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Texts -- 1 Samuel 8:1-22 (NET)

Context
Israel Seeks a King
8:1 In his old age Samuel appointed his sons as judges over Israel . 8:2 The name of his firstborn son was Joel , and the name of his second son was Abijah . They were judges in Beer Sheba . 8:3 But his sons did not follow his ways . Instead, they made money dishonestly , accepted bribes , and perverted justice . 8:4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and approached Samuel at Ramah . 8:5 They said to him, “Look , you are old , and your sons don’t follow your ways . So now appoint over us a king to lead us, just like all the other nations have.” 8:6 But this request displeased Samuel , for they said , “Give us a king to lead us.” So Samuel prayed to the Lord . 8:7 The Lord said to Samuel , “Do everything the people request of you. For it is not you that they have rejected , but it is me that they have rejected as their king . 8:8 Just as they have done from the day that I brought them up from Egypt until this very day , they have rejected me and have served other gods . This is what they are also doing to you. 8:9 So now do as they say . But seriously warn them and make them aware of the policies of the king who will rule over them.” 8:10 So Samuel spoke all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king . 8:11 He said , “Here are the policies of the king who will rule over you: He will conscript your sons and put them in his chariot forces and in his cavalry ; they will run in front of his chariot . 8:12 He will appoint for himself leaders of thousands and leaders of fifties , as well as those who plow his ground , reap his harvest , and make his weapons of war and his chariot equipment . 8:13 He will take your daughters to be ointment makers , cooks , and bakers . 8:14 He will take your best fields and vineyards and give them to his own servants . 8:15 He will demand a tenth of your seed and of the produce of your vineyards and give it to his administrators and his servants . 8:16 He will take your male and female servants , as well as your best cattle and your donkeys , and assign them for his own use . 8:17 He will demand a tenth of your flocks , and you yourselves will be his servants . 8:18 In that day you will cry out because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord won’t answer you in that day .” 8:19 But the people refused to heed Samuel’s warning. Instead they said , “No ! There will be a king over us! 8:20 We will be like all the other nations . Our king will judge us and lead us and fight our battles .” 8:21 So Samuel listened to everything the people said and then reported it to the Lord . 8:22 The Lord said to Samuel , “Do as they say and install a king over them.” Then Samuel said to the men of Israel , “Each of you go back to his own city .”

Pericope

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Bible Dictionary

  • Samuel

    [ebd] heard of God. The peculiar circumstances connected with his birth are recorded in 1 Sam. 1:20. Hannah, one of the two wives of Elkanah, who came up to Shiloh to worship before the Lord, earnestly prayed to God that she might...
    [isbe] SAMUEL - sam'-u-el (shemu'el; Samouel): The word "Samuel" signifies "name of God," or "his name is El" (God). Other interpretations of the name that have been offered are almost certainly mistaken. The play upon the name in ...
    [smith] was the son of Elkanah and Hannah, and was born at Ramathaim-zophim, among the hills of Ephraim. [RAMAH No. 2] (B.C. 1171.) Before his birth he was dedicated by his mother to the office of a Nazarite and when a young child, 1...
    [nave] SAMUEL Miraculous birth of, 1 Sam. 1:7-20. Consecrated to God before his birth, 1 Sam. 1:11, 22, 24-28. His mother's song of thanksgiving, 1 Sam. 2:1-10. Ministered in the house of God, 1 Sam. 2:11, 18, 19. Blessed of Go...

  • SAUL

    [ebd] asked for. (1.) A king of Edom (Gen. 36:37, 38); called Shaul in 1 Chr. 1:48. (2.) The son of Kish (probably his only son, and a child of prayer, "asked for"), of the tribe of Benjamin, the first king of the Jewish nation. T...
    [isbe] SAUL - sol (sha'ul; Saoul): (1) The first king of Israel. I. EARLY HISTORY 1. Name and Meaning 2. Genealogy 3. Home and Station 4. Sources for Life 5. Election as King 6. Reasons for It II. REIGN AND FALL 1. His First Action...

  • Government

    [isbe] GOVERNMENT - guv'-ern-ment: The government of the Hebrews varied at different periods, of which we may distinguish seven: (1) the nomadic period, from the Exodus to the entrance into Palestine; (2) the period of transition f...
    [nave] GOVERNMENT Paternal functions of, Gen. 41:25-57. Civil service school provided by, Dan. 1:3-20. Maintains a system of public instruction, 2 Chr. 17:7-9. Executive departments in. See: Cabinet; King; Ruler; Statecraft. Ju...

