1 Samuel 11:1-13

Saul Defeats the Ammonites

1 Now ¹Nahash the Ammonite came up and besieged * ²Jabesh-gilead *; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Make ³a covenant with us and we will serve you."

2 But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, "I will make it with you on this condition, ⁴that I will gouge out the right eye of every one of you, thus I will make it ⁵a reproach on all Israel."

3 ⁶The elders of Jabesh said to him, "Let us alone for seven days, that we may send messengers throughout the territory of Israel. Then, if there is no one to deliver us, we will come out to you."

4 Then the messengers came ⁷to Gibeah of Saul and spoke these words in the hearing of the people, and all the people ⁸lifted up their voices and wept.

5 Now behold, Saul was coming from the field ⁹behind the oxen, and he said, "What is the matter with the people that they weep?" So they related to him the words of the men of Jabesh.

6 Then ¹⁰the Spirit of God came upon Saul mightily when he heard these words, and he became very angry *.

7 He took a yoke of oxen and ¹¹cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout the territory of Israel by the hand of messengers, saying, "¹²Whoever does not come out after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen." Then the dread of the LORD fell on the people, and they came out ¹³as one man.

8 He numbered them in ¹⁴Bezek; and the ¹⁵sons of Israel were 300,000 * *, and the men of Judah 30,000 *.

9 They said to the messengers who had come, "Thus you shall say to the men of Jabesh-gilead *, 'Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you will have deliverance.' " So the messengers went and told the men of Jabesh; and they were glad.

10 Then the men of Jabesh said, "¹⁶Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you may do to us whatever seems good to you."

11 The next morning Saul put the people ¹⁷in three companies; and they came into the midst of the camp at the morning watch and struck down the Ammonites until the heat of the day. Those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.

12 Then the people said to Samuel, "¹⁸Who is he that said, 'Shall Saul reign over us?' ¹⁹Bring the men, that we may put them to death."

13 But Saul said, "²⁰Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today ²¹the LORD has accomplished deliverance in Israel."

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1 Samuel 11:1-13 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 11

This chapter relates the distress the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead were in on account of the Ammonites, 1Sa 11:1-3 upon which they sent messengers to Saul, whose spirit was immediately stirred up to help them, 1Sa 11:4-6, and prepared for it, and came up soon enough for their relief, and slew their enemies, 1Sa 11:7-11, which gained him much honour and reputation among the people, and occasioned the renewal of the kingdom to him, 1Sa 11:12-15.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 21

1. 1 Samuel 12:12
2. Judges 21:8; 1 Samuel 31:11
3. Genesis 26:28; 1 Kings 20:34; Job 41:4; Ezekiel 17:13
4. Numbers 16:14
5. 1 Samuel 17:26; Psalms 44:13
6. 1 Samuel 8:4
7. 1 Samuel 10:26; 1 Samuel 15:34
8. Genesis 27:38; Judges 2:4; Judges 20:23, 26; Judges 21:2; 1 Samuel 30:4
9. 1 Kings 19:19
10. Judges 3:10; Judges 6:34; Judges 11:29; Judges 13:25; Judges 14:6; 1 Samuel 10:10; 1 Samuel 16:13
11. Judges 19:29
12. Judges 21:5, 8
13. Judges 20:1
14. Judges 1:5
15. Judges 20:2
16. 1 Samuel 11:3
17. Judges 7:16, 20
18. 1 Samuel 10:27
19. Luke 19:27
20. 1 Samuel 10:27; 2 Samuel 19:22
21. Exodus 14:13, 30; 1 Samuel 19:5

Footnotes 6

[a]. Lit "camped against"
[b]. Lit "Saul"
[c]. Lit "his anger burned exceedingly"
[d]. Lit "mustered"
[e]. Lit "in your sight"
[f]. Lit "Give"