose early,” as Keil thinks, who renders: “And they arose early in the morning—namely, at day-dawn,” nor is it a “singular mode of narration” (as Thenius says) to write first “they arose early,” and then “when the day dawned,” as if we could not suppose that they rose before the dawn, especially after so exciting a conversation the preceding evening and night, and as if Samuel’s call to Saul, “rise,” were not more naturally to be understood of preparation for the journey than of rising from sleep. That they are to be so taken is evident from the following words, “ that I may send thee away,” from Samuel’s calling to Saul up on the roof, and from the words, “and he arose, and they both went out” (on the street).40 [In spite of Dr. Erdmann’s ingenious defence of the Heb. text, the reading of the Sept. has much to recommend it. It accords better with the character of Hebrew historical narration (which delights in detailing self-evident circumstances), agrees better with the simple, objective nature of the transaction between Samuel and Saul (a protracted political and religious conversation between the two men hardly suits Saul’s character, as far as we know it), and removes the somewhat difficult necessity of supposing that they rose before the dawn. (If this had occurred, the Heb. would hardly have failed to mention it; nor is it quite natural to think of the rustic youth Saul, wearied with the walk and the ceremony of the day, as so excited by a general conversation (in which, according to Erdmann and 1Sa_9:27, nothing was said of his elevation to the throne) as to be unable to sleep his accustomed time, and so rising before the dawn—some time before, it would seem and remaining on the roof till he is called, how employed, it is not said). On the other hand, the reading of the Sept. gives a simple and natural narrative: “and a bed was spread for Saul on the roof, and he lay down, and it came to pass when the morning dawned,” etc.; and whatever conversation was proper under the circumstances may be understood. Throughout the narrative is occupied with objective facts, and not with interior psychological descriptions, as we should expect in a modern work. Thus not a word is said of Samuel’s labors among the people preceding the great popular movement in chap. 7; nor is he elsewhere ever said to have had private conversations with his sons, with Saul, or with David. He may have had these, but it is not the manner of the narrative to mention them.—Tr.]
1Sa_9:27. As a mark of honor, Samuel accompanies Saul, and, when they reached the extremity of the city, directs him to send the servant on, in order that he might be alone with him, and impart to him in confidential conversation what the Lord had revealed concerning his appointment to be king of Israel. That I may show thee the word of God.—Up to this time he had said nothing to him of his choice as king. The declaration “I will show thee” is not to be understood (with Dächsel) as the “factual fulfilment” of that word, but as the introduction and announcement of its content. It is not related what Samuel said to Saul, since that is evident from the immediately following fact, the anointing of Saul. The whole ninth chapter sets forth the preparation of Saul for this communication and anointing, which were at first meant for him alone, and confirmed to him his call to be king of Israel. In regard to the preceding conversations, Calvin remarks: God is said to have instructed Saul in good time, so that when he came to the throne he might not be ignorant of his duties, but yet to have trained him gradually, and indeed (a point worthy of attention) not openly, but, as it were, in secret.”
HISTORICAL AND THEOLOGICAL
1. The preparations (in 1 Samuel 9) for carrying out the divine decision in reference to the kingdom of Israel to be established exhibit the prophetic office, represented by Samuel, as here also the immediate organ of God, to execute God’s positive command: “make them a king.” In Samuel’s person and in his conduct and discourse towards Saul is concentrated the combination of two factors: divine revelation, which lays hold immediately of the general history of Israel as well as of the little affairs of an unknown family, and the earthly-human factor, which shows itself in apparently accidental and trivial occurrences; but at the same time is exhibited the absolute control of the divine providence, which, independently of human-earthly views and relations, employing apparently unimportant human accidents and trivial occurrences, yet, to secure the highest ends of God’s kingdom, advances firmly and securely, though by circuitous ways, to the appointed goal. And this goal is the realization of the theocracy in a new form, in the form of the kingdom, which was based on the essential character of the theocracy and the character of the times, though it was sinfully demanded by the people out of envy of the splendor of royalty among the heathen, and dissatisfaction with the invisible glory of Jehovah’s kingdom.
2. The choice of Saul to be king, and the circumstances which prepared the way for his consecration and anointing, as well as his meeting with Samuel, constitute a divine act which enters immediately into the history of Israel, in which we must recognize: 1) The condescension of God, both to human weakness and sin (which, as in the sinful longing after a king, must subserve the plans of His providence), and also to the seemingly smallest and most unimportant events of human life, which, as here the lost asses and Saul’s search after them, must be the foil to set off His providential government and the accomplishment of His purposes. Without meaning to set forth a mechanical theory of inspiration, we may exclaim with Hamann: “How has God the Holy Ghost stooped, to become a historian of the smallest, most contemptible affairs on earth, in order to reveal to man, in his own language, in his own business, in his own ways, the purposes, the secrets, and the ways of the Deity!” 2) The independence of earthly and human relations in God’s counsel and deed, shown in the fact that not a notable man of a prominent family was chosen for this high calling, but an unknown man, “from the smallest family of the smallest of the tribes” (1Sa_9:21) without His knowledge or desire. 3) God’s free grace is not conditioned on human conduct. Calvin: “Only by a special exhibition of divine grace did Saul come to this high dignity. By choosing him from the smallest and most insignificant tribe, God purposed to glorify His grace, and exclude all appearance of human coöperation.” Ewald: “Qualified for the royal office, he does not seek to obtain it; for a great good, gained by artful effort of one-sided human grasping, can never become a true one. And so it is a charming history—how Saul, sent to seek the lost asses, after a long and vain search, comes, on the third day, almost against his will, to Samuel, whom he scarcely knew, to ask him about them, and instead of them to receive from him a kingdom. For He, who purposes just at this time to establish the kingdom in Israel, has already chosen him before he knows it.” (Gesch. III. 27, 28.) 4) The wisdom of the divine providence, which so guides and orders what seems to be accidental and trivial, that it is subservient to His ends, and procures their accomplishment. Calvin: “ What seems to our reason accident, God makes into a sign that the seemingly fortuitous is to be referred to the admirable plans of His providence, and is ruled and guided by God’s hand, though against this our thoughts protest. Saul wanders uncertainly around, and thinks only how he shall find the asses; meantime, Divine Providence, which had already determined and revealed to Samuel his lot, does not sleep. So all these incidents and wanderings were only preparations and mediate causes by which God accomplished His design concerning Saul. By God’s ordainment the asses were lost, that Saul, in seeking them, might find Samuel; God guided the tongue of his father when He commanded him to go in search of the asses; it was God’s providence that directed the steps of Saul and his servants, as they went from one place to another, in order to bring them to Samuel.”
3. The conditions under which alone the theocratic king as such could hold and exercise his office in Israel, as typically set forth in Saul’s elevation to the throne, were: 1) natural, in respect to his person, which must be such, in body and soul, as worthily to sustain the royal office; 2) supernatural, namely, divine choice and equipment; “to the man, feeble in himself, the grace and predestination of God comes to help him with its complete strength for this highest of all callings, to complete him, with the required divine power and holy consecration of mind, into that for which he was naturally endowed” (Ewald); 3) historical, confirmatory signs; these are partly signs given by God in definite occurrences, which attest the royal call to the people, partly the man’s own deeds, which accord with and confirm the royal call; 4) ethical, absolute dependence on the divine will in all thought, word and action; the king must “never forget the beginning from which he sprang, and so must always remember that another, the Eternal King, is still above him,—and that any earthly king can be a king after the heart of the King of all kings only so far as he works together with God, and therefore with all spiritual truths.” (Ew. Gesch. III. 25.) To this fourth condition Samuel’s words referred: “All that is in thy heart I will show thee.” See Exposition.
4. The account of Samuel’s conduct in this stadium of the preparation for the establishment of the kingdom in the person of Saul characterizes the prophet: 1) in his position towards God in respect to this beginning of a new phase of development of the theocracy: by direct enlightenment of the divine Spirit it is revealed to him that the king of Israel has already been chosen by God (1Sa_9:15-16), who is chosen (1Sa_9:17), and what he has to announce to him in God’s name (1Sa_9:27); 2) in his conduct as organ of God towards the designated king, Saul, and in him towards the kingdom: he gradually prepares his mind for the revelation concerning his future calling which he has to make to him in God’s name; through the divine enlightenment he is able not only to instruct him as to his lofty mission and position in Israel, but also, by means of his intensified presaging-faculty, to deliver him from the lower earthly care which filled his heart; this declaration about the recovered asses is not merely an example “of accidental predictions, where the presaging-faculty, disjoined from its ethical aim, becomes subservient to the subjective interest” (Tholuck, Die Propheten, 2d ed., p. 14), but is an element in the whole organism of this first prophetic history of the Old Testament—an element which is determined by the divine purpose in Samuel’s communication to Saul respecting “the most precious in Israel” which was to be his; by this communication Saul’s soul was to be lifted up into the presence of his God, that in His light he might see the glory of his theocratic calling; to lead him to this point, Samuel must free his soul from the burden of care for the beasts, and release him from his duty in respect to them; the certainty that the asses were found (divinely revealed to Samuel) gave Saul the inward freeness and receptivity which he needed in order to advance step by step to the height to which Samuel’s words (1Sa_9:27) lead. Thus this prophetic prediction concerning something altogether external and trivial has in this connection a high ethical and psychological importance, and is subservient to the objective theocratic interest. It belonged to the pedagogic momenta in the conduct of the prophet towards the future king, among which also we must reckon that which is indicated in the words: “All that is in thy heart I will show thee.” Samuel searched into Saul’s inner being in its good and bad sides.
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
1Sa_9:1. Osiander: That which is despised before the world, God chooses and brings forward, 1Co_1:26 sq.
1Sa_9:3 sq. Cramer: God makes in His great matters an insignificant beginning.
1Sa_9:4. Calvin: How wonderful are the ways of God’s wisdom, which lie far remote from human expectation. We see here how winding go the ways of God, so that it seems as if there were only an uncertain swaying to and fro; but yet with Him there is always a clear light away into the infinite, and what proceeds from Him is never confused and fortuitous. We draw from this the wholesome lesson that God leads us His hand like blind men, and that we should ascribe nothing to our own prudence and exertion when any thing great becomes our portion. Our thoughts were not only far removed from that which finally happens, but exactly opposed to it.
1Sa_9:6. Starke: Man’s doing is not in his own power, and no one can mark out his own going.—Even insignificant people can often give wholesome counsels, 2Ki_5:13; 2Ki_7:13. [The servant teaching the master. In like manner many an eminent minister has learned true religion from some servant or humble acquaintance. The lowly are often unconsciously training others for lofty station.—Tr.]
1Sa_9:9. Cramer: Teachers are seers, for through preaching they open our eyes, to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, 2Co_4:6.—S. Schmid: Even the meeting of men, whether for good or evil, is not a matter of chance, but is directed by divine Providence, Act_8:29 sq. [1Sa_9:3-8. Matt. Henry: Here is: I.A great man rising from small beginnings. II. A great event rising from small occurrences. “ Peradventure he can show us.” To make prophecy, the glory of Israel, serve so mean a turn as this, discovered too plainly what manner of spirit they were of. Note, most people would rather be told their fortune than told their duty; how to be rich than how to be saved. If it were the business of the men of God to direct for the recovery of lost asses, they would be consulted much more than they are, now that it is their business to direct for the recovery of lost souls.—Tr.]
