1 Samuel 8:7

7 «Haz todo lo que te digan —le respondió el Señor
—, porque es a mí a quien rechazan y no a ti; ya no quieren que yo siga siendo su rey.

1 Samuel 8:7 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 8:7

And the Lord said unto Samuel
He appeared to him in a vision or dream, and by an articulate voice delivered to him what follows:

hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee;
not as approving of what they said, but permitting and allowing what they asked, as a punishment of them for their disloyalty and ingratitude, and as resenting their ill behaviour to him; for it was in anger he assented to their request, ( Hosea 13:11 )

for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me that I
should not reign over them;
most interpreters supply the word "only", as if the sense was, that they had not only rejected Samuel from judging them, but the Lord also from reigning over them; and which is spoken to comfort Samuel, and to alleviate the pressure on his mind for the ill treatment he had met with; for since they had served the Lord after this manner, it was no wonder he should be ill used, and might bear it with great patience: but I see no reason why the word may not be taken absolutely, that they had not rejected Samuel from all share in the government, at least from judging the people; for so he continued all the days of his life, even after they had a king over them; but they entirely rejected the sole and peculiar government of God over them.

1 Samuel 8:7 In-Context

5 «Mira, Samuel —le dijeron—, ya eres anciano y tus hijos no son como tú. Danos un rey para que nos juzgue así como lo tienen las demás naciones».

6 Samuel se disgustó con esta petición y fue al Señor
en busca de orientación.

7 «Haz todo lo que te digan —le respondió el Señor
—, porque es a mí a quien rechazan y no a ti; ya no quieren que yo siga siendo su rey.

8 Desde que los saqué de Egipto me han abandonado continuamente y han seguido a otros dioses. Y ahora te tratan a ti de la misma manera.

9 Haz lo que te pidan, pero adviérteles seriamente acerca de la manera en que reinará sobre ellos un rey».