1 Samuel 9:1-6

Saul Chosen to Be King

1 There was a man of Benjamin whose name was ¹Kish, the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, a man of wealth.

2 And he had a son whose name was Saul, ²a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. ³From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.

3 Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul's father, were lost. So Kish said to Saul his son, "Take one of the young men with you, and arise, go and look for the donkeys."

4 And he passed through ⁴the hill country of Ephraim and passed through the land of ⁵Shalishah, but they did not find them. And they passed through the land of Shaalim, but they were not there. Then they passed through the land of Benjamin, but did not find them.

5 When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant^[a] who was with him, "Come, let us go back, ⁶lest my father cease to care about the donkeys and become anxious about us."

6 But he said to him, "Behold, there is ⁷a man of God in this city, and he is a man who is held in honor; ⁸all that he says comes true. So now let us go there. Perhaps he can tell us the way we should go."

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1 Samuel 9:1-6 Meaning and Commentary

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, 1Sa 9:1,2 and how seeking his father's asses, which were lost, he providentially came to the place where Samuel dwelt, 1Sa 9:3-5 and being advised by his servant, and approving of his advice, he concluded to go to him, and inquire the way he should go, 1Sa 9:6-10 and being directed by some young maidens, they found him presently in the street going to a feast, 1Sa 9:11-14 and Samuel having some previous notice from the Lord of such a person's coming to him that day, when he met him invited him to dine with him, and obliged him to stay with him that day, 1Sa 9:15-19 satisfied him about his asses, and gave him a hint of the grandeur he was to be raised to, to which Saul made a modest reply, 1Sa 9:20,21 and Samuel treated him at the feast in a very respectable manner, 1Sa 9:22-24 and privately communed with him of things preparatory to what he was about to make known unto him, 1Sa 9:25-27.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 8

1. 1 Samuel 14:51; 1 Chronicles 8:33; 1 Chronicles 9:39
2. [1 Samuel 8:16]
3. 1 Samuel 10:23
4. See Joshua 24:33
5. 2 Kings 4:42
6. 1 Samuel 10:2
7. Deuteronomy 33:1; Judges 13:6; 1 Kings 13:1
8. 1 Samuel 3:19

Footnotes 1

[a]. Hebrew young man; also verses 7, 8, 10, 27

The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.