1Sa_9:1-14. J. Disselhoff: The first test to which God subjects His servant. It embraces two main points: 1) Whether with certain natural talents and advantages which God has given him he will in humility and quiet obedience do the work enjoined upon him; 2) Whether when his work proves useless he will seek help from the seer of God.—The Most High God appoints a testing for His servant Saul; and so whoever is summoned to the service of God knows that for him also there must be a testing.—“Seek the asses,” said Kish to his son Saul. “And he went!”—went silently, joyously, humbly, obediently, faithfully, to the work which was enjoined upon him, from Ephraim to Shalisha—unwearied, unreluctant, without grumbling, although it was a work in which no greater credit was to be won than that of fidelity in trifles.—Out of such people God can make something.—Go, friend, if you wish to be the Lord’s servant, even though you should have to walk in unknown ways. Saul did not shrink from them.
1Sa_9:5. Why was Saul’s labor in vain? He had to find the seer, the man experienced in the ways of God. The vain seeking, the servant who first spoke of the seer, the maidens who showed the way, all must contribute towards bringing Saul to seek help in the revelation of God. If now it should occur to thee also that every thing here miscarries, that you are nothing, and you already feel like saying to your heart,“ Come, let us go home again,” then to thee also there will doubtless some one cry out, “Well, to revelation, that you may know the wonderful ways of God, on which God leads His saints.”—Wait not till God Himself steps into thy way. Even to Saul God did not Himself speak. A servant began it; maidens drawing water showed the way. See how smoothly and simply God causes all that to occur, as it were, without noise and uproar. The God of the lowly and quiet chooses also for his feet quiet, lowly, shady ways. [1Sa_9:1-10. The youth of Saul: 1) He was reared in good circumstances (1Sa_9:1); 2) He was remarkable for his great stature and manly beauty (1Sa_9:2; 1Sa_10:24); 3) A quiet rustic, little acquainted with matters away from home (1Sa_9:6); 4) Tenderly considerate of his father’s feelings (1Sa_9:5); 5) Ready to take advice (1Sa_9:10) (Hall: The chief praise is to be able to give good advice; the next is to take it); 6) Very modest and courteous (1Sa_9:21). With these pleasing traits might be compared the character corrupted in his later years by unbelieving disobedience towards God, by jealousy, by the exercise of despotic power, etc., and at every point there would be useful lessons.—Tr.]
1Sa_9:16. Starke: Even those things which arise from the free will of man, and appear as if they happened by chance, lie under the secret providence and government of God. Well is it then for those who in faith and tranquillity give themselves up to God’s guidance (Psa_139:5).—Hall: The eye of God’s providence sees not only all our deeds, but also all our movements; we can go nowhere without Him; He numbers all our steps (Psa_139:1 sq.).—[1Sa_9:11-17. The supernatural coöperating with the natural. Saul, by natural means, through the control of Providence, is brought to Samuel, who has been supernaturally prepared to receive and instruct him. So now the teachings of Providence unite with the teachings of revelation and of the Holy Spirit, to show men their duty and their destiny.—Tr.]
1Sa_9:21. Cramer: Humility is a beautiful virtue; and he whom God exalts to honors should think often of the dust in which he before lay, and from which he has been exalted (Psa_113:7-8). [Hall: How kindly doth Samuel entertain and invite Saul, yet it was he only that should receive wrong by the future royalty of Saul. Who would not have looked that aged Samuel should have emulated rather the glory of his young rival, and have looked churlishly upon the man that should rob him of his authority?—Tr.]
Berleb. Bible: When God has chosen a man to help others, and he rightly knows himself, nothing causes him such wonder and amazement as a revelation of God’s purpose concerning him. This distrust, however, does not put an end to his obedience to the will of God. For the more a man is convinced of his own nothingness, so much the more is he also convinced of the power of God, as the One who makes every thing out of nothing.
1Sa_9:26-27. Saul must wait patiently till God should bring him out of concealment and make it manifest who he was. So should we also, if God has lent us gifts and wishes them to remain concealed with us, not be displeased at the fact that they are not recognized, and that we get no recognition and admiration for them, but quietly wait until the Lord Himself, as it seemeth Him good, carries further the matter He has begun, and Himself secures for it recompense and recognition.—Thus God often deals wonderfully with us, when He so tests our humility and modesty, and so leads us on His ways, that our reason cannot comprehend them. The beginnings of His matters are often so insignificant and little, that outwardly nothing appears but great weakness, and absolutely nothing great and wonderful comes forward, in order that we may learn to hope against hope.
1Sa_9:15-27 sq. Disselhoff: The call to the service of God. The history of Saul’s call brings before our eyes three points: 1) What an abundant blessing there is for obedience—the call to the service of God; 2) What a great danger lies hid in this blessing—idle self-exaltation because of this call; 3) To what a blessed stillness the danger leads when overcome—to preparation for the calling. [Contrast Saul the king and Saul the apostle. WORDSWORTH: Saul the king is our warning; Saul the apostle is our example. The former shows how wretched man is if he labors for his own glory, and if he is without God’s grace; the latter, how blessed he is if he relies on God’s grace, and lives and dies for His glory.—Good trains of thought for sermons are indicated above in Historical and Theological, No. 2 and No. 3.—Tr.]
Footnotes:
[1][1Sa_9:1. These names are given differently in the Sept. See Exegesis, in loco.—Tr.]
[2][1Sa_9:1. This phrase is a somewhat strange one. The word “son” is found in Heb., Gr., Lat., Chald., omitted in Syr., Arab., and is probably a part of the text; but it is strange that it is not followed by a proper name, and suggests an omission or error in the following words, which, however, cannot now be determined. Before the first “Benjamin” Wellhausen suggests the insertion of “Gibeah of.”—Tr.]
[3][1Sa_9:1. By Erdmann and others rendered “wealth,” hut not so well. See Exposition.—Tr.]
[4][1Sa_9:2. The word בחר is often used of youth merely, so that the rendering: “choice young man” (Erdmann, auserlesen), is hardly warranted. But, as it seems to differ from נער (which is the word here used of the servant) in designating the vigorous time of youth, the phrase might be translated: “in the prime of youth and goodly.”—Tr.]
[5][1Sa_9:3. Properly “she-asses.”—Tr.]
[6][1Sa_9:4. Or: “he passed over into,” and so in the other cases.—Tr.]
[7][1Sa_9:4. “The land of Jemini or the Jeminites,” no doubt for “Benjaminites,” the compound being resolved.—Tr.]
[8][1Sa_9:5. The remarkable variation of grammatical Number here and in 1Sa_9:4 has produced various readings in the VSS. and in a few MSS. The Sept. and Vulg. write plural throughout, while Chald., Syr. and Arab. make all the verbs “passed through” Sing., both apparently assimilations for the sake of simplicity. The harder reading of the Heb. is better retained.—Tr.]
[9][1Sa_9:5. The English phrase: “take thought for” (as in Mat_6:34), has now lost its sense of trouble and anxiety.—Tr.]
[10][1Sa_9:6. Elohim, without the Art., but here evidently for the true God of Israel. On the supposed difference between the arthrous and anarthrous use of the word, see Quarry on Genesis, and Bib. Comm. in loco.—Tr.]
[11][1Sa_9:6. Properly, “honored,” “esteemed.”—Tr.]
[12][1Sa_9:6. Perhaps, better: on which we are going,” or: “in respect to which we are going.” To “go away” is usually הלך דרך, and על הדרך is “on the side of the way;” in any case, however, the verb (which is a Perf.) is better taken as Pres. or Fut., and not as Past, as Erdmann renders. The VSS. also translate it past.—Tr.]
[13][1Sa_9:8. Sept.: “thou shalt give,” which Wellhausen prefers; Chald., Syr., Vulg., Arab.: “we will give.’ ’ These are probably variations for the sake of propriety.—Tr.]
[14][1Sa_9:9. Sept.: “for the people (העם for היום) formerly called the prophet the seer,” an obvious and unfortunate misreading.—Tr.]
[15][1Sa_9:11. A peculiar construction (הֵמּה with Partcp.), which occurs no less than six times in this chapter.—Tr.]
[16][1Sa_9:11. Literally: “the ascent of the city.”—Tr.]
[17][1Sa_9:12. Sept.: “Behold, he is before you, now on account of the day he is come to the city.” They therefore attached the first letter of מַהֵר to the preceding word, and omitted the rest, and instead of כִּי הַיּוֹם read כְּהַיּוֹם as in the latter part of the verse. Wellhausen urges the adoption of this second reading on the ground that we thus avoid the statement that Samuel had that very day come to the city from abroad, which seems inconsistent with 1Sa_9:23-24, and says that the “hasten” of the maidens is unintelligible, based, as it is, on the fact that Samuel had just come. The “for,” however, must not be pressed; it simply introduces the explanation of the eager maidens, and such usage is frequent in Heb. The other variation of the Sept. commends itself as natural and appropriate: “he has just gone into the city.” The Sing, of the address in 1Sa_9:12 need not surprise us; the maidens direct their discourse chiefly to Saul, who was evidently the master (the Midrash says, because they were attracted by his beauty).—Tr.]
[18][1Sa_9:13. The Heb. inserts an emphatic Accus., which it is desirable to retain in the translation, Eng. idiom, however, requiring the Nom.—Tr.]
[19][1Sa_9:15. Literally: “uncovered the ear of Samuel,” made a disclosure to him.—Tr.]
[20][1Sa_9:16. Sept.: “the affliction of my people,” a natural but unnecessary insertion.—Tr.]
[21][1Sa_9:18. Instead of “gate” (שער), Sept. and one MS. of De Rossi read “city” (עיר), which suits the connection better.—Tr.]
[22][1Sa_9:20. So all ancient VSS. and modern interpreters; Philippson, wünschenswerth, Erdmann, begehrenswerth, Cahen, objet désirable.—Tr.]
[23][1Sa_9:21. In the Heb. “tribes,” which is generally regarded as an error of copyist, though it might be understood as referring to families, see Num_4:18; Jdg_20:12.—Tr.]
[24][1Sa_9:22. Sept. has 70, instead of 30.—Tr.]
[25][1Sa_9:24. The subject of the verb may be Samuel or the cook, and, on grammatical grounds, is more probably the latter, into whose mouth the words may be very well put, the “since I said” below not being in the Heb. text. Erdmann holds a different opinion; see Exposition, in loco.—Tr.]
[26][1Sa_9:24. This word (שִׂים) is taken by the ancient VSS. and Eng. A. V. as Impv., but better, with Erdmann, as Partcp.—Tr.]
[27][1Sa_9:24. On the text of this obscure passage see Exposition in loco.—Tr.]
[28][1Sa_9:26. The Sept. text of 1Sa_9:25-26, commends itself by its simplicity and concinnity: “into the city, and they spread (a bed) for Saul on the roof, and he lay down. And it came to pass,” etc. See discussion in Exposition.—Tr.]
