Shmuel Alef 11:1

1 1 Then Nachash the Ammoni came up, and laid siege to Yavesh Gil’ad; and all the anashim of Yavesh said unto Nachash, Make a brit with us, and we will serve thee.

Shmuel Alef 11:1 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 11:1

Then Nahash the Ammonite came up, and encamped against
Jabeshgilead
A month after, as in the Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions, that is, a month after Saul was chosen king; so Josephus ^F16: this prince was preparing for war against Israel before, which they hearing of, requested they might have a king to go before them in battle, ( 1 Samuel 12:12 ) but now he actually marched from his own country, and besieged Jabeshgilead, a city in the land of Gilead, from whence it had its name, and lay in the half tribe of Manasseh, on the other side Jordan, see ( Judges 21:8 ) . It lay near to the Ammonites, and was part of the country they laid claim to in the times of Jephthah, which they now renewed, and attempted to gain it by force. This Nahash was king of the Ammonites, as he is called in the Targum, and by Josephus ^F17, and so in the Arabic version, see ( 1 Samuel 12:12 )

and all the men of Jabeshgilead said unto Nahash, make a covenant with
us;
they desired to be his allies and confederates, live in peace and friendship with him, and enjoy their religion and liberties on certain conditions they were willing to come into; and this was the sense of them all, or at least the greatest part, which showed a mean and abject spirit in them, to make no defence of themselves, but as soon as besieged to move for a capitulation. This doubtless arose from a sense of their weakness, not being able to hold it out long, and from an apprehension that their brethren the Israelites, on the other side Jordan, could give them no assistance, being in an unsettled condition, having chosen a king, and he scarcely on the throne, and the Philistines having great power over them:

and we will serve thee;
not as slaves, but as tributaries; they were willing to pay a yearly tax to him.

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FOOTNOTES:

F16 Antiqu. l. 6. c. 5. sect. 1.
F17 Ibid.

Shmuel Alef 11:1 In-Context

1 1 Then Nachash the Ammoni came up, and laid siege to Yavesh Gil’ad; and all the anashim of Yavesh said unto Nachash, Make a brit with us, and we will serve thee.

2 And Nachash the Ammoni answered them, On this condition will I cut a brit with you, that I may gouge out all your ayin yamin (right eyes), and so bring cherpah upon kol Yisroel.

3 And the Zekenim of Yavesh said unto him, Give us shivat yamim that we may send malachim unto all the territory of Yisroel; and then, if there be no moshi’a to save us, we will come out and surrender to thee.

4 Then came the malachim to Giveat Sha’ul, and told the devarim in the oznayim of HaAm; and kol HaAm lifted up their kol (voices), and wept.

5 And, hinei, Sha’ul came after the bakar out of the sadeh; and Sha’ul said, What aileth HaAm that they weep? And they told him the divrei anshei Yavesh.