15Now Yahweh had revealed to Samuel a day before Saul came, saying,16“Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man out of the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel. He will save my people out of the hand of the Philistines; for I have looked upon my people, because their cry has come to me.”
17When Samuel saw Saul, Yahweh said to him, “Behold, the man of whom I spoke to you! He will have authority over my people.”
15 Now Yahweh had revealed to Samuel a day before Saul came, saying,
16 “Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man out of the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel. He will save my people out of the hand of the Philistines; for I have looked upon my people, because their cry has come to me.”
17 When Samuel saw Saul, Yahweh said to him, “Behold, the man of whom I spoke to you! He will have authority over my people.”
KJVKing James Version
15 Now the LORD had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying,
16 To morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over my people Israel, that he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me.
17 And when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said unto him, Behold the man whom I spake to thee of! this same shall reign over my people.
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JPSJPS Tanakh (1917)
15 Now the LORD had revealed unto Samuel a day before Saul came, saying:
16 'To-morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be prince over My people Israel, and he shall save My people out of the hand of the Philistines; for I have looked upon My people, because their cry is come unto Me.'
17 And when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD spoke unto him: 'Behold the man of whom I said unto thee: This same shall have authority over My people.'
1 Samuel 10:1(v16)Then Samuel took the vial of oil, and poured it on his head, and kissed him, and said, “Hasn’t Yahweh anointed you to be prince over his…
Exodus 3:7-9(v16)Yahweh said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I…
Psalms 25:18(v16)Consider my affliction and my travail. Forgive all my sins.
Psalms 106:44(v16)Nevertheless he regarded their distress, when he heard their cry.
1 Samuel 15:1(vv15–16)Samuel said to Saul, “Yahweh sent me to anoint you to be king over his people, over Israel. Now therefore listen to the voice of Yahweh’s…
Show all 26 cross-references
Acts 13:21(vv15, 17)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.
Exodus 2:23-25(v16)In the course of those many days, the king of Egypt died, and the children of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried, and…
1 Kings 19:15-16(v16)Yahweh said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. Anoint…
2 Samuel 7:27(v15)For you, Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, have revealed to your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore your servant has…
2 Kings 9:3-6(v16)Then take the vial of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, ‘Yahweh says, “I have anointed you king over Israel.” ’ Then open the door,…
Job 33:16(v15)Then he opens the ears of men, and seals their instruction,
Psalms 25:14(v15)The friendship of Yahweh is with those who fear him. He will show them his covenant.
Amos 3:7(v15)Surely the Lord Yahweh will do nothing, unless he reveals his secret to his servants the prophets.
1 Samuel 16:3(v16)Call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. You shall anoint to me him whom I name to you.”
1 Samuel 20:2(v15)He said to him, “Far from it; you will not die. Behold, my father does nothing either great or small, but that he discloses it to me. Why…
Mark 14:13-16(v15)He sent two of his disciples, and said to them, “Go into the city, and there you will meet a man carrying a pitcher of water. Follow him,…
1 Samuel 9:17(v15)When Samuel saw Saul, Yahweh said to him, “Behold, the man of whom I spoke to you! He will have authority over my people.”
Acts 27:23(v15)For there stood by me this night an angel, belonging to the God whose I am and whom I serve,
Hosea 13:11(v17)I have given you a king in my anger, and have taken him away in my wrath.
Mark 11:2-4(v15)and said to them, “Go your way into the village that is opposite you. Immediately as you enter into it, you will find a young donkey tied,…
1 Samuel 3:13(v17)For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons brought a curse on themselves, and…
1 Samuel 16:6-12(v17)When they had come, he looked at Eliab, and said, “Surely Yahweh’s anointed is before him.” But Yahweh said to Samuel, “Don’t look on his…
2 Samuel 23:6-7(v17)But all the ungodly will be as thorns to be thrust away, because they can’t be taken with the hand, But the man who touches them must be…
Nehemiah 13:19(v17)It came to pass that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the Sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut, and…
Nehemiah 13:25(v17)I contended with them, and cursed them, and struck certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, “You shall not…
Romans 13:3-4(v17)For rulers are not a terror to the good work, but to the evil. Do you desire to have no fear of the authority? Do that which is good, and…
26 distinct cross-references across this passage (28 total citations).
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (19 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Geneva Bible translators1599 · Public DomainOn vv15–16Hebrew, in his ear.
Hebrew, in his ear.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp1656 · Public DomainOn vv15–171Sa 9:15 Now the LORD had told Samuel in…
1Sa 9:15 Now the LORD had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying,
Ver. 15. The Lord had told Samuel in his ear.] By the instinct of his Spirit: Samuel was his favourite, and had communication of his secrets. Every saint hath likewise "the mind of Christ" {1Co 2:16} "revealed unto him by his Spirit," {1Co 2:10} even such things as "eye hath not seen, nor ear heard." {1Co 2:9}
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 Poole1685 · Public DomainOn vv15–17In his ear, i.e. secretly. A day before Saul…
In his ear, i.e. secretly. A day before Saul came, that he might prepare himself for Saul’s reception.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill1763 · Public DomainOn vv15–17Now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear,....…
Now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear,.... In a private manner, whispering in his ear, telling him in a free, familiar, friendly way, as a secret:
a day before Saul came; that he might prepare for the entertainment of him, and not be surprised at his coming, as well as hereby be assured he was the person designed to be king of Israel, when he should come:
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saying; as follows.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley1765 · Public DomainOn vv15–16His ear - That is, secretly, perhaps by a…
His ear - That is, secretly, perhaps by a still small voice.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke1810 · Public DomainOn vv15–17Verse 15. Now the Lord had told Samuel] How…
Verse 15. Now the Lord had told Samuel] How this communication was made, we cannot tell.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson1811 · Public DomainOn vv16–171Sa 9:16. To-morrow I will send thee a man,…
1Sa 9:16. To-morrow I will send thee a man, &c. — This shows still that all was done by God’s direction. Out of the hand of the Philistines — Though driven out of the country by Samuel, they were now ready, as appears by the following history, to invade it again; and being the constant and nearest enemies of the Israelites, they were most dreaded by them. And from these did Saul in some measure save them, and would have saved them much more, if his and the people’s sins had not hindered. For I have looked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me — Though he would not hear their cry to relieve them from the oppressions of their kings, (1Sa 8:18,) yet he was so gracious as to make those kings instruments of their deliverance from the oppression of their cruel neighbours.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes1834 · Public DomainOn v16That he may save my people out of the…
That he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines, etc. - These words are not very easily reconcileable with 1Sa 7:13. It is possible that the aggressive movements of the Philistines, after the long cessation indicated by 1Sa 7:13, coupled with Samuel’s old age and consequent inability to lead them to victory as before, were among the chief causes which led to the cry for a king. If this were so the Philistine oppression glanced at in this verse might in a general survey be rather connected with Saul’s times than with Samuel’s.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary1859 · Public DomainOn vv15–16Ear, privately. (Calmet) --- Thus Jonathan promised to give…
Ear, privately. (Calmet) --- Thus Jonathan promised to give David private information, chap. xx. 13. (Haydock)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown1871 · Public DomainOn v15GOD REVEALS TO SAMUEL SAUL'S COMING, AND HIS APPOINTMENT…
GOD REVEALS TO SAMUEL SAUL'S COMING, AND HIS APPOINTMENT TO THE KINGDOM. (Sa1 9:15-27)
Now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear a day before--The description of Saul, the time of his arrival, and the high office to which he was destined, had been secretly intimated to Samuel from heaven. The future king of Israel was to fight the battles of the Lord and protect His people. It would appear that they were at this time suffering great molestation from the Philistines, and that this was an additional reason of their urgent demands for the appointment of a king (see Sa1 10:5; Sa1 13:3).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon1874 · Public DomainOn vv15–1615. The Lord had told Samuel — Probably in…
15. The Lord had told Samuel — Probably in direct answer to prayer. For after the prophet had dismissed the people at Ramah (1Sa_8:22) he undoubtedly prayed God to show him the person to be anointed as the first king of Israel.
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 Colleges1878 · Public DomainOn vv15–1715–24. Saul entertained by Samuel
15–24. Saul entertained by Samuel
15. Now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear] Lit. “had uncovered Samuel’s ear,” a figure of speech said to be derived from the practice of removing the hair or a corner of the turban from another’s ear in order to whisper a secret into it.
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 Readers1878 · Public DomainOn vv15–17(15) Had told Samuel in his ear.—Literally, had uncovered…
(15) Had told Samuel in his ear.—Literally, had uncovered the ear of Samuel. The image is taken from the action of pushing aside the head-dress, in order the more conveniently to whisper some words to the ear. This is one of the few more direct intimations in the sacred records of one of the ways in which the Spirit of God communicated Divine thoughts to the human spirit. Here the Eternal Spirit is represented as whispering in the ear of man. “The true spirit of Jahveh (Jehovah), full of compassion, had already on the preceding day whispered to Samuel that for the deliverance of Janveh’s people . . . a Benjamite must be anointed king.”—Ewald.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary1880 · Public DomainOn vv15–17Now Jehovah had told Samuel in his ear. Literally,…
Now Jehovah had told Samuel in his ear. Literally, "had uncovered his ear," as in Rth_4:4; 2Sa_7:27. The phrase is taken from the pushing aside of the headdress in order to whisper, and therefore means that Jehovah had secretly told Samuel.
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 Bible1887 · Public DomainOn v15
CHAPTER X I I.
FIRST MEETING OF SAMUEL AND SAUL.
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1Sa_9:15-27.