[29][1Sa_9:27. This remark is lacking in Sept. Vat. (but not Alex.), Syr. and Arab., and is probably a gloss. The Syriac (as Wellhausen points out) adds a similar remark at end of 1Sa_9:3 : “and Saul arose and departed, and took with him one of the servants, and departed to seek the asses of his father.”—Tr.]
[30][The rendering “in the prime of youth” (which might be forty years) suits the first of these two facts, and the second cannot be pressed, because the word is often used where this fact does not exist. See Text. and Gram.—Tr.]
[31][On the ancient regard for physical greatness, see Synopsis Crit.; Kitto, Daily Bib. Ill.—Tr.]
[32][Others render “jackal-land,” and refer to Shual (1Sa_13:17), or Shaalbim (Jdg_1:35) in the territory of Dan. The geography is altogether uncertain.—Tr.]
[33][On the rendering see Textual and Grammat.—Tr.]
[34][As to the city see Exposition on 1Sa_9:6 and Translator’s note.—Tr.]
[35][On this verse see “Text. and Grammat.”—Tr.]
[36][Others suppose that it was not the right shoulder, because Samuel was not a priest.—Tr.]
[37][Others think it equally clear that these words were spoken by the cook.—Tr.]
[38][בְּי מִשְׁאָר הָעָם קֹרָאתָ or קֹרַצְתָּ.—Tr.]
[39]Writing וַיִּרְבְּדוּ לשָׁאוּל instead of וַיְּדַבֵּר, and closing 1Sa_9:25 with וַיִּשְׁכַּב [instead of וַֹישׁכמוּ in 1Sa_9:26—Tr.]
[40]There is no need to substitute the Qeri הַגָּגָה for the Kethib גַגָּה. Böttcher: “The Accusative-vowel a, like the case-vowel i, is often without any literal sign” [mater lectionis].
Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures (Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical), ed. John Peter Lange, English translation edited by Philip Schaff (1864–1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 1. A man of Benjamin — The smallest of…
1. A man of Benjamin — The smallest of the tribes, and the one lately devastated by civil war, (Judges 20,) has the honour of giving the first king to Israel; but the subsequent conduct and tragic death of Saul made that honour a reproach.
Kish, the son of Abiel — On this genealogy, see 1Sa_14:50, and 1Ch_8:33; 1Ch_9:39. Zeror, Bechorath, and Aphiah are not mentioned elsewhere.
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A mighty man of power — A man of wealth, as Boaz, (Jdg_2:1,) and also, probably, a man of great physical strength. This latter quality would account for the strength and size of his son Saul.
“When Saul speaks of his family as least of all the families of Benjamin, (1Sa_9:21,) it does not follow that Kish was not a powerful chieftain — Gibeah apparently belonged to him — but that as Benjamin was but a small tribe, so the division of it to which Saul belonged was not that which held the foremost rank. In Saul’s history we find an un-designed corroboration of the narrative in Jdg_20:21. Benjamin, according to Num_26:38-40, was divided into six or seven families — probably the latter number. But Saul’s family, that of Matri, (1Sa_10:21,) is not one of them. Doubtless when the tribe was reduced to six hundred men several of the old families were obliterated, and in course of time new ones took their place.” — R.P. Smith’s Bampton Lecture for 1869.
THE ANOINTING OF SAUL, 1Sa_9:1 to 1Sa_10:16.
In this chapter we are introduced to him who figures in the following history as the first king of Israel. But Samuel is yet the chief ruler, and Saul does not appear as reigning and exercising all his regal prerogatives until in chap. 13, after the prophet Samuel has given his last public counsel and exhortation to the assembled nation.
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 Ch. 1Sa_9:1-2. Saul’s genealogy
Ch. 1Sa_9:1-2. Saul’s genealogy
1. Now there was a man] “The sacred historian now tracks as it were another stream of events which were to concur in working out God’s providential purpose of giving a king to Israel.” Speaker’s Commentary.
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Kish, the son of Abiel] See note on 1Sa_14:50.
a mighty man of power] The Heb. may mean either (a) a valiant man, as in ch. 1Sa_16:18, or (b) a wealthy man as in Rth_2:1. Perhaps the ideas of personal valour and family importance are both included here, as in the Sept. rendering ἀνὴρ δυνατός, ‘a powerful man.’
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 (1) Saul.—The inspired compiler of these books—having related the…
(1) Saul.—The inspired compiler of these books—having related the circumstances which accompanied the people’s request to the last of the judges for a king—closed the first part of the story of this momentous change in the fortunes of the chosen people with the words of the prophet-judge, bidding the representative elders to return to their homes, and wait the result of his solemn communing with the Eternal Friend of Israel on the subject of this king they so earnestly desired.
The Eternal answered His servant either in a vision, or by Urim, or by an angel visitant. We are in most cases left in ignorance respecting the precise method by which God communicated with these highly-favoured men—His elect servante. The chosen Israelite whom Samuel was to anoint as the first king in Israel would meet the prophet—so said the “word of the Lord” to Samuel—on a certain day and hour, at a given place. The ninth chapter begins with a short account of the family of this man chosen for so high an office, and after a word or two of personal description, goes on to relate the circumstances under which he met Samuel. Saul, a man in the prime of manhood, distinguished among his fellows by his great stature, and for his grace and manly beauty, was the son of a noble and opulent Benjamite of Gribeah, a small city in the south of the Land of Promise.
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The whole of this episode in our ancient book is singularly picturesque. We see the yet unproclaimed king occupied in his father’s business, and throwing his whole powers into the every-day transactions of the farm on the slopes of Mount Ephraim. In a few words the historian describes how the modest and retiring Saul was roused from the quiet pastoral pursuits in which his hitherto uneventful life had been spent. The reverent, perhaps slightly reluctant, admiration with which the seer of God gazed at the future king of Israel; the prophet’s significant address, the symbol gifts, the graceful hospitality, and, above all, the solemn and, no doubt, burning words of the generous old man, woke up the sleeping hero-spirit, and prepared the young Benjamite for his future mighty work. But there was no vulgar elation at the prospect which lay before him, no hurried grasping at the splendid prize which the seer told him the God of his fathers had destined for him. Quietly he took leave of the famous Samuel; the predicted signs of his coming greatness one by one were literally fulfilled; but Saul returned to the ancestral farm in the hills of Benjamin, and was subject to his father, as in old days; and when at last the public summons to the throne came to him, he seems to have accepted the great office for which he had been marked with positive reluctance and shrinking, nor does he appear materially to have altered his old simple way of living until a great national disgrace called for a devoted patriot to avenge it. Then the heroic heart of the Lord’s anointed awoke, and Saul, when the hour came, showed himself a king indeed.
Kish, the son of Abiel.—On comparison with the genealogical summaries given in Gen_46:21; 1Sa_9:1; 1Sa_14:51; 1Ch_7:6-8, &c, the line of Samuel appears as follows:—
BENJAMIN BECHER
|
APHIAH (qu. ABIAH)
|
BECHORAH
|
ZEROR (qu. ZUR)
|
ABIEL
|
NER
|
KISH
|
SAUL.Yet even here certain links are omitted, for we hear of one Matri in 1Sa_10:21, and Jehiel in 1Ch_9:35.
———
The truth is that in each of the genealogical summaries the transcriber of the original family document left out certain names not needed for his special purpose. The names omitted are not always the same; hence, often in these tables, the apparent discrepancies.Dean Payne Smith, too, suggests, that the hopeless entanglement in the Benjamite genealogies is in a measure due to the terrible civil war which resulted from the crime related in Judges 20. In the confusion which naturally resulted from the massacres and ceaseless wars of this early period, many of the older records of the tribes must have perished.
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 SELECTION OF SAUL AS KING BY THE VOICE OF…
SELECTION OF SAUL AS KING BY THE VOICE OF PROPHECY. GENEALOGY OF SAUL (vers. 1-27).
A man whose name was Kish. The genealogy of Saul is rendered obscure by the Hebrew custom of abbreviating such records by the omission of names. The family documents were no doubt kept in full, but when transcribed, as here and in the First Book of Chronicles, only a summary is given, and as the omitted links are not always the same, great difficulty is necessarily the result. The most satisfactory genealogy is that given by Schaff from a comparison of Gen_46:21; 1Sa_9:1; 1Ch_7:6-8 1Ch_8:29-33 1Ch_9:35-39, and is as follows:
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1. Benjamin;
2. Becher;
3. Aphish, perhaps same as Abiah;
4. Bechorath;
5. Zeror, or Zur;
6. Abiel;
7. Ner;
8. Kish;
9. Saul.
Very many links, however, are omitted, among whom must be placed Matri, mentioned in 1Sa_10:21; and Jehiel, mentioned in 1Ch_9:35 (and see ibid. 8:29). He is described as the first settler and coloniser of Gibeon, and as husband of Maachah, a daughter or granddaughter of Caleb. The spelling of his name with an "ain forbids our confounding him with Abiel, as is done by Schaff and most commentators, and whom, apparently, he preceded by many generations. In the two places referred to above a large family of sons is ascribed to him; but as, first of all, the lists do not agree, as, moreover, they are said to dwell with their brethren in Jerusalem, (1Ch_8:32) and as Ner, the father of Kish, is mentioned in the second list, it is pretty certain that we are not to regard, them as his actual children, but as the leading names among his posterity. The fearful cruelty recorded in Jud_1:20:48 may well account for the hopeless entanglement of Benjamite genealogies. An ancestor of Saul must, of course, have been among the 600 who escaped to the rock Rimmon, but he could have saved only his own life. A mighty man of power. Really, "of wealth." Saul, like David afterwards, was sprung from an affluent family, whose landed property was situated at Gibeah, about four miles north of Jerusalem, afterwards known as Gibeah of Saul.
Vers. 1-10.
Divine consideration.
The facts are
1. Saul the son of Kish, a wealthy Benjamite, and remarkable for stature and goodliness, seeks his father"s asses.
2. Not finding them, he fears lest his father should be anxious about hisown safety, and suggests a return home.
3. His servant advises a recourse to a distinguished man of God then inthose parts.
4. Obtaining a small present, Saul resolves to consult the man of Godconcerning the lost asses. A great crisis has come in which the dangerous elements at work in Israel"s heart might lead to much mischief. The chief motive for desiring a king being a craving for outward display, and a corresponding distrust and dislike of God"s more unseen and immediate direction of national affairs, it was evidently possible for steps to be taken which would ruin Israel"s prosperity. The narrative relates to us a series of Divinely governed events, apparently trivial, which prevented that calamity and insured the national safety.
I GOD"S REGULATION OF IMPERFECT DESIRES AND DANGEROUS ASPIRATIONS. There is no harm in desire for monarchy per se; but the form it assumed in this instance was defective, and it revealed a moral tendency which, if fed by appropriate nourishment, would lead to a frustration of Israel"s true work in the world. The saving feature in their conduct was their deference to Samuel. The instruction conveyed to him to select a king was consistent with the fact that God was displeased with their request (1Sa_8:7; cf. Hos_13:11) The solution of the apparent discrepancy lies in the circumstance that God does not leave his people to the full bent of their own heart. He mercifully regarded their condition, and governed their tendencies in such a way as to make the best of a bad case. This is true, more or less, of all men not yet judicially abandoned. There is a force of evil in men enough to destroy them speedily but for the restraining power of God. The mental operations of sinners are governed by an unseen hand, and often directed to their advantage, when, otherwise, evil would ensue. There have been ages in the history of the Church when conspicuously unhallowed desires and worldly aspirations have not been left to work ruin, but have been chastened, controlled, directed to objects better than they, left to themselves, would have chosen. The age of Constantine would have been more calamitous for religion had hot the Head of the Church governed rising tendencies and provided moderating influences.