  • Israel

    [nave] ISRAEL 1. A name given to Jacob, Gen. 32:24-32; 2 Kin. 17:34; Hos. 12:3, 4. 2. A name of the Christ in prophecy, Isa. 49:3. 3. A name given to the descendants of Jacob, a nation. Called also Israelites, and Hebrews, Gen. 4...

  • Rulers

    [nave] RULERS Appointed and removed by God. See: Government, God in. Chastised, Dan. 4. See: Nation. Monarchical, See: Kings. Patriarchal, Gen. 27:29, 37. Instances of Nimrod, Gen. 10:8-10. Abraham, Gen. 14:13-24; 17:6; 21:2...

  • TAXES

    [ebd] first mentioned in the command (Ex. 30:11-16) that every Jew from twenty years and upward should pay an annual tax of "half a shekel for an offering to the Lord." This enactment was faithfully observed for many generations (...
    [smith] I. Under the judges, according to the theocratic government contemplated by the law, the only payments incumbent upon the people as of permanent obligation were the Tithes, the Firstfruits, the Redemption-money of the first-b...

  • LAW OF MOSES

    [smith] It will be the object of this article to give a brief analysis of the substance of this law, to point out its main principles, and to explain the position which it occupies in the progress of divine revelation. In order to do...

  • JOTHAM

    [isbe] JOTHAM - jo'-tham (yotham, "Yahweh is perfect"; Ioatham): (1) The youngest son of Gideon-Jerubbaal, the sole survivor of the massacre of his seventy brothers by Abimelech (Jdg 9:5), and (by Jdg 8:22) the legitimate ruler of ...

  • TAX; TAXING

    [isbe] TAX; TAXING - taks, taks'-ing: I. INTRODUCTION 1. General Considerations 2. Limits of the Discussion II. TAXES IN ISRAEL UNDER SELF-GOVERNMENT 1. In the Earliest Period 2. Under the Theocracy; in the Period of the Judges 3. ...

  • Monarchy

    [nave] MONARCHY Described by Samuel, 1 Sam. 8:11-18. See: Government; King.

  • Theocracy

    [ebd] a word first used by Josephus to denote that the Jews were under the direct government of God himself. The nation was in all things subject to the will of their invisible King. All the people were the servants of Jehovah, wh...
    [nave] THEOCRACY Established, Ex. 19:8; 24:3, 7; Deut. 5:25-29; 33:2-5; Judg. 8:23; 1 Sam. 12:12. Rejected by Israel, 1 Sam. 8:7, 19; 10:19; 2 Chr. 13:8. See: God, Sovereign; Government.

  • Judge

    [isbe] JUDGE - juj (shopheT; New Testament dikastes, krites): In the early patriarchal times the heads of families and the elders of the tribes were the judges (compare Gen 38:24), and their authority was based on custom. In the wi...
    [nave] JUDGE Appointed by Persians, Ezra 7:25. Kings and other rulers as, 2 Sam. 8:15; 15:2; 1 Kin. 3:16-28; 10:9; 2 Kin. 8:1-6; Psa. 72:1-4; Matt. 27:11-26; Acts 23:34, 35; 24; 25:11, 12. Priests and Levites as, Deut. 17:9; 2 Ch...

  • Abiah

    [nave] ABIAH 1. Wife of Hezron, 1 Chr. 2:24. 2. Son of Samuel, 1 Sam. 8:1-5; 1 Chr. 6:28.

  • ELDER

    [smith] The term elder, or old man as the Hebrew literally imports, was one of extensive use, as an official title, among the Hebrews and the surrounding nations, because the heads of tribes and the leading people who had acquired in...

  • ARMY

    [isbe] ARMY - ar'-mi (chayil, "army," tsabha', "host," ma`arakhah, "army in battle array" gedhudh, "troop"): 1. The First Campaign of History 2. In the Wilderness 3. The Times after the Conquest 4. In the Early Monarchy 5. From the...

  • ASSESSOR

    [isbe] ASSESSOR - a-ses'-er: Lit. one who sits by another, an assistant; among the ancients especially an assistant to the king (compare "The assessor of his throne," Dryden, Milton's P.L., Book vi), or to the judge (see Dryden, Vi...