THE meeting between Samuel and Saul was preceded by previous meetings between Samuel and God. God had prepared the prophet for his visit from the future king of Israel, and the first thing brought before us in these verses is the communication on this subject which had been made to the prophet a day before.
It is very interesting to observe how readily Samuel still lends himself for any service he can render on behalf of his people, under the new arrangement that God had permitted for their government. We have seen how mortified Samuel was at first, when the people came to him with their request for a king. He took it as a personal affront, as well as a grave public error. Conscious as he was of having done his duty faithfully, and of having rendered high service to the nation, and reposing calmly, as he probably was, on the expectation that at least for some time to come, Israel would move forward peacefully and happily on the lines which he had drawn for them, it must have been a staggering blow when they came to him and asked him to overturn all that he had done, and make them a king. It must have been one of those bewildering moments when one's whole life appears lost, and all one's dearest hopes and hardest labours lie shattered, like the fragments of a potter's vessel. We have seen how, in that sad moment, Samuel carried his sorrows to the Lord, and learning thus to view the whole matter from God's point of view, how he came to make comparatively little account of his own disappointment, and to think only how he could still serve the cause of God, how he could still help the people, how he could prevent the vessel which he was no longer to steer from dashing against the hidden rocks he saw so clearly ahead. It is impossible not to be struck with the beauty and purity of Samuel's character in this mode of action.
How many a good man takes offence when slighted or superseded by some committee or other body, in connection with a political, social, or religious cause which he has tried to help! If they won't have me, he says, let them do without me. If they won't allow me to carry out the course which I have followed, and which has been undoubtedly highly beneficial, I'll have nothing more to do with them. He sulks in his tent like Achilles, or goes over to the enemy like Coriolanus. Not so Samuel! His love for the people is too deep to allow of such a course. They have behaved badly to him, but notwithstanding he will not leave them. Like an injured but loving wife, who labours with every art of patient affection to reclaim the husband that has abused her and broken her heart; like a long-suffering father, who attends with his own hands to the neglected work of his dissipated son, to save him if possible from the consequences of his folly - Samuel overlooks his personal slight, and bears with the public folly of the people, in the endeavour to be of some use to them in the important stage of their history on which they are entering. He receives Divine communications respecting the man who is to supersede him in the government of the people, and instead of jealousy and dislike, shows every readiness to help him. It is refreshing to find such tokens of magnanimity and disinterestedness. However paltry human nature may be in itself, it can become very noble when rehabilitated by the Spirit of God. Need we ask which is the nobler course? You feel that you have not been treated perhaps by your church with sufficient consideration. You fret, you complain, you stay away from church, you pour your grievance into every open ear. Would Samuel have done so? Is not your conduct the very reverse of his? Side by side with his, must not yours be pronounced poor and paltry? Have you not need to study the thirteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians, and when you read of the charity that ''beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things," ask yourselves whether it might not be said of you that you have neither part nor lot in this matter?
The communication that God had made to Samuel was, that on the following day He would send to him the man whom he was to anoint as captain over Israel, that he might save them from the Philistines; for He had looked upon His people, because their cry was come up to Him. There is an apparent inconsistency here with what is said elsewhere. In chap. 8:13 (1Sa_8:13), it is said, that ''the Philistines came no more into the coast of Israel, and that the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel." But probably "all the days of Samuel" mean only the days when he exerted himself actively against them. As long as Samuel watched and checked them, they were kept in restraint; but when he ceased to do so, they resumed their active hostility. The concluding verses of chap. 8 (1Sa_8:19-23), show that in Saul's time the Philistine oppression had become so galling that the very smiths had been removed from the land of Israel, and there was no right provision even for sharpening plough-shares, or coulters, or axes, or mattocks. Undoubtedly Saul removed this oppression for a time, and David's elegy shows how beneficial his reign was in some other ways, although the last act of his life was an encounter with the Philistines in which he was utterly defeated. It is evident that before Saul's time the tyranny of their foes had been very galling to the Israelites. The words of God, "their cry is come up to Me," indicate quietly a very terrible state of distress. They carry us back to the words uttered at the burning bush, "I have seen, I have seen the affliction of My people which are in Egypt, have heard their cry by reason of their task-masters; for I know their sorrows." God speaks after the manner of men. He needs no cry to come into His ears to tell Him of the woes of the oppressed. Nevertheless He seems to wait till that cry is raised, till the appeal is made to Him, till the consciousness of utter helplessness sends men to His footstool. And a very blessed truth it is, that He sympathizes with the cry of the oppressed. There is much meaning in the simple expression - ''their cry is come up to Me." It denotes a very tender sympathy, a concern for all that they have been suffering, and a resolution to interpose on their behalf. God is never impassive nor indifferent to the sorrows and sufferings of His people. All are designed to serve as chastenings with a view to ultimate good. The eye of God is ever watching to see whether the chastening is sufficient, and when it is so, to stop the suffering. In the Inquisitor's chamber, the eye of God was ever on the boot and the thumbscrew, on the knife and the pincers, on the furnace and all the other instruments of torture. In the sick room. He watches the spent and struggling patient, knows every paroxysm of pain, knows all the restlessness and tossing of the weary night He understands the anguish of the loving heart when one after another of its treasures is torn away. He knows the unutterable distress when a child's misconduct brings down grey heirs with sorrow to the grave. Appearances may be all the other way, but "the Lord God is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and of great compassion." The night may be long and weary, but the dawn comes at the appointed time. "Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy."
But now Samuel and Saul have met. Saul is as unfamiliar with Samuel's appearance as with his name; he goes up to him and asks where the seer's house is. "I am the seer," replies Samuel; but at the moment Samuel was not at liberty, and could not converse with Saul. He invites him to go up with him to the high place, and take part in the religious service. Then he invites him to the feast that was to follow the sacrifice. Next day he is to deal with him as a prophet, making important communications to him. But in regard to the matter which occupies him at the moment, his father's asses, he need trouble himself no more on that head, for the asses are found. Then he gives Saul a hint of what is coming. He makes an announcement to him that he and his father's house are the objects of the whole desire of Israel. It is not very apparent whether or not Saul had any inkling of the meaning of this remark. It may be that he viewed it as a mere expression of politeness, savouring of the customary exaggeration of the East. At all events, his answer was couched in those terms of extravagant humility which was likewise matter of Eastern custom. "Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Wherefore then speakest thou so to me?"
The sacrifice next engages the attention of all. Samuel's first meeting with Saul takes place over the symbol of expiation, over the sacrifice that shows man to be a sinner, and declares that without shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. No doubt the circumstance was very impressive to Samuel, and would be turned to its proper use in subsequent conversation with Saul, whether Saul entered into the spirit of it or not. If it be asked. How could a sacrifice take place on the height of this city, whereas God had commanded that only in the place which He was to choose should such rites be performed? - the answer is, that at that time Shiloh lay in ruins, and Mount Zion was still in the possession of the Jebusites. The final arrangements had not yet been made for the Hebrew ceremonial, and in the present provisional and unsettled state of things, sacrifices were not limited to a single place.
After the sacrifice, came the feast. It was now that Samuel began to give more explicit hints to Saul of the dignity to which he was to be raised. The feast was held in "the parlour" - a room adjacent to the place of sacrifice, to which Samuel had invited a large company - thirty of the chief inhabitants of the town.
First Saul and his servant are complimented by having the place of honour assigned to them. Then they are honoured by having a portion set before them which had been specially set apart for them the day before. The speech concerning this portion in ver. 24 (1Sa_9:24) is somewhat obscure if it be regarded as a speech of Samuel's. It seems more natural to regard it as a speech of the cook's. It will be observed that the word " Samuel ' in the middle of the verse is in italics, showing that it is not in the Hebrew, so that it is more natural to regard the clause as having ''the cook" for its nominative, and indeed this talk about the portion is more suitable for the cook than for Samuel. Servants were not forbidden to speak during entertainments; nor did their masters disdain even to have serious conversation with them (see Neh_2:2-8). There is another correction of the Authorized Version that needs to be made. At the end of ver. 24 (1Sa_9:24) the words "Since I said" are not a literal rendering. The original is simply the word which is constantly rendered saying. It has been suggested ("Speaker's Commentary") that a word or two should be supplied to make the sense complete, and the verse would then run: - "unto this time hath it been kept for thee [against the festival of which Samuel spake], saying, I have invited the people." The part thus reserved was the shoulder and its appurtenances. Why this part was regarded as more honourable than any other, we do not know, nor is it of any moment; the point of importance being, first, that by Samuel's express instructions it had been reserved for Saul, and second, that these instructions had been given as soon as Samuel made arrangements for the feast. To honour Saul as the destined king of Israel was Samuel's unhesitating purpose. Some men might have said, It will be time enough to show this mark of respect when the man is actually chosen king. Had there been the slightest feeling of grudge in the mind of Samuel, this is what he would have thought. But instead of grudging Saul his new dignity, he is forward to acknowledge it. There shall be no holding back on his part of honour for the man whom the Lord delighted to honour.