II GOD"S CARE IN MEETING MAN"S WEAKNESS. Not any man would suit Israel as king at that time. There were conditions in the state of the people which needed to be wisely met. The people were impressible by the outward physical aspect of things; they required a leader of social position to command respect; and their own hankering after likeness to other nations rendered it important that their king should have some moral character; at the same time, being their choice, he must be a representative of the weaknesses and wisdom of the age. Hence the care of God in directing Samuel to Saul, a man of commanding appearance (ver. 2), of wealthy family (vers. 1-3), of quiet, plodding, God fearing disposition, as seen in occupation, in his concern for his father, and in his deference to the prophet, and yet of no deep, intelligent piety. This Divine care is no novelty in history.
1. It is constant coextensive with the history of the race. Even fallen Adam was cared for in temporal things. The order of Providence, the adaptation of his Word to varying exigencies of life, the appointments in his Church for the perfecting of the saints, are only some instances of a care that never faileth.
2. It is secret. Israel little knew, while those asses were wandering from home, that their God was caring so wisely and tenderly for them. Silent as the light is the voice that orders our path; more subtle than either is the hand that guards our spirit. By day and night his hand leads, even to the uttermost parts of the earth.
3. It is beyond all desert. Even when Israel was in spirit rejecting him he cared for them. "How shall I give thee up?" is the feeling of the Father"s heart. He rewards us "not according to our iniquities." The daily mercies of God are more than can be numbered, and they come because he delighteth in mercy, not because we earn them by obedience and love.
III GOD"S LEADING BY UNKNOWN WAYS. While restraining and regulating Israel"s tendencies, an unseen hand is leading the son of Kish by a way he knew not. In the straying of asses and in the following their track we first see natural events; but behind and in them all we soon learn to see God gently leading Saul from a quiet, rural life to undertake a great and honourable responsibility, it is not strange for God to lead by unknown paths those whom he chooses for his service. Abraham did not know the full meaning of the secret impulse to leave Ur of the Chaldees. Joseph"s imprisonment was not man"s sole doing. Egyptians in the court of Pharaoh saw not the hand guiding Moses into a knowledge of their legislation and their learning. Likewise is it true in the bringing of men to a knowledge of Christ. Many a simple circumstance has brought a wanderer to a greater than Samuel. And in the Christian life we are led by circuitous, untrodden paths to duties, privileges, joys, and eternal rest. God is Guide and Counsellor by monitions of conscience, by word of truth, by voice of friends, by barred pathways of lift by yearnings created within, by events great and small.
General lessons:
1. Let us have faith in God"s mastery over all that is in man.
2. Let us believe that he will provide for his people suitably to their need.
3. Let us keep our heart and eye open to the guidance of the unseenPower, and not despise events that seem trifling in themselves.
HOMILIES BY B. DALE. Vers. 1-25. (GIBEAH, RAMAH.)
The king desired by the people.
1. The choice of the first king of Israel was made by Samuel, prophet and judge, as the highest authority under God in the nation; and it was afterwards confirmed by lot, wherein the Divine will was openly expressed. (1Sa_10:21) "The history of the world 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" (Scott).
1. In making choice of Saul, Samuel believed that he would be acceptable to the people, and fulfil the purpose for which they had desired a king, in saving them out of the hand of the Philistines (1Sa_9:17) and the children of Ammon; (1Sa_12:12) and he appears to have expected that he would be faithful to the principle of the theocracy, and rule in obedience to the Divine will. He did all that lay in his power that this expectation might be realised; he entertained a strong affection for Saul; and it was only when the latter proved utterly unfaithful to his trust that he reluctantly and sorrowfully abandoned him to his fate.
2. His choice was directed by a higher wisdom than his own, which saw the end from the beginning. Whilst the Divine King of Israel sanctioned what was good in their desire, he fulfilled it in such a manner as to convince them of what was evil in it, and to accomplish far reaching purposes which the prophet himself did not foresee.
The ken your world is gifted with descends In the everlasting justice as low down As eye doth in the sea, which though it mark The bottom from the shore, in the wide main Discerns it not; and, nevertheless, it is, But hidden by its deepness (Dante, "Purg. ).
"Saul is not selected by them, but given to them; whom they adopt and embrace they know not why; and who, whether or not he is able to guide and govern them, proves to be a faithful representative of their own state of mind, a very type and embodiment of that character and those habits of mind which they themselves are exhibiting" (Maurice). "The theocratic principle was more fully developed in the reaction than could have happened had the king been truly pious, so that we may say that Saul was chosen by God, because in his omniscience he foresaw that he would not turn to him with his whole heart. Saul and David are in necessary connection. On the threshhold of royalty God first shows in Saul what the king of Israel is without him; then in David what the king is with him. Both are types or representatives. The events which befell them are actual prophecies, which first of all passed into fulfilment in the history of the Israelitish monarchy, and then through the whole history of the world." (Hengstenberg). The following chapters record, the development of the successive stages of the Divine method according to which the popular desire was gratified and corrected. The man destined for king was
I FITTED BY PECULIAR QUALIFICATIONS (vers. 1, 2). Notice
1. His family relationship. He was the son of Kish, of the family of Matri, (1Sa_10:21) of the tribe of Benjamin; his cousin (or perhaps uncle 1Ch_8:33) being Abner, afterwards "the captain of his host"; (1Sa_14:51) his name Saul = asked being "an omen of his history." Kish was a man of wealth and good social position, a fact which would gain for his son general respect; he appears to have been an affectionate father (ver. 5; 1Sa_10:2) and he resided at Gibeah, (1Sa_10:26) "a hill," formerly a place of notorious profligacy, (Jud_1:19) and subsequently the seat of Saul"s government, but was buried at Zelah. (2Sa_21:14) Of him nothing more is known. Benjamin was the smallest of the tribes of Israel (ver. 21), but the most warlike of them. (Gen_49:27) The selection of a king from it, therefore, would not be likely to excite the jealousy of the other tribes, whilst he would doubtless prove an able leader of their armies. There was in Saul "the strange union of fierceness and of gentleness which rim, as hereditary qualities do often run, through the whole history of that frontier clan" (Stanley).
2. His personal appearance. He was in the prime of manhood, and of lofty stature and great warlike beauty (ver. 2; 1Sa_10:23, 1Sa_10:24) "Great stress is laid upon this, because his distinguished stature, with the impression of bodily prowess which it conveyed, helped much to recommend him to the choice of the people. When, after a long peace, there was no man of distinguished renown among them, and when in battle much less depended upon the military skill than upon the bodily prowess of the chief in single combats, or in the partial actions with which most battles commenced, it was natural enough that the people should take pride in the gigantic proportions of their leader, as calculated to strike terror into the enemy and to inspire confidence in his followers; besides that, it was no mean advantage that the crest of the leader should, from his tallness, be seen from afar by the people" (Kitto).
3. His mental and moral characteristics. He was possessed of little mental culture. He had not been instructed in the schools of the prophets. (1Sa_10:11) His life had been spent in retired, rustic occupation, in which he was so absorbed that he was less acquainted with the political and religious movements of his time than his own servant (ver. 6). He was obedient to his father (ver. 4), tenderly concerned about his feelings (ver. 5), persevering in labour and ready to take advice even from one beneath him (ver. 10). He exhibited a courteous, modest, and humble bearing. (ver. 1Sa_10:21) He was, in his earlier career, capable of prudent reserve; (1Sa_10:16, 1Sa_10:27) patriotic, zealous, fearless, energetic, (1Sa_11:6) resolute, and magnanimous; (1Sa_11:13) and he had a strong sense of the value of religion and religious institutions. But underneath these qualities there lay others of a different nature, which his subsequent course revealed, viz., waywardness, rash and fiery impulses, impatience, the love of display, pride and self-will, and morbid tendencies to distrust and jealousy; and instead of overcoming them by the aid of Divine grace, he yielded to them, until they gained the entire mastery over him, choked the good seed which was sown in his heart, (Mat_13:22) and caused his ruin. God sees the latent as well as the manifest dispositions of men, and adapts his dealings toward them accordingly.
II GUIDED BY SPECIAL PROVIDENCE (vers. 3-14). These verses furnish a practical commentary on what was said by Hannah concerning the operations of Providence. (1Sa_2:7, 1Sa_2:8) In leaving his home in Gibeah, at the direction of his father, in search of the lost asses, travelling through the hill country of Ephraim, the land of Shalisha, of Shalim, and of the Benjamites, to the land of Zuph, (1Sa_1:1) and going in search of the "seer (roeh), Saul acted freely, and according to his best judgment; but his three days" journey and all connected with it his lack of success, his desire to return, his servant"s advice, his destitution of food, his servant"s possession of a coin for a present, his meeting with "young maidens going out to draw water," his presence in the city at a certain time were ordered by God to the attainment of an end of which he had noconception. "All these incidents and wanderings were only preparations and mediate causes by which God accomplished his design concerning Saul." His providence
1. Often makes insignificant events productive of important results. It is truly astonishing how the very greatest things depend upon events which are generally regarded at the time of their occurrence as of little account. Of this the lives of individuals and the history of nations afford innumerable illustrations. "What is it that we dare call insignificant? The least of all things may be as a seed cast into the seed field of time, to grow there and bear fruits, which shall be multiplying when time shall be no more. We cannot always trace the connections of things; we do not ponder those we can trace, or we should tremble to call anything beneath the notice of God. It has been eloquently said that where we see a trifle hovering unconnected in space, higher spirits can discern its fibres stretching through the whole expanse of the system of the world, and hanging on the remotest limits of the future and the past" (Kitto, "Cyc. of Bib. Lit.," first ed., Art. "Providence;" Knapp"s "Theology").
2. Makes accidental circumstances subservient to a prearranged plan. "The thread of every life is entangled with other threads beyond all reach of calculation. Those unforeseen accidents which so often control the lot of men constitute a superstratum in the system of human affairs, wherein, peculiarly, the Divine providence holds empire for the accomplishment of its special purposes. It is from this hidden and inexhaustible mine of chances chances, as we must call them that the Governor of the world draws, with unfathomable skill, the materials of his dispensations towards each individual of mankind" (Isaac Taylor, "Nat. Hist. of Enthusiasm").
3. Overrules human plans, in harmony with human freedom, for the fulfilment of Divine purposes. (Pro_16:9, Pro_16:33)
III INDICATED BY DIVINE REVELATION (vers. 15-25). Such revelation
1. Was primarily and directly given to one who lived in closest fellowship with God. Samuel was like the lofty mountain peak, which catches the rays of the morning sun long ere they reach the valleys below. On the day before Saul came to the city (of Ramah), the prophet, ever watching and listening for the indications of the Divine will concerning the future king, was fully instructed therein by "the word of the Lord", (1Sa_3:21) which contained
(1) a promise of sending him (ver. 16),
(2) a direction to anoint him,
(3) a statement of the purpose of his appointment, and
(4) an expression of commiseration for the need of the people.
