1 Samuel 10:17-27

Saul Publicly Chosen King

17 Thereafter Samuel called the ¹people together to the LORD at Mizpah;

18 and he said to the sons of Israel, "²Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'I brought Israel up from Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the power of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.'

19 "But you ³have today rejected your God, who delivers you from all your calamities and your distresses; yet you have said, 'No, but set a king over us!' Now therefore, ⁴present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and by your clans."

20 Thus Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot.

21 Then he brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its families, and the Matrite family was taken. And Saul the son of Kish was taken; but when they looked for him, he could not be found.

22 Therefore ⁵they inquired further of the LORD, "Has the man come here yet?" So the LORD said, "Behold, he is hiding himself by the baggage."

23 So they ran and took him from there, and when he stood among the people, ⁶he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward.

24 Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see him ⁷whom the LORD has chosen? Surely there is no one like him among all the people." So all the people shouted and said, "⁸Long live the king!"

25 Then Samuel told the people ⁹the ordinances of the kingdom, and wrote them in the book and ¹⁰placed it before the LORD. And Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his house.

26 Saul also went ¹¹to his house at Gibeah; and the valiant men whose hearts God had touched went with him.

27 But certain ¹²worthless men said, "How can this one deliver us?" And they despised him and ¹³did not bring him any present. But he kept silent.

1 Samuel 10:17-27 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 10

In this chapter we read of Saul's being anointed king by Samuel, 1Sa 10:1, and of certain signs given as confirming the same, which should come to pass, and did, before Saul got to his father's house, 1Sa 10:2-13, of his arrival at his father's house, and of what passed between him and his uncle there, 1Sa 10:14-16, of Samuel's calling all Israel together at Mizpeh, and of the election of Saul by lot to be king, and of his being declared such, 1Sa 10:17-25, and of his return to his city, being respected by some, and despised by others, 1Sa 10:26,27.

Cross References

• 1. Judges 20:1; 1 Samuel 7:5
• 2. Judges 6:8, 9
• 3. 1 Samuel 8:6, 7; 1 Samuel 12:12
• 4. Joshua 7:14-18; Joshua 24:1; Proverbs 16:33
• 5. 1 Samuel 23:2, 4
• 6. 1 Samuel 9:2
• 7. Deuteronomy 17:15; 2 Samuel 21:6
• 8. 1 Kin 1:25, 34, 39
• 9. Deuteronomy 17:14-20; 1 Samuel 8:11-18
• 10. Deuteronomy 31:26
• 11. 1 Samuel 11:4; 1 Samuel 15:34
• 12. Deuteronomy 13:13; 1 Samuel 25:17
• 13. 1 Kings 10:25; 2 Chronicles 17:5

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "hand"
• [b]. So with several mss and versions; M.T. "said to Him"
• [c]. Lit "May the king live"
• [d]. Lit "sons of Belial," cf 2 Cor 6:15