  • Bribery

    [isbe] BRIBERY - brib'-er-i (shochadh, "a gift," in a corrupt sense, "a bribe"): The Hebrew law condemns everything that would tend to impair the impartial administration of justice, particularly the giving and receiving of gifts o...
    [nave] BRIBERY. Ex. 23:8; Deut. 16:18, 19; Deut. 27:25; 1 Sam. 8:1, 3; Job 15:34; Psa. 26:9, 10; Prov. 15:27; Prov. 17:8, 23; Prov. 18:16; Prov. 21:14; Prov. 25:14; Prov. 28:21; Prov. 29:4; Eccl. 7:7; Isa. 1:23; Isa. 5:22, 23; Isa...

  • Joel

    [ebd] Jehovah is his God. (1.) The oldest of Samuel's two sons appointed by him as judges in Beersheba (1 Sam. 8:2). (See VASHNI.) (2.) A descendant of Reuben (1 Chr. 5:4,8). (3.) One of David's famous warriors (1 Chr. 11:38). (4....
    [smith] (to whom Jehovah is God). Eldest son of Samuel the prophet, (1 Samuel 8:2; 1 Chronicles 6:33; 15:17) and father of Heman the singer. (B.C. 1094.) In (1 Chronicles 6:36) Authorized Version, Joel seems to be merely a ...
    [nave] JOEL 1. Son of Samuel, 1 Sam. 8:2; 1 Chr. 6:33; 15:17. Called Vashni, 1 Chr. 6:28. 2. A Simeonite, 1 Chr. 4:35. 3. A Reubenite, 1 Chr. 5:4, 8. 4. A Gadite, 1 Chr. 5:12. 5. A Kohathite Levite, 1 Chr. 6:36. 6. Descendant...

  • KING

    [ebd] is in Scripture very generally used to denote one invested with authority, whether extensive or limited. There were thirty-one kings in Canaan (Josh. 12:9, 24), whom Joshua subdued. Adonibezek subdued seventy kings (Judg. 1:...
    [smith] "a chief ruler, one invested with supreme authority over a nation, tribe or country." --Webster. In the Bible the word does not necessarily imply great power or great extent of country. Many persons are called kings whom we s...