Nothwithstanding they had rejected God, he had not rejected them, but still calls them "my people," and in wrath remembers mercy. The long suffering of God toward transgressors should teach his servants forbearance, and incite them to renewed efforts for their welfare. It appears to have been after Samuel had received the Divine message that he invited the people (perhaps the elders who had formerly waited upon him) to a sacrificial feast, and arranged for the worthy entertainment of his chief guest (ver. 24). The displeasure which he previously felt at their request (1Sa_8:6) has now given place to disinterested and earnest desire for its fulfilment.
1. Harmonised with, and was confirmed by, the operations of Providence. Samuel is expecting the fulfilment of the promise given to him, and already is on the way from his own house in the city to offer sacrifice on the height (the loftier of the two hills on which Ramah was situated), when he sees the towering form of Saul, a stranger to the place, who has come up into the midst of the city according to the direction of the maidens at the foot of the hill, and the inner voice with which he is so familiar says to him, "Behold the man," etc. (ver. 17). There is nothing in the simple dress of the prophet to indicate his dignity; and as he passes onward Saul "draws near to him in the gate," and in reply to his inquiry concerning the seer"s residence, receives the answer, "I am the seer." Seldom has the meeting of two persons shown more clearly the cooperation of the revealed word with the guiding providence of God or the unity of the purpose by which both are pervaded, or been followed by more momentous results.
2. And its communication required a gradual preparation on the part of him to whom it chiefly pertained, in order that it might be received aright. This Samuel sought to effect
(1) By awakening in Saul new and elevated thoughts and hopes (vers. 19, 20); directing him to go up before him, as a mark of respect, inviting him to be his guest, telling him that he would "reveal to him his innermost thoughts," setting his mind at rest from lower cares, and assuring him of the highest dignity. "For whom is every desirable thing in Israel?" (ver. 20).
(2) By giving him honour in the presence of others (vers. 22-24); appointing to him the chief place among his thirty guests, appropriating to him the best portion of the meal, and intimating that the honour had been reserved for him in foreknowledge of his arrival.
(3) By holding confidential and prolonged conversation with him (ver. 25), pertaining "not to the royal dignity, but surely to the deep religious and political decline of the people of God, the opposition of the heathen, the causes of the impotency to oppose these enemies, the necessity of a religious change in the people, and of a leader thoroughly obedient to the Lord (O. von Gerlach). In this manner Saul was prepared for the more definite indication given on the following morning. A gradual preparation of a somewhat similar kind is often needed by men when about to receive a Divine commission. D.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Expositor's Bible 1887 · Public Domain
CHAPTER X I.
SAUL BROUGHT TO SAMUEL.
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1Sa_9:1-14.
GOD'S providence is a wonderful scheme; a web of many threads, woven with marvelous skill; a network composed of all kinds of materials, great and small, but so arranged that the very smallest of them is as essential as the largest to the completeness of the fabric.
One would suppose that many of the dramas of the Old Testament were planned on very purpose to show how intimately things secular and things sacred, as we call them, are connected together; how entirely the minutest events are controlled by God, and at the same time how thoroughly the freedom of man is preserved. The meeting of two convicts in an Egyptian prison is a vital link in the chain of events that makes Joseph governor of Egypt; a young lady coming to bathe in the river preserves the life of Moses, and secures the escape of the Israelites; the thoughtful regard of a father for the comfort of his sons in the army brings David into contact with Goliath, and prepares the way for his elevation to the throne; the beauty of a Hebrew girl fascinating a Persian king saves the whole Hebrew race from massacre and extermination.
So in the passage now before us. The straying of some asses from the pastures of a Hebrew farmer brings together the two men, of whom the one was the old ruler, and the other was to be the new ruler of Israel. That these two should meet, and that the older of them should have the opportunity of instructing and influencing the younger, was of the greatest consequence for the future welfare of the nation. And the meeting is brought about in that casual way that at first sight seems to indicate that all things happen without plan or purpose. Yet we find, on more careful examination, that every event has been planned to fit in to every other, as carefully as the pieces of a dissected map, or the fragments of a fine mosaic. But of all the actors in the drama, not one ever feels that his freedom is in any way interfered with. All of them are at perfect liberty to follow the course that commends itself to their own minds.
Thus wonderfully do the two things go together - Divine ordination and human freedom. How it should be so, it baffles us to explain. But that it is so, must be obvious to every thoughtful mind. And it is because we see the two things so harmonious in the common affairs of life, that we can believe them to act harmoniously in the higher plane of redemption and salvation. For in that sphere, too, all things fall out in accordance with the Divine plan. "Known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world." Yet this universal predestination in no degree interferes with the liberty of man. If men reject God's offers, it is because they are personally unwilling to accept of them. If they receive His offers, it is because they have been made willing to do so. "Ye will not come unto Me that ye might have life," said our Lord to the Jews. And yet it is ever true that "it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure."
God having given the people permission to appoint a king, that king has now to be found. What kind of person must the first king be- the first to supersede the old rule of the Divinely-inspired judges, the first to fulfill the cravings of the people, the first to guide the nation which had been appointed by God to stand in so close a relation to Himself?
It seemed desirable, that in the first king of Israel, two classes of qualities should be united, in some degree contradictory to one another. First, he must possess some of the qualities for which the people desire to have a king; while at the same time, from God's point of view, it is desirable that under him the people should have some taste of the evils which Samuel had said would follow from their choice.
To an Oriental people, a stately and commanding personality was essential to an ideal king. They liked a king that would look well on great occasions, that would be a commanding figure at the head of an army, or in the centre of a procession; that would arrest the eye of strangers, and inspire at first sight an involuntary respect for the nation that had such a ruler at its head. Nor could anyone have more fully realized the wishes of the people in this respect than Saul. "A choice young man and a goodly; there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he; from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people."
Further, though his tribe was small in number, it was not small in influence. And his family was of a superior caste, for Kish was "a mighty man of power." And Saul's personal qualities were prepossessing and promising. He showed himself ready to comply with his father's order about the asses that had strayed, and to undertake a laborious journey to look for them. He was interested in his father's business, and ready to help him in his time of need. And the business which he undertook he seems to have executed with great patience and thoroughness. A foot journey over a great part of the territory of Benjamin was no easy task. Altogether, he shows himself, as we say, a capable man. He is not afraid to face the irksome; he does not consult merely for his ease and pleasure; labour does not distress him, and difficulties do not daunt him.
All this was so far promising, and it seems to have been exactly what the people desired. But on the other hand, there seems to have been, from the very beginning, a great want in Saul. He appears from the very first to have wanted all that was most conspicuous and most valuable in Samuel. It is a circumstance not without its significance, that the very name and work of Samuel do not seem to have been familiar or even known to him. It was his servant that knew about Samuel, and that told Saul of his being in the city, in the land of Zuph (1Sa_9:5-6). This cannot but strike us as very strange. We should have thought that the name of Samuel would have been as familiar to all the people of Israel as that of Queen Victoria to the people of Great Britain. But Saul does not appear to have heard it, as in any way remarkable. Does not this indicate a family living entirely outside of all religious connections, entirely immersed in secular things, caring nothing about godly people, and hardly ever even pronouncing their name? It is singular how utterly ignorant worldly men are of what passes in religious circles, if they happen to have no near relative, or familiar acquaintance in the religious world to carry the news to them from time to time. And as Saul thus lived outside of all religious circles, so he seems to have been entirely wanting in that great quality which was needed for a king of Israel - loyalty to the Heavenly King. Here it was that the difference between him and Samuel was so great. Loyalty to God and to God's nation was the very foundation of Samuel's life. Anything like self-seeking was unknown to him. He had early undergone that momentous change, when God is substituted for self as the pivot of one's life. The claims of the great King were ever paramount in his eyes. What would please God and be honouring to Him, was the first question that rose to his mind. And as Israel was God's people, so the interest and the welfare of Israel were ever dear to him. And thus it was that Samuel might be relied on not to think of himself, not to think of his own wishes or interests, except as utterly subordinate to the wishes and interests of his God and his nation. It was this that gave such solidity to Samuel's character, and made him so invaluable to his people. In every sphere of life it is a precious quality. Whether as domestic servants, or clerks, or managers, dependent on others, those persons are ever of priceless worth whose hearts are thus set on objects outside themselves, and who are proof against the common temptations of selfishness and worldliness. And when they are the rulers of a nation, and are able to disregard their personal welfare in their burning desire to benefit the whole people, they rise to the rank of heroes, and after their death, their names are enshrined in the memories of a grateful and admiring people.
But in these high qualities, Saul seems to have been altogether wanting. For though he was not selfish and self-indulgent at first, though he readily obeyed his father in going to search for the strayed asses, he had no deep root of unselfishness in his nature, and by-and-bye, in the hour of temptation, the cloven foot unhappily appeared. And ere long the people would learn, that as Saul had in him no profound reverence for the will of God, so he had in him no profound and indefeasible regard for the welfare of God's people. The people would come to see what a fatal mistake they had made in selecting a king merely for superficial qualities, and passing by all that would have allied him, as Samuel was allied, to God himself. Now it seems to have been God's purpose that the first king of Israel should be a man of this kind. Through him the people were to learn that the king who simply fulfilled their notions, was capable, when his self-will was developed, of dragging the nation to ruin. No! it was not the superficial qualities of Saul that would be a blessing to the nation. It was not a man out of all spiritual sympathy with the living God that would raise the standing of Israel among the kingdoms around, and bring them the submission and respect of foreign kings. The intense and consistent godliness of Samuel was probably the quality that was not popular among the people. In the worldliness of his spirit, Saul was probably more to their liking. Yet it was this unworldly but godly Samuel that had delivered them from the bitter yoke of the Philistines, and it was this handsome but unspiritual Saul that was to bring them again into bondage to their ancient foes. This was the sad lesson to be learned from the reign of Saul.
But God did not design altogether to abandon His people. When the lesson should be learnt from Saul's history, He would guide them to a king of a different stamp. He would give them a king after His own heart - one that would make the will of God the great rule, and the welfare of the people the great end of his government. David would engrave in the history of the nation in deeper letters than even Samuel, the all-important lesson, that for kings and countries as much as for individuals, "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;" that God honours them that honour Him, while they that despise Him shall indeed be lightly esteemed.
But let us now come to the circumstances that led to the meeting of Saul and Samuel. The asses of Kish had strayed. Very probably they had strayed at a time when they were specially needed. The operations of the farm had to be suspended for want of them, perhaps at a season when any delay would be especially inconvenient. In all ranks of life, men are subject to these vexations, and he is a happy man who does not fret under them, but keeps his temper calm, in spite of all the worry. Especially is he a happy man who retains his equanimity under the conviction that the thing is appointed by God, and that He who overruled the loss of Kish's asses to such high events in the history of his son, is able so to order all their troubles and worries that they shall be found conducive to their highest good. At Kish's order, Saul and one of the servants go forth to seek the asses. With the precise localities through which they passed, we are not accurately acquainted, such places as Shalim or Zuph not having yet been identified. But the tour m.ust have been an extensive one, extending over most of the territory of Benjamin; and as it must have been necessary to make many a detour, uphill and down dale, to this farm and to that, the labour involved must have been very great. It was not a superficial but a thorough search.