If the words of ver. 24 (1Sa_9:24) were really spoken by the cook, they must have added a new element of surprise and impression to Saul. It was apparent that he had been expected to this feast. The cook had been warned that a man of consequence was coming, and had therefore set apart that portion to him. Saul must have felt both that a supernatural power had been at work, and that some strange destiny - possibly the royal dignity - was in reserve for him. To us, pondering the circumstances, what is most striking is, the wonderful way in which the fixed purpose of God is accomplished, while all the agents in the matter remain perfectly free. That Saul and his servant should be present with Samuel at that feast, was the fixed decree of heaven. But it was brought about quite naturally. There was no constraint on the mind of Saul's servant, when, being in the land of Zuph, he proposed that they should go into the city, and try to make inquiry of the man of God. There was no constraint on the damsels when at a certain time they went down to the fountain for water, and on their way met Saul and his servant. There was no constraint on Saul and his servant, save that created by common sense, when they quickened their pace in order to meet Samuel on the way to the sacrifice. Every one of these events fell out freely and naturally. Yet all were necessary links in the chain of God's purposes. From God's point of view they were necessary, from man's point of view they were casual. Thus necessity and freedom harmonized together, as they always do in the plans and operations of God. It is absurd to say that the predestination of God takes away the liberty of man. It is unreasonable to suppose that because God has predestinated all events, we need not take any step in the matter of our salvation. Such an idea is founded on an utter misunderstanding of the relation in which God has placed us to Him. It overlooks the great truth, that God's ways are not our ways, nor His thoughts our thoughts. The relation of the Infinite Will to the wills of finite creatures is a mystery we cannot fathom; but the effect on us should be to impel us to seek that our will may ever be in harmony with God's, and that thus the petition in the Lord's prayer may be fulfilled, "Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven."
The feast is over; Samuel and Saul return to the city, and there, on the housetop, they commune together. The twenty-sixth verse seems to narrate in detail what is summarily contained in the twenty-fifth. After returning from the sacrifice and the feast, they seem to have committed themselves to rest. In the early morning, about daybreak, they had their conversation on the housetop, and thereafter Samuel sent Saul away, convoying him part of the road. What the conversation on the housetop was, we are not told; but we have no difficulty in conjecturing. Samuel could not but communicate to Saul the treasured thoughts of his lifetime regarding the way to govern Israel. He must have recalled to him God's purpose regarding His people, beginning with the call of Abraham, dwelling on the deliverance from Egypt, and touching on the history of the several judges, and the lessons to be derived from each. We may fancy the fervour with which he would urge on Saul, that the one thing most essential for the prosperity of the nation - the one thing which those in power ought continually to watch and aim at, was, loyalty by the people to their heavenly King, and the faithful observance of His law and covenant. He would dwell emphatically on the many instances in which neglect of the covenant had brought disaster and misery, and on the wonderful change in their outward circumstances which had come with every return of fidelity to their King. Granted, they were soon to have a king. They were to change their form of government, and be like the rest of the nations. But if they changed their form of government, they were not to surrender the palladium of their nation, they were not to abandon their "gloria et tutamen." The new king would be tempted like all the kings around him to regard his own will as his only rule of action, and to fall in with the prevalent notion, that kings were above the law, because the king's will was the law, and nothing could be higher than that. What an infinite calamity it would be to himself and to the nation, if the new king of Israel were to fall into such a delusion! Yes, the king was above the law, and the king's will was the law; but it was the King of kings alone who had this prerogative, and woe to the earthly ruler that dared to climb into His throne, and take into his puny hands the sceptre of the Omnipotent!
Such, we may well believe, was the tenor of that first meeting of Samuel and Saul. We cannot but carry forward our thoughts a little, and think what was the last. The last meeting was at Endor, where in darkness and utter despair, the king of Israel had thought of his early friend, had perhaps recalled his gentle kindness on this first occasion of their meeting, and wondered whether he might not be able and willing to throw some light once more upon his path. But alas, the day of merciful visitation was gone. The first conversation was in the brightness of early morning; the last in midnight gloom. The time of day was appropriate for each. On that sepulchral night, the worst evils that he had dreaded, and against which he had doubtless warned him on that housetop, had come to pass. Self-willed and regardless of God, Saul had taken his own course, and brought his people to the very verge of ruin. Differing, toto cælo, from Samuel in his treatment of his successor, he had hunted David like a partridge on the mountains, and stormed against the man who was to bring back to the nation the blessings of which he had robbed it. Brought to bay at last by his recklessness and passion, he could only reap the fruit of what he had sown; "for God is not mocked; they that sow to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption, and they that sow to the Spirit shall, of the Spirit, reap life everlasting." Again there was to ring out the great law of the kingdom, - "Them that honour Me, I will honour; while they that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed."
The good words of Samuel fell not into good ground. He had not in Saul a congenial hearer. Saul was too worldly a man to care for, or appreciate spiritual things. Alas, how often for a similar reason, the best words of the best men fail of their purpose! But how is this ever to be cured? How is the uncongenial heart to become a fit bed for the good seed of the Kingdom? I own, it is a most difficult thing. Those who are afflicted with indifference to spiritual truth will not seek a remedy, because the very essence of their malady is that they do not care. But surely their Christian friends and relatives, and all interested in their welfare, will care very much. Have you such persons - persons whose worldly hearts show no sympathy with Divine truth - among your acquaintances or in your families? Persons so steeped in worldliness that the strongest statements of saving truth are as much lost upon them as grains of the best wheat would be lost if sown in a heap of sand? O how should you be earnest for such in prayer; there is a remedy, and there is a Physician able to apply it; the Spirit of God if appealed to, can repeat the process that was so effectual at Philippi, when "the Lord opened the heart of Lydia, that she attended to the things that were spoken by Paul." "If ye then that are evil know how to give good things unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him."
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 Commentary1892 · Public DomainOn v151Sa_9:15. “Told Samuel to his ear.” lit., had uncovered…
CRITICAL AND EXPOSITORY NOTES—
1Sa_9:15. “Told Samuel to his ear.” lit., had uncovered his ear. See on 1Sa_3:7.
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1Sa_9:16-17. “The reason here assigned for the establishment of a monarchy is by no means at variance with the displeasure which God had expressed to Samuel at the desire of the people for a king; since this displeasure had reference to the state of heart from which the desire had sprung.” (Keil).
1Sa_9:17. “This same shall reign,” literally shall restrain. “This characteristises his government as a sharp and strict one.” (Erdmann).
1Sa_9:19. “Go up before me.” “Letting a person go in front was a sign of high esteem.” (Keil).
1Sa_9:20. “On whom is all the desire of Israel,” not all that Israel desires, but all that Israel possesses of what is precious or worth desiring. See Hag_2:7 (Keil).
1Sa_9:21. “The smallest of the tribes,” etc. “The tribe of Benjamin, originally the smallest of all the tribes (Numbers 1), if Ephraim and Manasseh are reckoned as one tribe, had been nearly annihilated by the civil war recorded in Judges 20. It had, of course, not recovered from that calamity in the time of Samuel.” (Biblical Commentary).
1Sa_9:22. “He brought them into the parlour,” i.e., the apartment set apart for the most distinguished guests, the rest of the people no doubt encamped in the open air.
1Sa_9:24. “The shoulder.” “If it was the right shoulder, then Samuel, to whose share it fell, as performing the functions of priest (Lev_7:32), gave Saul of his own portion; or, if it were the left shoulder, then he admitted Saul to the next share after his own.” (Wordsworth).
1Sa_9:25. “Upon the top of the house.” “Not surely for privacy, as some expound it, for the house-top was the proverbial expression for publicity (Isa_15:3; Luk_12:3), but in order to let all the people of the city see the honour done to the stranger by the great prophet.” (Biblical Commentary).
1Sa_9:26. “Samuel called Saul from the top of the house,” rather to the top of the house. Saul was most likely sleeping on the roof, a common sleeping place in summer in the East, and Samuel called to him from below within the house.
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.—1Sa_9:15-27
THE ANNOUNCEMENT TO SAUL OF THE DESTINY THAT AWAITED HIM.
I. God has respect to the freedom of the human will. Although God had decided that Saul should be king of Israel, He would not do violence to his will, and oblige him to take the office against his inclination. All the dealings of Samuel with Saul on the occasion of this their first meeting were designed to impress him with the fact that great honour and responsibility were in store for him, and to lead him to acquiesce in the will of God concerning him. He was led gradually to accept as true the startling announcement with which Samuel greeted him, that upon him and upon his father’s house was all the desire of Israel. Little by little the reality must have dawned upon him, and little by little, we may suppose, he was made willing to fall in with the Divine plan concerning him. We can well understand how far from his thoughts it was that, in seeking his father’s asses, he should find a crown, and how inclined he would be to think that the prophet was mistaken when he intimated that some great promotion was in store for him. But when he found himself in the place of honour at the table of the chief magistrate of Israel, he must have begun to think that some great change awaited him, and it is probable that any lingering doubts were banished, and all his future made plain to him in the private communion which Samuel held with him on the following morning. In all these dealings with Saul we see how God has regard to the human will, which He has made free.
II. In the reception which Samuel gave to Saul we have an instance of true humility. Hitherto Samuel had been the first man in Israel; to him had belonged, and to him had been accorded the place of highest honour, and the choicest viands on the occasions of public assembly, but now he, although an aged man, not only willingly gives way to the young man who is in some things to take his place, but is the person who informs him of his call to the throne, and is the first to do him honour. No man could have acquitted himself with such grace and dignity under such circumstances, if he had not been possessed by the spirit of true humility.
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
1Sa_9:15; 1Sa_9:27. 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.—Disselhoff.
1Sa_9:17. What an intimate communion Samuel must have held with his God! A constant familiarity seems to have existed between them.—A. Clarke.
1Sa_9:22. How kindly doth Samuel entertain and invite Saul! Yet it was he only that should receive wrong by the future royalty of Saul.… Wise and holy men, as they are not ambitious of their own burden, so they are not unwilling to be eased, when God pleaseth to discharge them; neither can they envy those whom God lifteth above their heads. They make an idol of honour that are troubled at their own freedom, or grudge at the promotion of others.—Bp. Hall.
The heads of the tribes accompanied Samuel to the altar, and then sat around his board. The chief of the government was godly in both alike, and he could hold the sweetest fellowship with those who were officially his inferiors in the land. He lost not the respect of the people for his piety by his conduct at table, nor did the majesty of law provoke contempt by the familiarity of judge with people.—Steel.
