1 Samuel 9:2-12

2 He had a son whose name was Saul, a ¹choice and handsome man, and there was not a more handsome person than he among the sons of Israel; ²from his shoulders and up he was taller than any of the people.

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

4 He passed through ³the hill country of Ephraim and passed through the land of ⁴Shalishah, but they did not find them. Then they passed through the land of ⁵Shaalim, but they were not there. Then he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they did not find them.

5 When they came to the land of ⁶Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, "Come, and let us return, ⁷or else my father will cease to be concerned about the donkeys and will become anxious for us."

6 He said to him, "Behold now, there is ⁸a man of God in this city, and the man is held in honor; ⁹all that he says surely comes true. Now let us go there, ¹⁰perhaps he can tell us about our journey on which we have set out."

7 Then Saul said to his servant, "But behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? For the bread is gone from our sack and there is ¹¹no present to bring to the man of God. What do we have?"

8 The servant answered Saul again and said, "Behold, I have in my hand a fourth of a shekel of silver; I will give it to the man of God and he will ¹²tell us our way."

9 (Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he used to say, "Come, and let us go to the seer "; for he who is called a prophet now was formerly called ¹³a seer.)

10 Then Saul said to his servant, "Well said; come, let us go." So they went to the city where * the man of God was.

11 As they went up the slope to the city, ¹⁴they found young women going out to draw water and said to them, "Is the seer here?"

12 They answered them and said, "He is; see, he is ahead of you. Hurry now, for he has come into the city today, for ¹⁵the people have a sacrifice on ¹⁶the high place today.

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1 Samuel 9:2-12 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 16

1. 1 Samuel 10:24
2. 1 Samuel 10:23
3. Joshua 24:33
4. 2 Kings 4:42
5. Joshua 19:42
6. 1 Samuel 1:1
7. 1 Samuel 10:2
8. Deuteronomy 33:1; 1 Kings 13:1; 2 Kings 5:8
9. 1 Samuel 3:19
10. Genesis 24:42
11. 1 Kings 14:3; 2 Kings 5:15; 2 Kings 8:8, 9; Ezekiel 13:19
12. 1 Samuel 9:6
13. 2 Samuel 24:11; 2 Kings 17:13; 1 Chronicles 9:22; 1 Chronicles 26:28; 1 Chronicles 29:29; Isaiah 30:10; Amos 7:12
14. Genesis 24:11, 15; Genesis 29:8, 9; Exodus 2:16
15. Genesis 31:54; Numbers 28:11-15; 1 Kings 3:2
16. 1 Samuel 7:17; 1 Samuel 10:5

Footnotes 1

[a]. Or "behold"

1 Samuel 9:2-12

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1 Samuel 9:2-12 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 9

Cross References 16

Footnotes 1