At last, when they came to the land of Zuph, they had been away so long that Saul thought it necessary to return, lest his father should think that some evil had befallen them. But the servant had another string to his bow. Though Saul was not familiar with the name or the character of Samuel, his servant was What God hides from the wise and prudent, He sometimes reveals to babes. It is an interesting thing in the history of the Church, how often great people have been indebted to servants for important guidance, perhaps even for their first acquaintance with saving truth. The little captive maid that ministered in the house of Naaman the Syrian was the channel through whom he came to know of the prophet of Israel who was able to heal him. Many a distinguished Christian has acknowledged, like the Earl of Shaftesbury, his obligations to some pious nurse that when he was a child told him Bible stories and pressed on his heart the claims of God. Happy those servants who are faithful in these circumstances, and of whom it can be said, ''They have done what they could!" Of this servant of Saul's we know nothing whatever, save that, in his master's dilemma, he told him of the Lord's servant, and induced him to apply to him to extricate him from his difficulty.
It does not appear that the city was Samuel's usual place of abode. It was a place to which he had come to hold a religious service, and the occasion was evidently one of much importance. It is interesting to observe how the difficulty was got over, of their having no present to offer to the man of God, in accordance with the custom of the country. Saul, though in comfortable circumstances, had absolutely no particle of money with him. His servant had but a quarter of a shekel, not designed apparently for spending purposes, but perhaps a little keepsake or kind of amulet he carried about with him. But there was such hospitality in those days that people going about the country had no need for money. So it was when our Lord instructed the disciples when sending them out on their missionary tour - "Provide neither gold nor silver nor brass in your purses, nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves, for the labourer is worthy of his meat." Those who have presumed on these instructions, holding that the modern missionary does not need any sustenance to be provided for him, but may safely trust to the hospitality of the heathen, forget how different was the case and the custom among the Hebrew people.
But now, as Saul and his servant came to the city, another providential meeting takes place to help them to their object. "As they went up the hill to the city, they found young maidens going out to draw water." The city was up the hill, and the water supply would naturally be at the bottom. From the maidens that were going down to the fountain, they obtained information fitted to quicken their movements. They learned that the prophet had already arrived. The preparations for the sacrifice which he was to offer were now going on. It was just the time to get a word with him, if they had business to transact. Very soon he would be going up to the high place, and then the solemn rites would begin, and be followed by the feast, which would engross his whole attention. If they would catch him at the proper moment they must "make haste." That they did quicken their pace, we cannot doubt. And it was necessary; for just as they reached the city Samuel made his appearance, about to go up to the high place. If they had lost that moment, they would probably have had no opportunity during the whole day. Nor is it likely that Saul, who had no great desire for the company of the prophet, would have waited till the sacrifice and the feast were over. The two men were brought together just in the nick of time. And thus another essential link of God's chain, bringing the old and the new ruler of Israel into contact with each other, was happily adjusted, all through means to us apparently accidental, but forming parts of the great scheme of God.
From this part of the narrative we may derive two great lessons, the one with reference to God, and the other with reference to man.
First, as it regards God, we cannot but see how silently, secretly, often slowly, yet surely, He accomplishes His purposes. There are certain rivers in nature that flow so gently, that when looking at the water only, the eye of the spectator is unable to discern any movement at all. Often the ways of God resemble such rivers. Looking at what is going on in common life, it is so ordinary, so absolutely quiet, that you can see no trace whatever of any Divine plan. Things seem left to themselves, and God appears to have no connection with them. And yet, all the while, the most insignificant of them is contributing towards the accomplishment of the mighty plans of God. By means of ten thousand times ten thousand agents, conscious and un- conscious, things are moving on towards the grand consummation. Men may be instruments in God's hands without knowing it. When Cyrus was moving his armies towards Babylon, he little knew that he was accomplishing the Divine purpose for the humbling of the oppressor and the deliverance of His oppressed people. And in all the events of common life, men seem to be so completely their own masters, there seems such a want of any influence from without, that God is liable to slip entirely out of sight. And yet, as we see from the chapter before us, God is really at work. Whether men know it or not, they are really fulfilling the purposes of His will. Calmly but steadily, like the stars in the silent heavens, men are bringing to pass the schemes of God. His wildest enemies are really helping to swell His triumphs. Oh, how vain is the attempt to resist His mighty hand! The day cometh, when all the tokens of confusion and defeat shall disappear, when the bearing even of the fall of a sparrow on the plans of God shall be made apparent, and every intelligent creature in earth and heaven shall join in the mighty shout - "Alleluiah, for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth."
But again, there is a useful lesson in this chapter for directing the conduct of men. You see in what direction the mind of Saul's servant moved for guidance in the day of difficulty. It was toward the servant of God. And you see likewise how, when Saul and he had determined to consult the man of God, they were providentially guided to him. To us, the way is open to God Himself, without the intervention of any prophet. Let us in every time of trouble seek access to God. Have we not a thousand examples of it in Bible history, and in other history too? Men say it is not right we should trouble God with trifles. Nay, the living God knows not what trouble is, and in His scheme there are no trifles. There is no limit one way or other in the command, "In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God." "Acknowledge Him in all your ways, and He will direct your steps." But above all, acknowledge Him with reference to the way of life eternal. Make sure that you are in the way to heaven. Use well the guide book with which you are furnished. Let God's word be a light to your feet and a lamp to your path; and then your path shall itself "be like the shining light, shining brighter and brighter unto the perfect day."
William Robertson Nicoll, ed., The Expositor's Bible (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1887–1910) — public domain. 65 of 66 books (1 Corinthians is not separately keyed, as that volume carries no machine-parseable verse references); section-level commentary keyed to the opening verse. Introductory and overview sections not keyed to a specific passage are excluded.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain 1Sa_9:1. “Now, there was a man of Benjamin.” “The…
CRITICAL AND EXPOSITORY NOTES—
1Sa_9:1. “Now, there was a man of Benjamin.” “The elaborate genealogy of the Benjamite Kish, and the minute description of the figure of his son Saul, are intended to indicate at the very outset the importance to which Saul attained in relation to the people of Israel. Kish was the son of Abiel: this is in harmony with 1Sa_14:51. But when, on the other hand, it is stated in 1Ch_8:33; 1Ch_9:39, that Ner begat Kish, the difference may be reconciled in the simplest manner, on the assumption that the Ner mentioned there is not the father, but the grandfather, or a still more remote ancestor of Kish, as the intervening members are frequently passed over in the genealogies (Kiel). “A mighty man of power,” rather, “a rich well-to-do man” (Erdmann).
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1Sa_9:2. “Saul.” “Heb. Shäul; i.e., desired, asked for: his name was an omen of his history” (Wordsworth). “From his shoulders and upward.” “It is evident that he must have been only a little under seven feet high” (Jamieson). See also note on 1Sa_10:23.
1Sa_9:3. “The asses of Kish,” etc. The probability is that the family of Kish, according to the immemorial usage of Oriental shepherds in the purely pastoral regions, had let the animals roam at large during the grazing season, at the close of which messengers were dispatched in search of them. Such travelling searches are common; and as each owner has his stamp marked on his cattle, the mention of it to the shepherds he meets gradually leads to the discovery of the strayed animals. This ramble of Saul’s had nothing extraordinary in it, except its superior directions and issue, which turned its uncertainty into certainty” (Jamieson). “The superintendence of the cattle was anciently an occupation held in much esteem. It was regarded as the proper office of a son, and by no means implies the smallness of Kish’s possessions or his want of servants.… Among cattle in the East at all times, and especially ere horses were used for riding, asses were esteemed of much importance.… If such an incident now happened in Palestine, it would be at once concluded that the animals had been stolen, and it speaks well for the state of society in the times of Samuel, that this suspicion never crossed the mind of Saul or his father” (Kitto).
1Sa_9:4. “And as he passed through Mount Ephraim,” etc. “As Saul started in any case from Gibeah of Benjamin, his own home (1Sa_10:10-26, etc.), i.e. the present Tuliel el Phul, which was an hour or an hour and a half to the north of Jerusalem, and went thence into the mountains of Ephraim, he no doubt took a north-westerly direction, so that he crossed the boundary of Benjamin somewhere between Bireh and Atarah, and passing through the crest of the mountains of Ephraim, came out into the land of Shalisha. Shalisha is unquestionably the country round Baal-shalisha (2Ki_4:42), which was situated, according to Eusebius, fifteen Roman miles to the north of Lydda, and was therefore probably the country to the west of Jiljilia, where three different wadys run into one large wady, called Kurawa; and according to the probable conjecture of Thenius, it was from this fact that the district received the name of Shalisha, or Three-land.… Since they went on from Shaalim into the land of Benjamin, and then still further into the land of Zuph, on the south-west of Benjamin, they probably turned eastwards from Shalishah into the country where we find Beni Mussah and Beni Salem marked upon. Robinson’s and V. de Velde’s maps, and where we must therefore look for the land of Shaalim, that they might proceed thence to explore the land of Benjamin from the north-east to the south-west.” (Keil).
1Sa_9:5. “Land of Zuph.” Nothing is certainly known of the land of Zuph, but “we may infer with certainty that it was on the south-west of the tribe-territory of Benjamin, from the fact that, according to 1Sa_10:2, Saul and his companion passed Rachel’s tomb on their return thence to their own home, and then came to the border of Benjamin.” (Keil).
1Sa_9:6. “This city.” Some commentators suppose that this city was Ramah, Samuel’s residence; but Keil, Jamieson, Wordsworth, and others, consider that several circumstances are against this supposition, especially the mention of Rachel’s sepulchre in 1Sa_10:2. “Peradventure he can show us our way,” etc. “We may fancy that the man and his master either entertained a very high sense of the importance of their asses, or a very low one of the prophetic office; but the man would scarcely have reached this conclusion unless it were notorious that Samuel had often been consulted respecting things lost or stolen. We may therefore infer that, at the commencement of the prophetic office in the person of Samuel, it was usual, in order to encourage confidence in their higher vaticinations, and to prevent that dangerous resort to heathen divinations, for the prophets to afford counsel when required in matters of private concernment.” (Kitto).
1Sa_9:7. “What shall we bring the man?” “Then, as now in the East, it would have been the height of rudeness and indecorum for anyone to present himself before a superior or even an equal, without some present, more or less, according to his degree, not by any means as a fee or a bribe, but in testimony of his homage, respect, or compliments” (Kitto). “This does not exclude the supposition that the prophets depended for support on these voluntary gifts.” (Erdmann).
1Sa_9:8. “Fourth part of shekel of silver.” “Rather more than sixpence. Contrary to our western notions, money is in the East the most acceptable form in which a present can be made to a man of rank.” (Jamieson).