1Sa_9:26-27. Saul must wait patiently until God shall 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 recognised, but quietly wait until the Lord Himself, as it seemeth Him good, carries further the matter that He has begun.—Berlenberger Bible.
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.
Alexander MacLaren1905 · Public DomainOn v151 Samuel
1 Samuel
THE OLD JUDGE AND THE YOUNG KING
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1Sa 9:15 - 1Sa 9:27.
Both the time and the place of the incidents here told are unknown. No note is given of the interval that had elapsed since the elders’ deputation. All that we know is that on the previous day Samuel had had the divine communication mentioned in 1Sa 9:15, and that some days are implied as spent by Saul in his quest for his fathers asses, Equally uncertain is the name of the city. It was not Samuel’s ordinary residence; it was in the ‘land of Zuph,’ an unknown district; it was perched, like most of the cities, on a hill; it had fountains lower down the slope, and a ‘high place’ farther up, where there was a building large enough for a feast. How strangely vivid the picture of this anonymous city is, and how we can yet see the maidens coming down to the fountains, the wearied travellers toiling up, and the voluble abundance of the directions given them!
I. The first thing we have to note is the premonitory word of the Lord. Observe the picturesque and forcible expression, ‘had uncovered the ear of Samuel.’ It is more than picturesque. It gives in the strongest form the fact of a revelation, both as to its origin and its secrecy. It is vain to represent the transition from judgeship to monarchy as a mere political revolution, inaugurated by Samuel as a fore-seeing statesman. It is misleading to speak of him, as Dean Stanley does, as one of the men who mediate between the old and the new. His opinions and views go for just nothing in the transaction, and he is simply God’s instrument. The people’s desire for the king, and God’s answer to it, were equally independent of him. His own ideas were dead against the change, and at each step in bringing it about the divine causality is everything, and he is nothing but its obedient servant. It is hopeless to sift out a naturalistic explanation from the narrative, which is either supernatural or nothing. Note the three points of this communication,- God’s sending Saul, the command to anoint, and the motive ascribed to God. As to the first, how striking that full-toned authoritative ‘I will send’ is! Think of the chain of ordinary events which brought Saul to the little city,-the wandering of a drove of asses, the failure to get on their tracks, the accident of being in the land of Zuph when he got tired of the search, the suggestion of the servant; and behind all these, and working through them, the will and hand of God, thrusting this man, all unconscious, along a path which he knew not. Our own purposes we may know, but God’s we do not know. There is something awful in the thought of the issues that may spring from the smallest affairs, and we shall be bewildered and paralysed if once we get a glimpse of the complicated web which is ever being woven in the loom of time, unless we, too, can, by faith, see the Weaver, and then we shall be at rest. Call nothing trivial, and seek to be conscious of His guiding hand.
The command to Samuel to anoint Saul is no product of Samuel’s own reflection, but comes to him, in this imperative form, before he has seen Saul, like a commission in blank, in regard to which he has no option, and in the origin of which he had no share. It was a piece of painful work to devolve his authority, like Aaron’s having to strip off his robes before he died, and to put them on his son. But there is no trace of wounded feeling in Samuel. He is true to his childhood’s word, ‘Speak, for Thy servant heareth,’ and, no doubt, he had the reward which obedience ever has to sweeten the bitterest draught, the reward of a quiet heart.
The reason as given in the last clause of the verse ought to have made Samuel’s self-abnegation easier. God sets him the example. Israel had rejected Him, but He still calls them ‘My people,’ and looks upon them in tender care, and hears their cry. There is no contradiction here with the aspect of the concession to the people’s wish, which appeared in the former section. Hasty criticism tries to make out discrepancies in the accounts, because it does not recognise one of the plainest characteristics of Scripture; namely, its habit of stating strongly and exclusively that side of a complicated matter which is relevant to the purpose in hand, and leaving the other sides to be presented in due time. The three accounts of the election give three different reasons for it. In 1Sa 8:1 - 1Sa 8:22, the people put it on the ground of Samuel’s age and his son’s unfitness, and God treats it as national rejection of Him. Here it appears as due, on the part of the people, to their fear of the Philistines, and on the part of God to His loving yielding to their cry. In 1Sa 12:12, Samuel traces it to the fear of Ammonite invasion. Are these contradictory or supplementary accounts? Certainly the latter. Though Israel had in heart rejected God, and He gave them a king that they might learn how much better they would have been without one, it is as true that He lovingly listened to the cry of their fear, and answered them, in pity and tender care, by giving them the king whom they desired, and who would deliver them from their enemies. Let us learn how patient of our faithless follies, and how full of long-suffering love, even in ‘anger,’ He is. The same gift of His providence, regarded in one light, is loving chastisement, and in another is loving compliance with our cry and swift help to our need in the shape that we desire, but in both aspects is good and perfect. Note, too, that God’s look is active, and is the bringing of the needed aid, and that He waits for our cry before He comes with His help.
II. The meeting of Samuel and Saul. They encounter each other in the gate,-the prophet on his way to the sacrifice, the future king with his head full of his humble quest. Samuel knows Saul by divine intimation as soon as he sees him, but Saul does not know Samuel. His question indicates the noble simplicity, without attendants or trappings, of the judge’s life; but it also suggests the strange isolation of these early days, and the probable indifference of Saul to religion. If he had cared much about God’s rule in Israel, he could scarcely have been so ignorant as his servant’s words about ‘the seer,’ and his failure to know him when he saw him, show Saul to have been. He had not cared to see Samuel in any of the latter’s circuits, and now he only wants to get some information from a diviner about these unfortunate asses. What a contrast between the thoughts of the two, as they looked at each other! Saul begins by consulting Samuel as a magician; he ends by seeking counsel from the witch at Endor. Samuel’s words are beautiful in their smothering of all personal feeling, and dignified in their authority. He at once takes command of Saul, and prepares him by half-hints for something great to come. The direction to ‘go up before me’ is a sign of honour. The invitation to the sacrificial feast is another. The promise to disclose his own secret thoughts to Saul may, perhaps, point to some hidden ambitions, the knowledge of which would prove Samuel’s prophetic character. The assurance as to the asses answers the small immediate occasion of Saul’s resort to him, and the dim hint in the last words of 1Sa 9:20, rightly translated, tells him that ‘all that is desirable in Israel’ is for him, and for all his father’s house. He went out to look for his father’s asses, and he found a kingdom. The words were enigmatical; but if Saul knew of the impending revolution, they could scarcely fail to dazzle him and take away his breath. His answer is more than mere Oriental self-depreciation. Its bashful modesty contrasts sadly with the almost insane masterfulness and arrogant self-will of his later years. Fair beginnings may end ill, and those who are set in positions of influence have hard work to keep steady heads, and to sail with low sails.
III. The feast. Up at the high place was some chamber used for the feasts which followed the sacrifices. A company of thirty-or, according to another reading, of seventy-persons had been invited, and the stately young stranger from Benjamin, with his servant {a trait of the simple manners of these days}, is set in the place of honour, where wondering eyes fasten on him. Attention is still more emphatically centred on him when Samuel bids ‘the cook’ bring a part of the sacrifice which he had been ordered to set aside. It proves to be the ‘shoulder’ or ‘thigh,’ the priest’s perquisite, and therefore probably Samuel’s. To give this to another was equivalent to putting him in Samuel’s place; and Samuel’s words in handing it to Saul make its meaning plain. It is ‘that which hath been reserved.’ It has been ‘kept for thee’ till ‘the appointed time,’ and that with a view to the assembled guests. All this is in true prophetic fashion, which delighted in symbols, and these of the homeliest sort. The whole transaction expressed the transference of power to Saul, the divine reserving of the monarchy for him, and the public investiture with it, by the prophet himself. The veil was intentional, and intentionally thin. Cannot we see the flush of surprise and modesty on Saul’s cheek, as he tore the pieces from the significant ‘shoulder,’ and hear the whispers that ran through the guest-chamber?
IV. The private colloquy. When the simple feast was over, the strangely assorted pair went down to Samuel’s house, and there, on the quiet house-top, where were no curious ears, held long and earnest talk. No doubt Samuel told Saul all that was in his heart, as he had said that he would, and convinced him thereby that it was God who was speaking to him through the prophet. Nor would exhortations and warnings be wanting, which the old man’s experience would be anxious to give, and the young one’s modesty not unwilling to receive. Saul is a listener, not a speaker, in this unreported interview; and Samuel is in it, as throughout, the superior. The characteristic which marked the beginning of the Jewish monarchy was stamped on it till the end. The king was inferior to the prophet, and was meant to take his instructions from him when he appeared. Saul was docile on that first day, when he was half dazed with his new prospects, and wholly grateful to Samuel; but the history will show us how soon the fair promise of concord was darkened, and how fiercely he chafed at Samuel’s attempted control.
One can fancy his thoughts as he lay in the starlight, on the house-top, that night, and gazed into the astounding future that had opened before him. Had there been any true religion in him, it would have been a wakeful night of prayer. But, more likely, as the event proves, the ambition and arrogance which were deep in his nature, though hitherto undeveloped, were his counsellors, and drove Samuel’s wisdom out of his head.
