1 Samuel 8:15-22

15 "He will take a tenth of your seed and of your vineyards and give to his officers and to his servants.

16 "He will also take your male servants and your female servants and your best young men and your donkeys and use them for his work.

17 "He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his servants.

18 "Then ¹you will cry out in that day because * of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but ²the LORD will not answer you in that day."

19 Nevertheless, the people ³refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, "No, but there shall be a king over us,

20 ⁴that we also may be like all the nations, that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles."

21 Now after Samuel had heard all the words of the people, ⁵he repeated them in the LORD'S hearing.

22 The LORD said to Samuel, "⁶Listen to their voice and appoint them a king." So Samuel said to the men of Israel, "Go every man to his city."

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1 Samuel 8:15-22 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 8

This chapter relates, how that Samuel being old, and his sons behaving ill, the people desired to have a king set over them, 1Sa 8:1-5, which case Samuel laid before the Lord, and he was directed by him to yield to the people's desire, but at the same time to set before them all the disadvantages and ill consequences that would arise from thence, which he did, 1Sa 8:6-18, but they insisting upon it, nevertheless, he gave them reason to expect that their request would be granted, 1Sa 8:19-22.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 6

1. Isaiah 8:21
2. Proverbs 1:25-28; Isaiah 1:15; Micah 3:4
3. Isaiah 66:4; Jeremiah 44:16
4. 1 Samuel 8:5
5. Judges 11:11
6. 1 Samuel 8:7

Footnotes 2

[a]. Lit "make"
[b]. Lit "cause a king to reign for them"