1Sa_9:9. “These words are manifestly a gloss inserted in the older narrative to explain the use of the term Seer. One among many instances which prove how the very letter of the contemporary narrative was preserved by those who in later times compiled the histories.” (Biblical Commentary). “Prophet” “Seer.” “There has been much discussion as to the distinction between these two words; and it is not easy to decide the question, for in some passages, as here, they appear to be used synonymously, or as applied to the same individuals, whereas in others they are contrasted (1Ch_29:29; Isa_29:10; Isa_30:10). The first, from the verb to see, sufficiently shows that the power of the person arose from mental vision. The second, from a verb to bubble up, as a spring or fountain, signifies that the message which the Nabi (prophet) delivered was derived from God; and hence it is always rendered a “prophet.” Accordingly Havernick (Introduction to the Old Testament) considers the first term as marking the receptive act of revelation, and the second as describing the office of the prophets—that of communicating the word of God. Hence, after the institution of the schools by Samuel, it became the official title of the prophets; and the two functions were united in, or performed by the same person.” (Jamieson). “This statement has special interest in connection with the history of the prophetic work in Israel.… The change of name from Roeh (seer) to Nabi (prophet) and Chozeh (gazer) had its ground probably in the development of the religious constitution. Up to some time before the author of “Samuel” wrote, the non-sacerdotal, non-Levitical religious teacher was one distinguished by seeing visions, or by seeing into the will of God. This is God’s definition of the prophet in Num_12:6; it is involved in 1Sa_3:1; 1Sa_3:15, and in the visions of the patriarchs. The Law of Moses was the complete and sufficient guide for life and worship, and it was only in special individual matters that the divine direction was given, and then it was through the medium of a vision. He who saw the vision was a Roeh, and it was natural enough that he should be consulted by the people about many matters. But in process of time the mechanicalness and deadness to which the legal ritual constantly tended called forth an order of men who expounded and enforced the spirituality of the law, speaking as God bade them, speaking for God, entering as a prominent element into the religious life of the nation. He who thus spake was a Nabi, and as he, too, might have visions, he was sometimes called Chozeh the gazer.… As this speaker for God gradually took the place of the old seer of visions, the word Nabi replaced Roeh in popular usage. It seems that the change began in or about Samuel’s time, and was completed about three centuries later, Roeh still maintaining itself in the language, though rarely used. On the other hand, Nabi may have been used infrequently in early times in reference to Abraham and Moses, and have become afterwards the common term, or the occurrence of the word in the Pentateuch may be the transference of a late word to earlier times.” (Transr. of Lange’s Commentary).
1Sa_9:12. “High place.” Of such “Bamoth,” or holy places on heights, where the people assembled for sacrifice and prayer, there were several during the unquiet times of the judges, especially after the central Sanctuary at Shiloh ceased to exist, till the building of the Temple (comp. 1Sa_7:9; 1Sa_10:8; 1Sa_13:8; 1Sa_16:2, etc.), as, indeed, the patriarchs sacrificed on high places (Gen_12:8). It was not till after the building of the Temple that the high-place worship, which easily degenerated into idolatry, was completely done away with” (2Ki_23:4-23) (Erdmann).
1Sa_9:13. “To eat.” This was a sacrificial feast following a peace offering.
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.—1Sa_9:1-14
SAUL’S SEARCH FOR THE LOST ASSES
I. This narrative reveals the action of the natural and the supernatural in the Divine Providence. There is no part of the globe on which we live that is not under the influence of the sun—the centre of the solar system. If there are caves and valleys where no sunshine can enter, the daylight finds its way into them, or if they are closed against the light, they are still influenced by the sun’s gravitating power, for there is no particle of the globe that is hid from this hold of the sun upon it. And as surely as there is an all-pervading influence from the sun upon the entire material globe, so there is a providence from which no creature of God is shut out—there is no thing nor person upon whom His providence has not a hold. Each blade of grass is fed with its drop of dew under the supervision of its Creator—the lilies are each clothed by His hand, and He notes each sparrow that falls to the ground as well as the downfall of the mightiest monarch. When we read the narrative before us we can but be impressed with the fact that there is a providence ruling in the earth. But the Providence of God embraces both natural and supernatural agencies. There are incidents in human life which appear to us to be the natural outcome of ordinary circumstances, and some such incidents are related in this narrative. No farmer would think it a marvel if his cattle strayed beyond the boundaries of home nor would a fisherman be surprised if his boat now and then slipped its cable and drifted a little way from its anchorage. If the child of some fond parent is lost in the great city no one thinks that it is a supernatural occurrence. Although the cattle do not stray without God’s knowledge, and no boat that slips from its anchorage, or child that wanders from its home, is outside His providence, yet these are all events which happen within the circle of His ordinary and every-day working and permission. And so it was an occurrence inside God’s ordinary providence that the father of Israel’s king-elect should lose his asses. Although they were not lost without the Divine knowledge, and there was an intention that their loss should be the first link in a chain which included supernatural elements, the event itself was a common occurrence. But God intended that a great finding should come out of a comparatively insignificant loss. The straying of the asses was linked with the revelation to Samuel, and this last event was of a supernatural character. The first link of a chain-cable is a long way from the last, but they are intimately connected, and form parts of one whole. The one may be above the water, and in sight, and the other next to the anchor in the bed of the river, but they are both parts of the same chain. So the supernatural revelation to Samuel was the link out of sight, and in the region of the higher law of God’s working, and the loss of the asses was the visible link in the lower law, but the one was as much a part of the chain which brought Saul to his kingdom as the other was. Thus the natural and supernatural are interlaced in the Providence of God to bring to pass His purposes, as the soul and body of a man are linked together in order to enable him to live his life upon the earth.
II. The narrative reveals to us some of the characteristics of the first king of Israel.
1. His personal appearance was a reflection of the nation’s desire. When we see a man’s ideal we know what it is that he considers of most value, his ideal is a mirror which tells us what he regards as of highest worth. If a nation is free to elect its own representatives, we can learn what qualities or gifts in men it esteems most highly by becoming acquainted with those whom it has chosen. Although Israel did not choose their own king, God gave them one who was a mirror of their minds—one who revealed what they held in highest esteem. They did not want a man like Samuel—a man of moral and spiritual force whose prayer was more invincible than Saul’s sword. They desired a king unlike God, one whom they could see when they went forth to battle, and who would at least impress their enemies by a commanding bodily presence. And God gave them their hearts’ desire in this “goodly young man, who, so far as stature went, was “higher than any of the people.”
2. Saul had also some good points in his character. He was a man who honoured his father. Kish said to Saul his son, “Take now one of the servants with thee, and arise, go seek the asses,” and he appears to have obeyed without demur. Obedience to human parents, when they do not require anything wrong, is pleasing to God and an indication of some moral excellence under any circumstances. But the obedience is more praiseworthy when the child has arrived at manhood, and still more so if the man is qualified for higher employment, and yet sinks his own will in that of his parent, and performs some lowly duty in obedience to his desire. Saul, though a grown man, and evidently fitted for a more dignified employment, goes willingly to seek lost asses in obedience to his father’s desire, and thus shows that he possesses a truly filial spirit. He was “faithful in that which was least” (Luk_16:10). He was also evidently desirous to spare no pains to carry out his father’s wishes. He pursued his journey from place to place over many weary miles, until all the provisions and nearly all the money with which he and his servant had set out were exhausted (1Sa_9:7-8). He did not content himself with such a search as might have contented many men and have fulfilled the letter of his father’s injunction, he was intent upon obeying the spirit of it also, and only thought of giving up the search when he knew his lengthened absence would cause anxiety at home. In this, too, he showed himself as mindful of his father’s feelings, and as unwilling to give him trouble, as he was ready to obey him. Many a young man, when he had once set out upon such a journey, would have consulted his own fancy and his own ease in his return, but Saul was of a better sort. His willingness to be advised by his servant is also an indication that he was not a haughty, proud young man—that he did not look upon those who were beneath him in station as necessarily inferior to him in wisdom. All that we read of Saul in this chapter is indicative of a good natural disposition.
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
1Sa_9:1-14. The first test to which God subjects His servant. It embraces two main points.
(1). Whether with certain natural talents and advantages which God has given us he will in humility and quiet obedience do the work enjoined upon him.
(2). Whether when his work proves useless he will seek help from the seer of God. The Most High God appoints a testing for His servant Saul, and so whoever is summoned to the service of God knows that for him also there must be a testing.—Disselhoff.
1Sa_9:1-2. Samuel is the chief figure of the transitional period which opens the history of the monarchy. But there is another upon whom the character of the epoch is impressed still more strongly—who belongs to this period especially, and could belong to no other. Saul is the first king of Israel. In him that new and strange idea became impersonated. In him we feel that we have made a marked advance in the history from the patriarch and nomadic state, which concerns us mainly by its contrast with our own, to that fixed and settled state which has more or less pervaded the whole condition of the Church ever since. But, although in outward form Saul belonged to the new epoch, although even in spirit he from time to time threw himself into it, yet on the whole he is a product of the earlier condition. Whilst Samuel’s existence comprehends and overlaps both periods in the calmness of a higher elevation, the career of Saul derives its peculiar interest from the fact that it is the eddy in in which both streams converge. In that vortex he struggles—the centre of events and persons greater than himself; and in that struggle he is borne down and lost.… He is, we may say, the first character of Jewish history which we are able to trace out in any minuteness of detail. He is the first with regard to whom we can make out that whole connection of a large family—father, uncle, cousins, sons, grandsons—which, as a modern historian (Palgrave) well observes, is so important in making us feel that we have acquired a real acquaintance with any personage of past times.—Stanley.
1Sa_9:2. Saul was mighty in person, overlooking the rest of the people in stature, no less than he should do in dignity. The senses of the Israelites could not but be well pleased for the time, howsoever their hearts were afterward: when men are carried with outward shows, it is a sign that God means them a delusion.—Bishop Hall.
1Sa_9:3-4. Since, from God’s concealment of the future, we cannot tell what He may intend to do with us and by us, it is our duty to hold ourselves in readiness to undertake any service which He may require us to render, to enter upon any position He may call upon us to fill. When we see Saul taken from the quiet discharge of the common duties of life, and placed upon the throne of Israel, we see the truth set forth—in an extreme case we admit, but therefore only the more impressively—that it is utterly impossible for us to predict what God may have in store for us. Of all the possible or probable events which might have happened to Saul, that of becoming king would most certainly have been set down by himself as least likely to occur.… And it would not be difficult for us to fix on positions and duties, respecting which, if a fellow-creature were to intimate even the most distant prospect of their ever forming part of our personal history, we should have our reply ready at once, that it was as little likely as that we should be called to fill the throne of these realms. Yet these may be actually in store for us.… But there are certain qualifications which are requisite alike for all positions, and which render us, in a good measure, ready for any service. Such, for instance, are diligence and fidelity in meeting the claims of our present condition, whatever it may be.—Miller.
1Sa_9:6. Most people would rather be told their fortune than told their duty; how to be rich than how to be saved. If it were the business of men of God to direct for the recovery of lost asses, they would be consulted much more than they are, now that it is their business to direct for the recovery of lost souls.—Matt. Henry.
Great is the benefit of a wise and religious attendant; such a one puts us into those duties and actions which are most expedient and least thought of. If Saul had not had a discreet servant he had returned but as wise as he came; now he is drawn in to consult with the man of God, and hears more than he hoped for. Saul was now a sufficient journey from his father’s house; yet his religious servant, in this remoteness, takes knowledge of the place where the prophet dwells, and how honourably doth he mention him to his master.
