1 Samuel 12:12

12 Quando vistes que Naás, rei dos filhos de Amom, vinha contra vós, dissestes-me: Não, mas reinará sobre nós um rei; entretanto, o Senhor vosso Deus era o vosso Rei.

1 Samuel 12:12 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 12:12

And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon
came against you
Or "but yet" ^F11; however, notwithstanding though the Lord had been so kind and gracious to them, as to raise up judges one after another to deliver them, when they cried unto him, yet when they perceived that Nahash the Ammonite was preparing to make war with them, instead of applying to the Lord for his protection, they desired to have a king to go before them, and fight their battles, as follows: nay,

but a king shall reign over us;
though Samuel told them they had no need of one:

when the Lord your God was your King;
and would protect and defend them, if they applied to him, and would put their trust in him; and he himself Samuel was their judge, and would be their general and commander, and they had experience of success under him to the utter destruction of their enemies, ( 1 Samuel 7:10 ) and yet, notwithstanding all this, they insisted upon it to have a king. According to Abarbinel, this preparation of Nahash to war with them was after they had asked for a king, and was a punishment of them for their request; and yet they repented not of it, but in effect said, though Nahash, and all the enemies in the world come against us, we will not go back from our request, but insist on it, that we have a king to reign over us; such was their obstinacy and perverseness.

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FOOTNOTES:

F11 (wartw) "videntes autem", V. L. "sed", Tigurine version; "et tamen", Vatablus, Piscator.

1 Samuel 12:12 In-Context

10 Clamaram, pois, ao Senhor, e disseram: Pecamos, porque deixamos ao Senhor, e servimos aos baalins e astarotes; agora, porém, livra-nos da mão de nossos inimigos, e te serviremos:

11 Então o Senhor enviou Jerubaal, e Baraque, e Jefté, e Samuel; e vos livrou da mão de vossos inimigos em redor, e habitastes em segurança.

12 Quando vistes que Naás, rei dos filhos de Amom, vinha contra vós, dissestes-me: Não, mas reinará sobre nós um rei; entretanto, o Senhor vosso Deus era o vosso Rei.

13 Agora, eis o rei que escolhestes e que pedistes; eis que o Senhor tem posto sobre vós um rei.

14 Se temerdes ao Senhor, e o servirdes, e derdes ouvidos � sua voz, e não fordes rebeldes �s suas ordens, e se tanto vós como o rei que reina sobre vós seguirdes o Senhor vosso Deus, bem está;