841 matching verse commentaries
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And he will take your manservants, and your maidservants,.... Into his own family, for his own use and service, if he wants them, or likes them better than what he has: and your goodliest young men: that are tall and lusty, comely and beautiful, of a proper stature and good aspect; and such in all countries used to be chosen for officers in...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
He will take the tenth of your sheep,.... As well as of their seed and vineyards; and not the tithe of their flocks only, but of their herds also, which are here included, as Kimchi observes: and ye shall be his servants: made slaves of by him, even as the Canaanitish servants were, according to Abarbinel; though others interpret it more mildly of...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And ye shall cry out in that day, because of your king,.... His power and pride, his oppression and tyranny, his heavy exactions, and intolerable yoke, and yet not be able to free themselves from them; all that they could do would be only to cry out under them as grievously distressed, and not knowing how to help themselves; and which would be the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Nevertheless, the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel,.... The advice he gave not to think of a king, but be content with the government under which they were; but to this they would not hearken, notwithstanding all the inconveniences that would attend such a change: and they said, nay, but we will have a king over us; they would not...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
That we also may be like all the nations,.... Even though they were slaves, like them; a king they would have, as they had, such was their stupidity. It was their greatest honour and glory, as well as happiness, not to be like other nations; as in their religion, laws, and liberties, so in their form of government; God being their King in such a...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Samuel heard all the words of the people,.... Patiently, and without interruption; attentively heard them, took notice of them, laid them up in his memory; but gave no answer to them, but reported them to the Lord, as in the next clause: and he rehearsed them in the ears of the Lord; privately, in a free and familiar manner, with great...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the Lord said to Samuel,.... an audible voice, or by an impulse upon his mind: hearken unto their voice, and make them a king; since they will have a king, let them have one, and let them know that they shall have one: and Samuel said unto the men of Israel: the elders of the people that addressed him on this occasion, 1 Samuel 8:4 go ye every...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 9 This chapter gives an account of Saul, the person the Lord had appointed to be king of Israel; it relates his descent, and describes his person, 1 Samuel 9:1 and how seeking his father's asses, which were lost, he providentially came to the place where Samuel dwelt, 1 Samuel 9:3 and being advised by his servant, and...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Now there was a man of Benjamin,.... Of the tribe of Benjamin, which had its name from the youngest son of Jacob, and one of this tribe was the first king of Israel: whose name was Kish: whom the apostle calls Cis, Acts 13:21, and Josephus (i) Cises; his name, according to Hillerus (k), signifies "ensnared"; for what reason it was given him is not...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And he had a son whose name was Saul,.... Of this name was the great apostle of the Gentiles before his conversion, and was of the same tribe also; but very different in stature; he was a little man, this a large tall man, like his father perhaps; a choice young man, and a goodly; 1 Samuel 2:1 of a goodly aspect, a comely man, tall and well...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the asses of Kish, Saul's father, were lost,.... Had got out of the stables or fields, in which they were kept, and strayed from thence: and Kish said to Saul his son, take now one of the servants with thee, and arise, go seek the asses; he chose not to send his servants only, who might not be so careful and diligent in searching for them, but...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And they passed through Mount Ephraim,.... The mountainous part of that tribe, which lay contiguous to the tribe of Benjamin, where it might be supposed the asses had strayed to: and passed through the land of Shalisha; a tract in the tribe of Benjamin, so called from some illustrious person, prince, and duke of it; in it very probably was the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And when they were come to the land of Zuph,.... In which was Ramathaimzophim, the native place of Samuel, 1 Samuel 1:1 and so the Targum here, "the land in which was the prophet'' Saul said to the servant that was with him, come, and let us return; home, despairing of finding the asses after so long a search in divers places: lest my father leave...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And he said unto him,.... That is, the servant of Saul: behold, now, there is in this city a man of God; a prophet of the Lord, as the Targum; such were called men of God, because not only partakers of the grace of God, but of extraordinary gifts, which qualified them for the office of prophets. The city near to which they now were was Ramah, the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then Saul said to his servant, but behold, if we go,.... The Targum is, "if he receives money,'' which it seems Saul was not clear in; some sort of persons that set up for prophets, and a sort of diviners and fortune tellers, did; but he could not tell whether so eminent and honourable a person as Samuel was, did; in as much he was not better...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the servant answered Saul again, and said,.... As he had answered him before, when Saul proposed to return home, by telling him there was an honourable man of God in the city near at hand, that might possibly be able to direct them which way they should go to find the asses: so he answers him again with respect to the present it was proper to...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Before time in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God,.... To ask doctrine of him, as the Targum, to be taught by him, to have his mind and will in any affair of moment and importance; which was usually done by applying to some man of God, eminent for grace and piety, and a spirit of prophecy: thus he spake, come, and let us go to the seer; a...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then said Saul to his servant, well said,.... Or "good is thy word" (d), thou hast well spoken; it is a good proposal thou hast made, and thou art very generous to give all thou hast to the man; and very promising it is, that since he is a seer he may inform us where the asses are, or which way we must take to find them. Things look feasible...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And as they went up the hill to the city,.... For the city was built upon an hill, from whence it had the name of Ramah, which signifies high and lifted up: they found young maidens going out to draw water: going out of the city, to a fountain which was at the bottom of the hill; and this was the usual business of maidens in those countries to...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And they answered them, and said, he is,.... That is, he is in the city, at home, and to be spoken with: behold, he is before you; his house is straight before you as you go along, you cannot miss of it. Some Jewish writers say (f) they gave a token to know it by, that there was a cloud at the door, and when they saw that, they might know it was...