1 Samuël 12:2

2 En nu, ziet, daar trekt de koning voor uw aangezicht heen, en ik ben oud en grijs geworden, en ziet, mijn zonen zijn bij ulieden; en ik heb voor uw aangezichten gewandeld van mijn jeugd af tot dezen dag toe.

1 Samuël 12:2 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 12:2

And now, behold, the king walketh before you
He invested with his office, and in the exercise of it, and goes in and out as the captain, commander, and leader of the people; it is expressive of his being in the full possession of regal power and authority, and therefore Samuel might speak the more freely, as he could not be thought to have any hope and expectation of being reinstated in his government, or to have parted with it with any regret; and he wisely took this opportunity of reproving the people for their sin of desiring a king, when Saul was settled and established in his kingdom, and when they were in the midst of all their mirth and jollity, who might, from the success that had attended this first adventure of their king, conclude that they had done a right and good thing in requesting to have one:

and I am old, and grey headed;
and so unfit for government, and very willing to be eased of the burden of it: he must surely be more than fifty two years of age, as the Jews generally say he was, since it is not usual at such an age to be grey headed, (See Gill on 1 Samuel 8:1); however, on this account he merited reverence and respect, and demanded attention:

and, behold, my sons are with you;
as private persons in the condition of subjects, making no pretension to government; and if they had committed anything criminal, they were open to the law, and might be charged, and tried, and treated according to their deserts; and there they were, and might be asked what questions they thought proper with respect to what they knew of his conduct; and to be hostages or bail for him, if they could prove anything against him; or to be taken to make satisfaction for any injuries committed by him:

and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day;
his manner of and conversation from his infancy to this time was well known to them, and he had spent all his days in the service of God, and for the good of Israel.

1 Samuël 12:2 In-Context

1 Toen zeide Samuel tot gans Israel: Ziet, ik heb naar ulieder stem gehoord in alles, wat gij mij gezegd hebt, en ik heb een koning over u gezet.

2 En nu, ziet, daar trekt de koning voor uw aangezicht heen, en ik ben oud en grijs geworden, en ziet, mijn zonen zijn bij ulieden; en ik heb voor uw aangezichten gewandeld van mijn jeugd af tot dezen dag toe.

3 Ziet, hier ben ik, betuigt tegen mij, voor den HEERE, en voor Zijn gezalfde, wiens os ik genomen heb, en wiens ezel ik genomen heb, en wien ik verongelijkt heb, wien ik onderdrukt heb, en van wiens hand ik een geschenk genomen heb, dat ik mijn ogen van hem zou verborgen hebben; zo zal ik het ulieden wedergeven.

4 Toen zeiden zij: Gij hebt ons niet verongelijkt, en gij hebt ons niet onderdrukt, en gij hebt van niemands hand iets genomen.

5 Toen zeide hij tot hen: De HEERE zij een Getuige tegen ulieden, en Zijn gezalfde zij te dezen dage getuige, dat gij in mijn hand niets gevonden hebt! En het volk zeide: Hij zij Getuige!