As soon as the morning-red began to rise in the East, Samuel sent him away, to secure, as would appear, privacy in his departure. With simple courtesy the prophet accompanied his guest, and as soon as they had got down the hill beyond the last house of the city, he bids Saul send on his servant, that he may speak a last word to him alone. Our text stops before the solemn anointing, and leaves these two standing there, in the fresh morning, type of the new career opening for one of them. What a contrast in the men! The one has all his long life been true to his first vow, ‘Speak, for Thy servant heareth,’ and now has come, in fulness of years, and reverenced by all men, near the end of his patient, faithful service. His work is all but done, and his heart is quiet in the peace which is the best reward of loving and doing God’s law. Ripened wisdom, calm trust, unhesitating submission cast a glory round the old man, who is now performing the supreme act of self-abnegation of his lifetime, and, not without a sense of relief, is laying the burden, so long and uncomplainingly borne, on the great shoulders of this young giant. The other has a humble past of a few years rapidly sinking out of his dazzled sight, and is in a whirl of emotion at the startling suddenness of his new dignity. When one thinks of Gilboa, and the desperate suicide there, how pathetic is that strong, jubilant young figure, in the morning light, below the city, as he bows his head to receive the anointing which, little as he knew it, was to prove his ruin! A life begun by obedient listening to God’s voice, and continued in the same, comes at last to a blessed end, and is crowned with many goods. A life which but partially accepts God’s will as its law, and rather takes counsel of its own passions and arrogant self-sufficiency, may have much that is bright and lovable at its beginning, but will steadily darken as it goes on, and will set at last in eclipse and gloom.
Alexander MacLaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture (1904–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0On vv15, 17General Information:
General Information:
The writer stops telling the story and gives background information so the reader can understand what happens next. (See: Background Information)
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you will anoint him to be prince
The term prince is used here instead of king. This is the man whom God has chosen to be king of Israel. (See: Euphemism)
the land of Benjamin
"the land where people from the tribe of Benjamin live"
from the hand of the Philistines
Here the word "hand" is a metonym for control. AT: "from the control of the Philistines" or "so the Philistines will no longer control them" (See: Metonymy)
Tyndale Open Study Notes2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0On v169:16 God’s directive to anoint him (by pouring olive…
9:16 God’s directive to anoint him (by pouring olive oil on the head) marked Saul’s elevation in status and consecration for a special purpose (see Exod 30:22-33; Lev 8:12; 1 Kgs 19:16; Isa 45:1). • He will rescue them: As they had requested (1 Sam 8:20; cp. Judg 13:5). David eventually subdued the Philistines (2 Sam 5:17-25; 8:1; 21:15, 18-22). • for I have . . . heard their cry (cp. Exod 3:7-9): The Philistines were again threatening to conquer Israel and demand homage from them as vassals.
GEBible — Godless Engineer's Bible App
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv15–16 Hebrew, in his ear.
Hebrew, in his ear.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv15–17 1Sa 9:15 Now the LORD had told Samuel in…
1Sa 9:15 Now the LORD had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying,
Ver. 15. The Lord had told Samuel in his ear.] By the instinct of his Spirit: Samuel was his favourite, and had communication of his secrets. Every saint hath likewise "the mind of Christ" {1Co 2:16} "revealed unto him by his Spirit," {1Co 2:10} even such things as "eye hath not seen, nor ear heard." {1Co 2:9}
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv15–17 In his ear, i.e. secretly. A day before Saul…
In his ear, i.e. secretly. A day before Saul came, that he might prepare himself for Saul’s reception.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv15–17 Now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear,....…
Now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear,.... In a private manner, whispering in his ear, telling him in a free, familiar, friendly way, as a secret:
a day before Saul came; that he might prepare for the entertainment of him, and not be surprised at his coming, as well as hereby be assured he was the person designed to be king of Israel, when he should come:
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saying; as follows.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv15–16 His ear - That is, secretly, perhaps by a…
His ear - That is, secretly, perhaps by a still small voice.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv15–17 Verse 15. Now the Lord had told Samuel] How…
Verse 15. Now the Lord had told Samuel] How this communication was made, we cannot tell.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv16–17 1Sa 9:16. To-morrow I will send thee a man,…
1Sa 9:16. To-morrow I will send thee a man, &c. — This shows still that all was done by God’s direction. Out of the hand of the Philistines — Though driven out of the country by Samuel, they were now ready, as appears by the following history, to invade it again; and being the constant and nearest enemies of the Israelites, they were most dreaded by them. And from these did Saul in some measure save them, and would have saved them much more, if his and the people’s sins had not hindered. For I have looked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me — Though he would not hear their cry to relieve them from the oppressions of their kings, (1Sa 8:18,) yet he was so gracious as to make those kings instruments of their deliverance from the oppression of their cruel neighbours.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On v16 That he may save my people out of the…
That he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines, etc. - These words are not very easily reconcileable with 1Sa 7:13. It is possible that the aggressive movements of the Philistines, after the long cessation indicated by 1Sa 7:13, coupled with Samuel’s old age and consequent inability to lead them to victory as before, were among the chief causes which led to the cry for a king. If this were so the Philistine oppression glanced at in this verse might in a general survey be rather connected with Saul’s times than with Samuel’s.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv15–16 Ear, privately. (Calmet) --- Thus Jonathan promised to give…
Ear, privately. (Calmet) --- Thus Jonathan promised to give David private information, chap. xx. 13. (Haydock)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On v15 GOD REVEALS TO SAMUEL SAUL'S COMING, AND HIS APPOINTMENT…
GOD REVEALS TO SAMUEL SAUL'S COMING, AND HIS APPOINTMENT TO THE KINGDOM. (Sa1 9:15-27)
Now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear a day before--The description of Saul, the time of his arrival, and the high office to which he was destined, had been secretly intimated to Samuel from heaven. The future king of Israel was to fight the battles of the Lord and protect His people. It would appear that they were at this time suffering great molestation from the Philistines, and that this was an additional reason of their urgent demands for the appointment of a king (see Sa1 10:5; Sa1 13:3).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv15–16 15. The Lord had told Samuel — Probably in…
15. The Lord had told Samuel — Probably in direct answer to prayer. For after the prophet had dismissed the people at Ramah (1Sa_8:22) he undoubtedly prayed God to show him the person to be anointed as the first king of Israel.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv15–17 15–24. Saul entertained by Samuel
15–24. Saul entertained by Samuel
15. Now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear] Lit. “had uncovered Samuel’s ear,” a figure of speech said to be derived from the practice of removing the hair or a corner of the turban from another’s ear in order to whisper a secret into it.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv15–17 (15) Had told Samuel in his ear.—Literally, had uncovered…
(15) Had told Samuel in his ear.—Literally, had uncovered the ear of Samuel. The image is taken from the action of pushing aside the head-dress, in order the more conveniently to whisper some words to the ear. This is one of the few more direct intimations in the sacred records of one of the ways in which the Spirit of God communicated Divine thoughts to the human spirit. Here the Eternal Spirit is represented as whispering in the ear of man. “The true spirit of Jahveh (Jehovah), full of compassion, had already on the preceding day whispered to Samuel that for the deliverance of Janveh’s people . . . a Benjamite must be anointed king.”—Ewald.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv15–17 Now Jehovah had told Samuel in his ear. Literally,…
Now Jehovah had told Samuel in his ear. Literally, "had uncovered his ear," as in Rth_4:4; 2Sa_7:27. The phrase is taken from the pushing aside of the headdress in order to whisper, and therefore means that Jehovah had secretly told Samuel.
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 On v15
CHAPTER X I I.
FIRST MEETING OF SAMUEL AND SAUL.
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1Sa_9:15-27.
THE meeting between Samuel and Saul was preceded by previous meetings between Samuel and God. God had prepared the prophet for his visit from the future king of Israel, and the first thing brought before us in these verses is the communication on this subject which had been made to the prophet a day before.
It is very interesting to observe how readily Samuel still lends himself for any service he can render on behalf of his people, under the new arrangement that God had permitted for their government. We have seen how mortified Samuel was at first, when the people came to him with their request for a king. He took it as a personal affront, as well as a grave public error. Conscious as he was of having done his duty faithfully, and of having rendered high service to the nation, and reposing calmly, as he probably was, on the expectation that at least for some time to come, Israel would move forward peacefully and happily on the lines which he had drawn for them, it must have been a staggering blow when they came to him and asked him to overturn all that he had done, and make them a king. It must have been one of those bewildering moments when one's whole life appears lost, and all one's dearest hopes and hardest labours lie shattered, like the fragments of a potter's vessel. We have seen how, in that sad moment, Samuel carried his sorrows to the Lord, and learning thus to view the whole matter from God's point of view, how he came to make comparatively little account of his own disappointment, and to think only how he could still serve the cause of God, how he could still help the people, how he could prevent the vessel which he was no longer to steer from dashing against the hidden rocks he saw so clearly ahead. It is impossible not to be struck with the beauty and purity of Samuel's character in this mode of action.
How many a good man takes offence when slighted or superseded by some committee or other body, in connection with a political, social, or religious cause which he has tried to help! If they won't have me, he says, let them do without me. If they won't allow me to carry out the course which I have followed, and which has been undoubtedly highly beneficial, I'll have nothing more to do with them. He sulks in his tent like Achilles, or goes over to the enemy like Coriolanus. Not so Samuel! His love for the people is too deep to allow of such a course. They have behaved badly to him, but notwithstanding he will not leave them. Like an injured but loving wife, who labours with every art of patient affection to reclaim the husband that has abused her and broken her heart; like a long-suffering father, who attends with his own hands to the neglected work of his dissipated son, to save him if possible from the consequences of his folly - Samuel overlooks his personal slight, and bears with the public folly of the people, in the endeavour to be of some use to them in the important stage of their history on which they are entering. He receives Divine communications respecting the man who is to supersede him in the government of the people, and instead of jealousy and dislike, shows every readiness to help him. It is refreshing to find such tokens of magnanimity and disinterestedness. However paltry human nature may be in itself, it can become very noble when rehabilitated by the Spirit of God. Need we ask which is the nobler course? You feel that you have not been treated perhaps by your church with sufficient consideration. You fret, you complain, you stay away from church, you pour your grievance into every open ear. Would Samuel have done so? Is not your conduct the very reverse of his? Side by side with his, must not yours be pronounced poor and paltry? Have you not need to study the thirteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians, and when you read of the charity that ''beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things," ask yourselves whether it might not be said of you that you have neither part nor lot in this matter?