  • Minister

    [nave] MINISTER, a sacred teacher. Index of Sub-topics Miscellany of Minor Sub-topics; Call of; Character and Qualifications of; Charge Delivered to; Courage of; Duties of; Duties of the Church to; Emoluments of; Faithful, Instanc...
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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • "Throughout the remainder of the Pentateuch, the incident of the worship of the golden calf cast a dark shadow across Israel's relationship with God, much the same way as the account of the Fall in Genesis 3 marked a major tu...
  • Moses recognized that when Israel settled in Canaan and took on the characteristics of other nations (e.g., a homeland, political organization, etc.) her people would desire a king. As he revealed the mind of God here a king ...
  • 4:1-3 As long as Ehud lived he kept Israel faithful to God (v. 1). However after he died, God's people again turned from the Lord. In discipline God allowed the Canaanites in the North to gain strength and dominate the Israel...
  • The Israelites felt the main influence of the Ammonites on the east side of the Jordan River that bordered Ammon (v. 8). However the Ammonites also attacked the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim west of the Jordan (v. 9)...
  • Statements in the Book of Samuel imply that someone who had witnessed at least some of the events recorded wrote it. However the original writer must have written most of it after Samuel's death (i.e., -1 Sam. 25-2 Sam. 24) a...
  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • First and 2 Samuel are really one story. The translators divided them into two books for convenience, not because of subject matter.First Samuel records Israel's transition from amphictyony to monarchy.The key passage that ex...
  • I. Eli and Samuel chs. 1-3A. The change from barrenness to fertility 1:1-2:101. Hannah's condition 1:1-82. Hannah's vow 1:9-183. Hannah's obedience 1:19-284. Hannah's song 2:1-10B. The contrast between Samuel and Eli's sons 2...
  • Some commentators have seen Hannah's prayer as a non-essential song of praise included in the text for sentimental reasons, but this magnificent prayer provides the key to interpreting the rest of 1 and 2 Samuel. In this pray...
  • The primary purpose of this chapter, I believe, is to demonstrate the superiority of Yahweh over Dagon, the fertility god of the Philistines.655:1-5 Having captured the ark the Philistines brought it from Ebenezer to their ma...
  • In addition to providing the special leadership just described, Samuel's ministry as a judge in Israel included regular civil as well as spiritual leadership. He was active especially in the tribal territory of Benjamin and i...
  • "Clearly these five chapters constitute a literary unit, for they are immediately preceded by the formula that marks the end of the story of a judge (7:13-17) and immediately followed by the formula that marks the beginning o...
  • God had made provision for kings to rule His people in the Mosaic Law (Deut. 17:14-20; cf. Gen. 1:26-28; 17:6, 16; 35:11; 49:10). The request in itself was not what displeased Samuel and God. It was the reason they wanted a k...
  • Samuel explained what having a king similar to all the nations would mean. The elders were interested in the functionsof monarchy, but Samuel pointed out the natureof monarchy. It meant the loss of freedoms and possessions th...
  • Saul ("Asked [of God],"cf. 8:10) came from good Benjamite stock. His father was a man of property and influence. The same Hebrew expression, gibbor hayil, translated "valor,"describes Boaz in Ruth 2:1 and King Jeroboam I in 1...
  • The writer wrote chapters 12-15 very skillfully to parallel chapters 8-11. Each section begins with Samuel warning the people about the dangers of their requesting a king (chs. 8 and 12). Each one also follows with a descript...
  • Why did Samuel feel the need to justify his behavior publicly? Perhaps he knew that because the people had rebelled against God by demanding a king they would experience discipline from the Lord. When it came he did not want ...
  • The people's rebellion against God was not something they could undo. Consequences would follow. Nevertheless Samuel counselled them to follow and serve the Lord faithfully from then on. They should not fear that God would ab...
  • Saul was an active warrior and was effective to an extent due to his native abilities and God's limited blessing. He punished the enemies of Israel (vv. 47-48), which was God's will. Yet he did not subdue and defeat them all ...
  • "In the short pericope 13:7b-15a obedience was the stone on which Saul stumbled; here it is the rock that crushes him."147Chapter 15 records one of the battles Saul had with the Amalekites, Israel's enemy to the south (cf. 14...
  • Saul would miss David at his feast not only because his seat would be vacant but because warriors normally expressed their support for their king by eating with him at important meals (v. 18). David's absence would have raise...
  • Ackroyd, Peter R. The First Book of Samuel. Cambridge Bible Commentary on the New English Bible series. Cambridge, Eng.: University Press, 1971._____. "The Verb Love--'Aheb in the David-Jonathan Narratives--A Footnote."Vetus ...
  • The promises Yahweh made to David here are an important key to understanding God's program for the future.God rejected David's suggestion that he build a temple for the Lord and gave three reasons. First, there was no pressin...
  • Chapters 9-20 contrast with chapters 2-8 in that this later section is negative whereas the earlier one was positive. It records failure; the former records success. Compare the similar narrative of Saul's triumphs (1 Sam. 7-...
  • This is another section that contains one of Jeremiah's "confessions."Evidently there were several separate plots against the prophet's life (cf. 11:18-23; 12:1-6). People hated him because he brought bad news and called them...
  • This pericope contains 10 commands, and it is the center of the chiasm in chapters 1-3."The Lord's charge to Ezekiel emphasized the absolute necessity of hearing, understanding, and assimilating God's message prior to going f...
  • 13:9 By turning against the Lord who only desired to help them (cf. v. 4), the Israelites had done something that would result in their own destruction. How ironic it was that Israel's helper would become her destroyer!13:10 ...
  • The title of this book is the name of its writer, as is true of all the prophetical books of the Old Testament.We know little about Joel, whose name means "Yahweh is God."He was the son of Pethuel, who does not appear to have...
  • Pilate was a cruel ruler who made little attempt to understand the Jews whom he hated.1047He had treated them unfairly and brutally on many occasions, but recently Caesar had rebuked him severely.1048This probably accounts fo...
  • There is quite a bit of unique material in this pericope. This includes the details of the Roman soldiers' abuse of Jesus (vv. 1-5) and the situation that Pilate's learning that Jesus claimed to be the Son of God instigated (...
  • Peter proceeded to clarify the nature of the church and in doing so explained the duty of Christians in the world.2:9 All the figures of the church that Peter chose here originally referred to Israel. However with Israel's re...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

  • 1 Samuel 8:4-20The office of judge was as little capable of transmission from father to son as that of prophet, so that Samuel's appointment of his sons as judges must be regarded as contrary to its true idea. It was God who ...
  • A formal delegation of the representatives of the nation comes to Ramah, unsummoned by Samuel, with the demand for a king. There must have been much talk through Israel before the general mind could have been ascertained, and...
  • That, with eyes open to the consequences, persists in its demands. Samuel is bidden to show them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.' He sketches, in somber outline, the picture of an Eastern despot, the only k...
  • 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 rep...
  • 1 Samuel 10:17-27These verses fit on to 1 Samuel 8., 1 Samuel 9, through 1 Samuel 10:16, being probably from another source, inserted here because the anointing of Saul, told in them, did occur between Samuel's dismissal of t...
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