1Sa_9:12-13. This meeting was not more a sacrifice than it was a feast; these two agree well; we have never so much cause to rejoice in feasting as when we have duly served our God. The sacrifice was a feast to God, the other to men; the body may eat and drink with contentment when the soul hath been first fed.… The sacrifice was before consecrated when it was offered to God, but it was not consecrated to them till Samuel blessed it; his blessing made that meat holy to the guests which was formerly hallowed to God.… It is an unmannerly godlessness to take God’s creatures without the leave of their Maker, and well may God withhold his blessing from them which have not the grace to ask it.… Every Christian may sanctify his own meat; but where those are present that are peculiarly sanctified to God, this service is fittest for them.—Bp. Hall.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
J. R. Dummelow 1909 · Public Domain Saul and Samuel meet
Saul and Samuel meet
For the picture of Samuel in this c, as a person of local rather than national importance, cp. Intro. § 6. On early prophecy, see Intro. § 4.
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1Sa_9:1 to 1Sa_10:16 comes from a different source from 1 Samuel 8 : see intro. there. The author of this section gives no hint that the choice of a king was displeasing to God. But we meet with the views of 1 Samuel 8 again when we come to 1Sa_10:17.
1. Power] RV 'valour.'
4, 5. The districts of Shalisha, Shalim, and Zuph have not been identified.
5. Take thought] rather, 'be anxious.'
6. In this city] probably Ramah.
9. This v. is probably an explanatory note by the editor, though some regard it as a scribe's insertion. Seer] Heb. roeh, a comparatively rare word, in this sense. 'They were called “seers” for no other reason than because they were thought to “see” what for the rest of men. was hidden, the secrets either of the present of of the future'; e.g. in the present case, the matter of the asses. Prophet] The Heb. word is nabi, and is probably connected with the Assyrian nabu, 'to call' or 'name.' The prophet was the 'spokesman' of Jehovah: see art. 'Hebrew Prophecy.'
13. This refers to the solemn sacrificial meal after the peace offering: cp. Exo_24:5, Exo_24:11; Leviticus 7.
14. Came out against them] rather, 'came out to meet them.'
20. On whom is all the desire] RV 'for whom is all that is desirable in Israel. Is it not for thee?' cp. Hag_2:7; RM.
21. The least of all the families] This is Eastern hyperbole and must not be taken literally: cp. Jdg_6:15.
24. And Samuel said] The word 'Samuel' is not in the original. 'And the cook took up.. and said.' What follows is the garrulous talk of the cook. Since I said] the Heb. is simply 'saying' (i.e. Samuel).
25, 26. LXX is the more probable: 'And when they were come down from the high place into the city, they spread a couch for Saul on the housetop, and he lay down. And it came to pass about,' etc. At the present day in the East multitudes sleep on the roof of houses.
26. Samuel called Saul to the top] RV 'Samuel called to Saul on the housetop.' Saul had been sleeping on the roof, and now Samuel calls to him to descend.
J. R. Dummelow, A Commentary on the Holy Bible (Macmillan, 1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Arno C. Gaebelein 1922 · Public Domain 2. The Story of Saul and His Anointing
2. The Story of Saul and His Anointing
CHAPTERS 9:1-10:16
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1. Saul the son of Kish and the lost asses (1Sa 9:1-10)
2. Samuel and Saul (1Sa 9:11-24)
3. Saul anointed King (1Sa 9:25-27; 1Sa 10:1-16)
And now the Lord gives them a king according to their choice. “He should possess all the natural attractions and martial qualities which the people could desire in their king; he should reflect their religious standpoint at their best; but he should also represent their national failings and the inmost defects of their religious life; that of combining zeal for the religion of Jehovah, and outward conformity to it, with utter want of real heart submission to the Lord, and of true devotedness to Him” (A. Edersheim). They obtained exactly what they wanted. God’s choice for them would have been a different character, one who seeks Him and is in subjection to Him, as we shall find in the king after God’s heart, King David. But now He gives to the people what they had asked for.
Saul means “asked.” The genealogy of Saul is given; the five names in their original meaning suggest the pride and self-glorification of the natural man. Saul is described as an ideal man, “a young man” (literally, “in the prime of manhood”) and goodly; and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he; from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people. Saul, ignorant of the divine purpose, sets out to seek the lost she-asses of his father. Little did he know how the search would end and that he would soon become the head of the nation, which had gone more astray than the lost asses (Isa 1:3). A small matter it was going forth to look for animals which had strayed away; but the guiding hand of Jehovah was there. The search is futile. The servant then suggests a visit to the man of God, none other than Samuel. Saul seems to have no knowledge of Samuel. He is willing enough to seek the man for counsel but he is troubled about the present for the man of God. It shows the tendency of the natural man to give in order to get from God. The servant has the fourth part of a shekel of silver which he offers to give to the man of God. Verse 9, containing a parenthetical statement, is not a gloss by a later hand, as the critical school maintains. The difference between seer and prophet is an interesting one. A prophet is one who speaks for God being moved by God; he is the mouthpiece of the Lord. The term seer suggests the knowledge the prophet had. The people were more concerned about the seer than the prophet. Thus Saul shows the state of his heart. He does not seek God, nor the prophet as the man and mouthpiece of God; only the seer.
Then Samuel and Saul meet for the first time. First Saul and the servant meet maidens going out to draw water, and they directed them to the heights where a sacrificial feast was to be held. And the Lord had spoken into Samuel’s ear the day before that the man of Benjamin would come. All had been ordered by the Lord and Samuel, knowing the expected one would come had reserved the shoulder of the peace offering for him (1Sa 9:23-24). (See annotations on Leviticus.) What the Lord had said to Samuel concerning Saul reveals His gracious purpose of love towards Saul. Though he was the people’s choice yet the Lord was willing to make him much more, even the saviour of this people Israel (1Sa 9:16). Samuel tells Saul that the asses were found, so that he was relieved of the anxiety. And when Samuel acquaints him that all Israel desires him, he speaks of his own littleness (1Sa 9:21). It reminds us of that other Saul of the tribe of Benjamin, the Apostle Paul, whose name means “little.” However Saul, the son of Kish, knew nothing of real self-judgment. It was rather the language of surprise than the expression of a deep, heartfelt humility. Then we see them in communion, and afterwards Samuel anoints him with the holy anointing oil and kissed him. The anointing is the symbol of power conferred upon him and also implies dependence upon the Holy Spirit, typified by the oil. The kiss was given in token of homage. Thus Saul became the first king in Israel. Samuel also gave him three significant signs, which all came to pass. They were given to Saul to assure him of all which had taken place and to teach him certain spiritual lessons. He was assured that God is with Him (1Sa 10:7). The Spirit of God also came upon him and he prophesied.
“By this, as in the case of Judges, we are, however, not to understand the abiding and sanctifying presence of the Holy Ghost dwelling in the heart as His temple. The Holy Ghost was peculiarly “the gift of the Father” and “of the Son,” and only granted to the Church in connection with and after the resurrection of our blessed Lord. Under the Old Testament, only the manifold influences of the Spirit were experienced, not His indwelling as the Paraclete. This appears not only from the history of those so influenced, and from the character of that influence, but even from the language in which it is described. Thus we read that the Spirit of Elohim “seized upon” Saul, suddenly and mightily laid hold on him,--the same expression being used in Jdg 14:6; Jdg 14:19; Jdg 15:14; 1Sa 16:13; 1Sa 18:10.”
Arno C. Gaebelein, The Annotated Bible (1913–1922) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain Saul Seeks the Lost Asses
Saul Seeks the Lost Asses
v. 1. Now, there was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, literally, "a son of a man of Jemini," a mighty man of power, literally, "a man of substance," a man living in comfortable circumstances. We have here, apparently, a case of an abbreviated chronological table, in which less important members are sometimes omitted. Cf 1Ch 8:29-33; 1Ch 9:35-39.
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v. 2. And he had a son whose name was Saul, a choice young man and a goodly, tall, strong, and well-proportioned; and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he, possessed of more manly handsomeness;from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people, he excelled in bodily height, corresponding to his other physical development.
v. 3. And the asses of Kish, Saul’s father, were lost, they had strayed away. And Kish said to Saul, his son, Take now one of the servants with thee, and arise, go seek the asses. Kish was evidently an energetic man, quick in decision and action.
v. 4. And he, Saul, passed through Mount Ephraim, the highlands extending down into the territory of Benjamin, moving in a northwesterly direction first, and passed through the land of Shalisha, in the foothills toward the west, but they found them not; then they passed through the land of Shalim, in a southeasterly direction, and there they were not; and he passed through the land of the Benjamites, Its extreme western section, but they found them not.
v. 5. And when they were come to the land of Zuph, southwest of the territory of Benjamin proper, Saul said to his servant that was with him, Come, and let us return; lest my father leave caring for the asses and take thought for us. The tender regard for his father’s feelings was a fine trait in Saul’s character at that time.
v. 6. And he said unto him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is an honorable man, held in high regard and honor by all men; all that he saith cometh surely to pass; now let us go thither; peradventure he can show us our way that we should go. The city to which reference is here made may well have been Ramah or Ramathaim, for this was in the district of Zuph, in the tribe of Benjamin, 1Sa 1:1; Jos 18:25.
v. 7. Then said Saul to his servant, But, behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? He was worried about a possible present or fee. For the bread is spent in our vessels, they had consumed all the provisions which they had taken along, and there is not a present to bring to the man of God; what have we? Saul had not provided for such a contingency.
v. 8. And the servant answered Saul again, and said, Behold, I have here at hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver, a piece or coin of determined weight and value (about 16 cents); that will I give to the man of God to tell us our way.
v. 9. (Beforetime in Israel, as the author here notes in order to have his readers understand the next part of the story, when a man went to enquire of God, thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the seer; for he that is now called a prophet was beforetime called a seer. )
v. 10. Then said Saul to his servant, Well said, that’s a good idea; come, let us go. So they went unto the city where the man of God was. Saul here appears as a pious, God-fearing man, who valued the word of the servant of God. So the Lord often selects the men through whom He intends to accomplish great things from the lowly among the people. Only he who fears God and His Word is really fit for work in the kingdom of God.
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 General Information:
General Information:
If your language has a way of telling the reader that the writer is giving background information in these verses, you could use it here. (See: Background Information)
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a man of influence
Possible meanings are 1) he was a wealthy man or 2) he was a nobleman or 3) he was a mighty and brave man.
Kish ... Abiel ... Zeror ... Bekorath ... Aphiah
These are names of the men of Saul's family line. (See: How to Translate Names)
Benjamite
A Benjamite is someone who belongs to the tribe of Benjamin.
handsome
someone who looks good
From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people
The other tall people in Israel did not even come up to his shoulders.
translationWords
Benjamin
name
Saul (OT)
Israel
people group
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 9:1–11:15 Saul’s rise to power involved a threefold sequence:…
9:1–11:15 Saul’s rise to power involved a threefold sequence: (1) his secret anointing by Samuel (9:1–10:16), (2) his selection by lot (10:17-27), and (3) his victory over the Ammonites (11:1-15). See also study note on 13:1–16:13.
9:1 influential man named Kish: Saul came from a wealthy family.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.