The communication that God had made to Samuel was, that on the following day He would send to him the man whom he was to anoint as captain over Israel, that he might save them from the Philistines; for He had looked upon His people, because their cry was come up to Him. There is an apparent inconsistency here with what is said elsewhere. In chap. 8:13 (1Sa_8:13), it is said, that ''the Philistines came no more into the coast of Israel, and that the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel." But probably "all the days of Samuel" mean only the days when he exerted himself actively against them. As long as Samuel watched and checked them, they were kept in restraint; but when he ceased to do so, they resumed their active hostility. The concluding verses of chap. 8 (1Sa_8:19-23), show that in Saul's time the Philistine oppression had become so galling that the very smiths had been removed from the land of Israel, and there was no right provision even for sharpening plough-shares, or coulters, or axes, or mattocks. Undoubtedly Saul removed this oppression for a time, and David's elegy shows how beneficial his reign was in some other ways, although the last act of his life was an encounter with the Philistines in which he was utterly defeated. It is evident that before Saul's time the tyranny of their foes had been very galling to the Israelites. The words of God, "their cry is come up to Me," indicate quietly a very terrible state of distress. They carry us back to the words uttered at the burning bush, "I have seen, I have seen the affliction of My people which are in Egypt, have heard their cry by reason of their task-masters; for I know their sorrows." God speaks after the manner of men. He needs no cry to come into His ears to tell Him of the woes of the oppressed. Nevertheless He seems to wait till that cry is raised, till the appeal is made to Him, till the consciousness of utter helplessness sends men to His footstool. And a very blessed truth it is, that He sympathizes with the cry of the oppressed. There is much meaning in the simple expression - ''their cry is come up to Me." It denotes a very tender sympathy, a concern for all that they have been suffering, and a resolution to interpose on their behalf. God is never impassive nor indifferent to the sorrows and sufferings of His people. All are designed to serve as chastenings with a view to ultimate good. The eye of God is ever watching to see whether the chastening is sufficient, and when it is so, to stop the suffering. In the Inquisitor's chamber, the eye of God was ever on the boot and the thumbscrew, on the knife and the pincers, on the furnace and all the other instruments of torture. In the sick room. He watches the spent and struggling patient, knows every paroxysm of pain, knows all the restlessness and tossing of the weary night He understands the anguish of the loving heart when one after another of its treasures is torn away. He knows the unutterable distress when a child's misconduct brings down grey heirs with sorrow to the grave. Appearances may be all the other way, but "the Lord God is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and of great compassion." The night may be long and weary, but the dawn comes at the appointed time. "Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy."
But now Samuel and Saul have met. Saul is as unfamiliar with Samuel's appearance as with his name; he goes up to him and asks where the seer's house is. "I am the seer," replies Samuel; but at the moment Samuel was not at liberty, and could not converse with Saul. He invites him to go up with him to the high place, and take part in the religious service. Then he invites him to the feast that was to follow the sacrifice. Next day he is to deal with him as a prophet, making important communications to him. But in regard to the matter which occupies him at the moment, his father's asses, he need trouble himself no more on that head, for the asses are found. Then he gives Saul a hint of what is coming. He makes an announcement to him that he and his father's house are the objects of the whole desire of Israel. It is not very apparent whether or not Saul had any inkling of the meaning of this remark. It may be that he viewed it as a mere expression of politeness, savouring of the customary exaggeration of the East. At all events, his answer was couched in those terms of extravagant humility which was likewise matter of Eastern custom. "Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Wherefore then speakest thou so to me?"
The sacrifice next engages the attention of all. Samuel's first meeting with Saul takes place over the symbol of expiation, over the sacrifice that shows man to be a sinner, and declares that without shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. No doubt the circumstance was very impressive to Samuel, and would be turned to its proper use in subsequent conversation with Saul, whether Saul entered into the spirit of it or not. If it be asked. How could a sacrifice take place on the height of this city, whereas God had commanded that only in the place which He was to choose should such rites be performed? - the answer is, that at that time Shiloh lay in ruins, and Mount Zion was still in the possession of the Jebusites. The final arrangements had not yet been made for the Hebrew ceremonial, and in the present provisional and unsettled state of things, sacrifices were not limited to a single place.
After the sacrifice, came the feast. It was now that Samuel began to give more explicit hints to Saul of the dignity to which he was to be raised. The feast was held in "the parlour" - a room adjacent to the place of sacrifice, to which Samuel had invited a large company - thirty of the chief inhabitants of the town.
First Saul and his servant are complimented by having the place of honour assigned to them. Then they are honoured by having a portion set before them which had been specially set apart for them the day before. The speech concerning this portion in ver. 24 (1Sa_9:24) is somewhat obscure if it be regarded as a speech of Samuel's. It seems more natural to regard it as a speech of the cook's. It will be observed that the word " Samuel ' in the middle of the verse is in italics, showing that it is not in the Hebrew, so that it is more natural to regard the clause as having ''the cook" for its nominative, and indeed this talk about the portion is more suitable for the cook than for Samuel. Servants were not forbidden to speak during entertainments; nor did their masters disdain even to have serious conversation with them (see Neh_2:2-8). There is another correction of the Authorized Version that needs to be made. At the end of ver. 24 (1Sa_9:24) the words "Since I said" are not a literal rendering. The original is simply the word which is constantly rendered saying. It has been suggested ("Speaker's Commentary") that a word or two should be supplied to make the sense complete, and the verse would then run: - "unto this time hath it been kept for thee [against the festival of which Samuel spake], saying, I have invited the people." The part thus reserved was the shoulder and its appurtenances. Why this part was regarded as more honourable than any other, we do not know, nor is it of any moment; the point of importance being, first, that by Samuel's express instructions it had been reserved for Saul, and second, that these instructions had been given as soon as Samuel made arrangements for the feast. To honour Saul as the destined king of Israel was Samuel's unhesitating purpose. Some men might have said, It will be time enough to show this mark of respect when the man is actually chosen king. Had there been the slightest feeling of grudge in the mind of Samuel, this is what he would have thought. But instead of grudging Saul his new dignity, he is forward to acknowledge it. There shall be no holding back on his part of honour for the man whom the Lord delighted to honour.
If the words of ver. 24 (1Sa_9:24) were really spoken by the cook, they must have added a new element of surprise and impression to Saul. It was apparent that he had been expected to this feast. The cook had been warned that a man of consequence was coming, and had therefore set apart that portion to him. Saul must have felt both that a supernatural power had been at work, and that some strange destiny - possibly the royal dignity - was in reserve for him. To us, pondering the circumstances, what is most striking is, the wonderful way in which the fixed purpose of God is accomplished, while all the agents in the matter remain perfectly free. That Saul and his servant should be present with Samuel at that feast, was the fixed decree of heaven. But it was brought about quite naturally. There was no constraint on the mind of Saul's servant, when, being in the land of Zuph, he proposed that they should go into the city, and try to make inquiry of the man of God. There was no constraint on the damsels when at a certain time they went down to the fountain for water, and on their way met Saul and his servant. There was no constraint on Saul and his servant, save that created by common sense, when they quickened their pace in order to meet Samuel on the way to the sacrifice. Every one of these events fell out freely and naturally. Yet all were necessary links in the chain of God's purposes. From God's point of view they were necessary, from man's point of view they were casual. Thus necessity and freedom harmonized together, as they always do in the plans and operations of God. It is absurd to say that the predestination of God takes away the liberty of man. It is unreasonable to suppose that because God has predestinated all events, we need not take any step in the matter of our salvation. Such an idea is founded on an utter misunderstanding of the relation in which God has placed us to Him. It overlooks the great truth, that God's ways are not our ways, nor His thoughts our thoughts. The relation of the Infinite Will to the wills of finite creatures is a mystery we cannot fathom; but the effect on us should be to impel us to seek that our will may ever be in harmony with God's, and that thus the petition in the Lord's prayer may be fulfilled, "Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven."
The feast is over; Samuel and Saul return to the city, and there, on the housetop, they commune together. The twenty-sixth verse seems to narrate in detail what is summarily contained in the twenty-fifth. After returning from the sacrifice and the feast, they seem to have committed themselves to rest. In the early morning, about daybreak, they had their conversation on the housetop, and thereafter Samuel sent Saul away, convoying him part of the road. What the conversation on the housetop was, we are not told; but we have no difficulty in conjecturing. Samuel could not but communicate to Saul the treasured thoughts of his lifetime regarding the way to govern Israel. He must have recalled to him God's purpose regarding His people, beginning with the call of Abraham, dwelling on the deliverance from Egypt, and touching on the history of the several judges, and the lessons to be derived from each. We may fancy the fervour with which he would urge on Saul, that the one thing most essential for the prosperity of the nation - the one thing which those in power ought continually to watch and aim at, was, loyalty by the people to their heavenly King, and the faithful observance of His law and covenant. He would dwell emphatically on the many instances in which neglect of the covenant had brought disaster and misery, and on the wonderful change in their outward circumstances which had come with every return of fidelity to their King. Granted, they were soon to have a king. They were to change their form of government, and be like the rest of the nations. But if they changed their form of government, they were not to surrender the palladium of their nation, they were not to abandon their "gloria et tutamen." The new king would be tempted like all the kings around him to regard his own will as his only rule of action, and to fall in with the prevalent notion, that kings were above the law, because the king's will was the law, and nothing could be higher than that. What an infinite calamity it would be to himself and to the nation, if the new king of Israel were to fall into such a delusion! Yes, the king was above the law, and the king's will was the law; but it was the King of kings alone who had this prerogative, and woe to the earthly ruler that dared to climb into His throne, and take into his puny hands the sceptre of the Omnipotent!
Such, we may well believe, was the tenor of that first meeting of Samuel and Saul. We cannot but carry forward our thoughts a little, and think what was the last. The last meeting was at Endor, where in darkness and utter despair, the king of Israel had thought of his early friend, had perhaps recalled his gentle kindness on this first occasion of their meeting, and wondered whether he might not be able and willing to throw some light once more upon his path. But alas, the day of merciful visitation was gone. The first conversation was in the brightness of early morning; the last in midnight gloom. The time of day was appropriate for each. On that sepulchral night, the worst evils that he had dreaded, and against which he had doubtless warned him on that housetop, had come to pass. Self-willed and regardless of God, Saul had taken his own course, and brought his people to the very verge of ruin. Differing, toto cælo, from Samuel in his treatment of his successor, he had hunted David like a partridge on the mountains, and stormed against the man who was to bring back to the nation the blessings of which he had robbed it. Brought to bay at last by his recklessness and passion, he could only reap the fruit of what he had sown; "for God is not mocked; they that sow to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption, and they that sow to the Spirit shall, of the Spirit, reap life everlasting." Again there was to ring out the great law of the kingdom, - "Them that honour Me, I will honour; while they that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed."
The good words of Samuel fell not into good ground. He had not in Saul a congenial hearer. Saul was too worldly a man to care for, or appreciate spiritual things. Alas, how often for a similar reason, the best words of the best men fail of their purpose! But how is this ever to be cured? How is the uncongenial heart to become a fit bed for the good seed of the Kingdom? I own, it is a most difficult thing. Those who are afflicted with indifference to spiritual truth will not seek a remedy, because the very essence of their malady is that they do not care. But surely their Christian friends and relatives, and all interested in their welfare, will care very much. Have you such persons - persons whose worldly hearts show no sympathy with Divine truth - among your acquaintances or in your families? Persons so steeped in worldliness that the strongest statements of saving truth are as much lost upon them as grains of the best wheat would be lost if sown in a heap of sand? O how should you be earnest for such in prayer; there is a remedy, and there is a Physician able to apply it; the Spirit of God if appealed to, can repeat the process that was so effectual at Philippi, when "the Lord opened the heart of Lydia, that she attended to the things that were spoken by Paul." "If ye then that are evil know how to give good things unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him."
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 On v15 1Sa_9:15. “Told Samuel to his ear.” lit., had uncovered…
CRITICAL AND EXPOSITORY NOTES—
1Sa_9:15. “Told Samuel to his ear.” lit., had uncovered his ear. See on 1Sa_3:7.
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1Sa_9:16-17. “The reason here assigned for the establishment of a monarchy is by no means at variance with the displeasure which God had expressed to Samuel at the desire of the people for a king; since this displeasure had reference to the state of heart from which the desire had sprung.” (Keil).
1Sa_9:17. “This same shall reign,” literally shall restrain. “This characteristises his government as a sharp and strict one.” (Erdmann).
1Sa_9:19. “Go up before me.” “Letting a person go in front was a sign of high esteem.” (Keil).
1Sa_9:20. “On whom is all the desire of Israel,” not all that Israel desires, but all that Israel possesses of what is precious or worth desiring. See Hag_2:7 (Keil).
1Sa_9:21. “The smallest of the tribes,” etc. “The tribe of Benjamin, originally the smallest of all the tribes (Numbers 1), if Ephraim and Manasseh are reckoned as one tribe, had been nearly annihilated by the civil war recorded in Judges 20. It had, of course, not recovered from that calamity in the time of Samuel.” (Biblical Commentary).
1Sa_9:22. “He brought them into the parlour,” i.e., the apartment set apart for the most distinguished guests, the rest of the people no doubt encamped in the open air.
1Sa_9:24. “The shoulder.” “If it was the right shoulder, then Samuel, to whose share it fell, as performing the functions of priest (Lev_7:32), gave Saul of his own portion; or, if it were the left shoulder, then he admitted Saul to the next share after his own.” (Wordsworth).
1Sa_9:25. “Upon the top of the house.” “Not surely for privacy, as some expound it, for the house-top was the proverbial expression for publicity (Isa_15:3; Luk_12:3), but in order to let all the people of the city see the honour done to the stranger by the great prophet.” (Biblical Commentary).
1Sa_9:26. “Samuel called Saul from the top of the house,” rather to the top of the house. Saul was most likely sleeping on the roof, a common sleeping place in summer in the East, and Samuel called to him from below within the house.
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.—1Sa_9:15-27
THE ANNOUNCEMENT TO SAUL OF THE DESTINY THAT AWAITED HIM.
I. God has respect to the freedom of the human will. Although God had decided that Saul should be king of Israel, He would not do violence to his will, and oblige him to take the office against his inclination. All the dealings of Samuel with Saul on the occasion of this their first meeting were designed to impress him with the fact that great honour and responsibility were in store for him, and to lead him to acquiesce in the will of God concerning him. He was led gradually to accept as true the startling announcement with which Samuel greeted him, that upon him and upon his father’s house was all the desire of Israel. Little by little the reality must have dawned upon him, and little by little, we may suppose, he was made willing to fall in with the Divine plan concerning him. We can well understand how far from his thoughts it was that, in seeking his father’s asses, he should find a crown, and how inclined he would be to think that the prophet was mistaken when he intimated that some great promotion was in store for him. But when he found himself in the place of honour at the table of the chief magistrate of Israel, he must have begun to think that some great change awaited him, and it is probable that any lingering doubts were banished, and all his future made plain to him in the private communion which Samuel held with him on the following morning. In all these dealings with Saul we see how God has regard to the human will, which He has made free.
II. In the reception which Samuel gave to Saul we have an instance of true humility. Hitherto Samuel had been the first man in Israel; to him had belonged, and to him had been accorded the place of highest honour, and the choicest viands on the occasions of public assembly, but now he, although an aged man, not only willingly gives way to the young man who is in some things to take his place, but is the person who informs him of his call to the throne, and is the first to do him honour. No man could have acquitted himself with such grace and dignity under such circumstances, if he had not been possessed by the spirit of true humility.
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
1Sa_9:15; 1Sa_9:27. 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.—Disselhoff.
1Sa_9:17. What an intimate communion Samuel must have held with his God! A constant familiarity seems to have existed between them.—A. Clarke.
1Sa_9:22. How kindly doth Samuel entertain and invite Saul! Yet it was he only that should receive wrong by the future royalty of Saul.… Wise and holy men, as they are not ambitious of their own burden, so they are not unwilling to be eased, when God pleaseth to discharge them; neither can they envy those whom God lifteth above their heads. They make an idol of honour that are troubled at their own freedom, or grudge at the promotion of others.—Bp. Hall.
The heads of the tribes accompanied Samuel to the altar, and then sat around his board. The chief of the government was godly in both alike, and he could hold the sweetest fellowship with those who were officially his inferiors in the land. He lost not the respect of the people for his piety by his conduct at table, nor did the majesty of law provoke contempt by the familiarity of judge with people.—Steel.
1Sa_9:26-27. Saul must wait patiently until God shall 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 recognised, but quietly wait until the Lord Himself, as it seemeth Him good, carries further the matter that He has begun.—Berlenberger Bible.
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.
Alexander MacLaren 1905 · Public Domain On v15 1 Samuel
1 Samuel
THE OLD JUDGE AND THE YOUNG KING
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1Sa 9:15 - 1Sa 9:27.
Both the time and the place of the incidents here told are unknown. No note is given of the interval that had elapsed since the elders’ deputation. All that we know is that on the previous day Samuel had had the divine communication mentioned in 1Sa 9:15, and that some days are implied as spent by Saul in his quest for his fathers asses, Equally uncertain is the name of the city. It was not Samuel’s ordinary residence; it was in the ‘land of Zuph,’ an unknown district; it was perched, like most of the cities, on a hill; it had fountains lower down the slope, and a ‘high place’ farther up, where there was a building large enough for a feast. How strangely vivid the picture of this anonymous city is, and how we can yet see the maidens coming down to the fountains, the wearied travellers toiling up, and the voluble abundance of the directions given them!
I. The first thing we have to note is the premonitory word of the Lord. Observe the picturesque and forcible expression, ‘had uncovered the ear of Samuel.’ It is more than picturesque. It gives in the strongest form the fact of a revelation, both as to its origin and its secrecy. It is vain to represent the transition from judgeship to monarchy as a mere political revolution, inaugurated by Samuel as a fore-seeing statesman. It is misleading to speak of him, as Dean Stanley does, as one of the men who mediate between the old and the new. His opinions and views go for just nothing in the transaction, and he is simply God’s instrument. The people’s desire for the king, and God’s answer to it, were equally independent of him. His own ideas were dead against the change, and at each step in bringing it about the divine causality is everything, and he is nothing but its obedient servant. It is hopeless to sift out a naturalistic explanation from the narrative, which is either supernatural or nothing. Note the three points of this communication,- God’s sending Saul, the command to anoint, and the motive ascribed to God. As to the first, how striking that full-toned authoritative ‘I will send’ is! Think of the chain of ordinary events which brought Saul to the little city,-the wandering of a drove of asses, the failure to get on their tracks, the accident of being in the land of Zuph when he got tired of the search, the suggestion of the servant; and behind all these, and working through them, the will and hand of God, thrusting this man, all unconscious, along a path which he knew not. Our own purposes we may know, but God’s we do not know. There is something awful in the thought of the issues that may spring from the smallest affairs, and we shall be bewildered and paralysed if once we get a glimpse of the complicated web which is ever being woven in the loom of time, unless we, too, can, by faith, see the Weaver, and then we shall be at rest. Call nothing trivial, and seek to be conscious of His guiding hand.
The command to Samuel to anoint Saul is no product of Samuel’s own reflection, but comes to him, in this imperative form, before he has seen Saul, like a commission in blank, in regard to which he has no option, and in the origin of which he had no share. It was a piece of painful work to devolve his authority, like Aaron’s having to strip off his robes before he died, and to put them on his son. But there is no trace of wounded feeling in Samuel. He is true to his childhood’s word, ‘Speak, for Thy servant heareth,’ and, no doubt, he had the reward which obedience ever has to sweeten the bitterest draught, the reward of a quiet heart.
The reason as given in the last clause of the verse ought to have made Samuel’s self-abnegation easier. God sets him the example. Israel had rejected Him, but He still calls them ‘My people,’ and looks upon them in tender care, and hears their cry. There is no contradiction here with the aspect of the concession to the people’s wish, which appeared in the former section. Hasty criticism tries to make out discrepancies in the accounts, because it does not recognise one of the plainest characteristics of Scripture; namely, its habit of stating strongly and exclusively that side of a complicated matter which is relevant to the purpose in hand, and leaving the other sides to be presented in due time. The three accounts of the election give three different reasons for it. In 1Sa 8:1 - 1Sa 8:22, the people put it on the ground of Samuel’s age and his son’s unfitness, and God treats it as national rejection of Him. Here it appears as due, on the part of the people, to their fear of the Philistines, and on the part of God to His loving yielding to their cry. In 1Sa 12:12, Samuel traces it to the fear of Ammonite invasion. Are these contradictory or supplementary accounts? Certainly the latter. Though Israel had in heart rejected God, and He gave them a king that they might learn how much better they would have been without one, it is as true that He lovingly listened to the cry of their fear, and answered them, in pity and tender care, by giving them the king whom they desired, and who would deliver them from their enemies. Let us learn how patient of our faithless follies, and how full of long-suffering love, even in ‘anger,’ He is. The same gift of His providence, regarded in one light, is loving chastisement, and in another is loving compliance with our cry and swift help to our need in the shape that we desire, but in both aspects is good and perfect. Note, too, that God’s look is active, and is the bringing of the needed aid, and that He waits for our cry before He comes with His help.
II. The meeting of Samuel and Saul. They encounter each other in the gate,-the prophet on his way to the sacrifice, the future king with his head full of his humble quest. Samuel knows Saul by divine intimation as soon as he sees him, but Saul does not know Samuel. His question indicates the noble simplicity, without attendants or trappings, of the judge’s life; but it also suggests the strange isolation of these early days, and the probable indifference of Saul to religion. If he had cared much about God’s rule in Israel, he could scarcely have been so ignorant as his servant’s words about ‘the seer,’ and his failure to know him when he saw him, show Saul to have been. He had not cared to see Samuel in any of the latter’s circuits, and now he only wants to get some information from a diviner about these unfortunate asses. What a contrast between the thoughts of the two, as they looked at each other! Saul begins by consulting Samuel as a magician; he ends by seeking counsel from the witch at Endor. Samuel’s words are beautiful in their smothering of all personal feeling, and dignified in their authority. He at once takes command of Saul, and prepares him by half-hints for something great to come. The direction to ‘go up before me’ is a sign of honour. The invitation to the sacrificial feast is another. The promise to disclose his own secret thoughts to Saul may, perhaps, point to some hidden ambitions, the knowledge of which would prove Samuel’s prophetic character. The assurance as to the asses answers the small immediate occasion of Saul’s resort to him, and the dim hint in the last words of 1Sa 9:20, rightly translated, tells him that ‘all that is desirable in Israel’ is for him, and for all his father’s house. He went out to look for his father’s asses, and he found a kingdom. The words were enigmatical; but if Saul knew of the impending revolution, they could scarcely fail to dazzle him and take away his breath. His answer is more than mere Oriental self-depreciation. Its bashful modesty contrasts sadly with the almost insane masterfulness and arrogant self-will of his later years. Fair beginnings may end ill, and those who are set in positions of influence have hard work to keep steady heads, and to sail with low sails.
III. The feast. Up at the high place was some chamber used for the feasts which followed the sacrifices. A company of thirty-or, according to another reading, of seventy-persons had been invited, and the stately young stranger from Benjamin, with his servant {a trait of the simple manners of these days}, is set in the place of honour, where wondering eyes fasten on him. Attention is still more emphatically centred on him when Samuel bids ‘the cook’ bring a part of the sacrifice which he had been ordered to set aside. It proves to be the ‘shoulder’ or ‘thigh,’ the priest’s perquisite, and therefore probably Samuel’s. To give this to another was equivalent to putting him in Samuel’s place; and Samuel’s words in handing it to Saul make its meaning plain. It is ‘that which hath been reserved.’ It has been ‘kept for thee’ till ‘the appointed time,’ and that with a view to the assembled guests. All this is in true prophetic fashion, which delighted in symbols, and these of the homeliest sort. The whole transaction expressed the transference of power to Saul, the divine reserving of the monarchy for him, and the public investiture with it, by the prophet himself. The veil was intentional, and intentionally thin. Cannot we see the flush of surprise and modesty on Saul’s cheek, as he tore the pieces from the significant ‘shoulder,’ and hear the whispers that ran through the guest-chamber?
IV. The private colloquy. When the simple feast was over, the strangely assorted pair went down to Samuel’s house, and there, on the quiet house-top, where were no curious ears, held long and earnest talk. No doubt Samuel told Saul all that was in his heart, as he had said that he would, and convinced him thereby that it was God who was speaking to him through the prophet. Nor would exhortations and warnings be wanting, which the old man’s experience would be anxious to give, and the young one’s modesty not unwilling to receive. Saul is a listener, not a speaker, in this unreported interview; and Samuel is in it, as throughout, the superior. The characteristic which marked the beginning of the Jewish monarchy was stamped on it till the end. The king was inferior to the prophet, and was meant to take his instructions from him when he appeared. Saul was docile on that first day, when he was half dazed with his new prospects, and wholly grateful to Samuel; but the history will show us how soon the fair promise of concord was darkened, and how fiercely he chafed at Samuel’s attempted control.
One can fancy his thoughts as he lay in the starlight, on the house-top, that night, and gazed into the astounding future that had opened before him. Had there been any true religion in him, it would have been a wakeful night of prayer. But, more likely, as the event proves, the ambition and arrogance which were deep in his nature, though hitherto undeveloped, were his counsellors, and drove Samuel’s wisdom out of his head.
As soon as the morning-red began to rise in the East, Samuel sent him away, to secure, as would appear, privacy in his departure. With simple courtesy the prophet accompanied his guest, and as soon as they had got down the hill beyond the last house of the city, he bids Saul send on his servant, that he may speak a last word to him alone. Our text stops before the solemn anointing, and leaves these two standing there, in the fresh morning, type of the new career opening for one of them. What a contrast in the men! The one has all his long life been true to his first vow, ‘Speak, for Thy servant heareth,’ and now has come, in fulness of years, and reverenced by all men, near the end of his patient, faithful service. His work is all but done, and his heart is quiet in the peace which is the best reward of loving and doing God’s law. Ripened wisdom, calm trust, unhesitating submission cast a glory round the old man, who is now performing the supreme act of self-abnegation of his lifetime, and, not without a sense of relief, is laying the burden, so long and uncomplainingly borne, on the great shoulders of this young giant. The other has a humble past of a few years rapidly sinking out of his dazzled sight, and is in a whirl of emotion at the startling suddenness of his new dignity. When one thinks of Gilboa, and the desperate suicide there, how pathetic is that strong, jubilant young figure, in the morning light, below the city, as he bows his head to receive the anointing which, little as he knew it, was to prove his ruin! A life begun by obedient listening to God’s voice, and continued in the same, comes at last to a blessed end, and is crowned with many goods. A life which but partially accepts God’s will as its law, and rather takes counsel of its own passions and arrogant self-sufficiency, may have much that is bright and lovable at its beginning, but will steadily darken as it goes on, and will set at last in eclipse and gloom.
Alexander MacLaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture (1904–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv15, 17 General Information:
General Information:
The writer stops telling the story and gives background information so the reader can understand what happens next. (See: Background Information)
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you will anoint him to be prince
The term prince is used here instead of king. This is the man whom God has chosen to be king of Israel. (See: Euphemism)
the land of Benjamin
"the land where people from the tribe of Benjamin live"
from the hand of the Philistines
Here the word "hand" is a metonym for control. AT: "from the control of the Philistines" or "so the Philistines will no longer control them" (See: Metonymy)
For I have looked on my people with pity
"My people are suffering and I want to help them"
translationWords
Saul (OT)
Yahweh
reveal
send
Benjamin
anoint
prince
people of God
Israel
save
hand
Philistines
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v16 9:16 God’s directive to anoint him (by pouring olive…
9:16 God’s directive to anoint him (by pouring olive oil on the head) marked Saul’s elevation in status and consecration for a special purpose (see Exod 30:22-33; Lev 8:12; 1 Kgs 19:16; Isa 45:1). • He will rescue them: As they had requested (1 Sam 8:20; cp. Judg 13:5). David eventually subdued the Philistines (2 Sam 5:17-25; 8:1; 21:15, 18-22). • for I have . . . heard their cry (cp. Exod 3:7-9): The Philistines were again threatening to conquer Israel and demand homage from them as vassals.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.