1 Samuel 8

1 And it was done, when Samuel waxed eld, he set his sons to be judges of Israel. (And it was done, when Samuel grew old, he made his sons to be judges in Israel.)

2 And the name of his first begotten son was Joel, and the name of the second was Abiah, that were judges in Beersheba (and they were judges in Beersheba).

3 And his sons went not in his ways, but they bowed after avarice, and they took gifts, and perverted doom (and perverted justice, or judgement).

4 Therefore all the greater men in birth of Israel were gathered together, and came to Samuel into Ramah. (And so all the men of great age, that is, the elders, of Israel gathered together, and came to Samuel in Ramah.)

5 And they said to him, Lo! thou hast waxed eld, and thy sons go not in thy ways; ordain thou a king to us, that he deem us, as also all other nations have. (And they said to him, Lo! thou hast grown old, and thy sons do not go in thy ways; ordain thou a king for us, so that he can judge, or can rule, us, like all the other nations have.)

6 And the word displeased in the eyes of Samuel, for they had said, Give thou to us a king, that he deem us. And Samuel prayed to the Lord. (And this request displeased Samuel, for they had said, Give thou a king to us, so that he can judge us. And Samuel prayed to the Lord.)

7 And the Lord said to Samuel, Hear thou the voice of the people in all things that they speak to thee; for they have not cast away thee (for they have not thrown thee away), but me, (so) that I reign not upon them.

8 By all the works that they have done, from the day in which I led them out of Egypt unto this day, as they have forsaken me, and they have served alien gods, so they do also to thee (and they have served foreign, or other, gods, and now they also do to thee).

9 Now therefore hear thou their voice; nevertheless witness thou to them; and before-say thou to them the right of the king, that shall reign upon them (and tell thou them, the rights of the king who shall reign over them).

10 Then Samuel said all the words of the Lord to the people, that had asked of him a king (who had asked him for a king);

11 and he said, This shall be the right of the king, that shall command to you; he shall take your sons, and he shall set them in his chariots; and he shall make them to himself riders, and before-goers of his carts (and he shall make them to be his horsemen, or his riders, and to run before his chariots);

12 and he shall ordain to him tribunes, that is, sovereigns of a thousand, and centurions, that is, sovereigns of an hundred, and earers/tillers of his fields, and reapers of his corns, and smiths of his armours, and (smiths) of his chariots. (and he shall ordain his tribunes, that is, the rulers of a thousand, and his centurions, that is, the rulers of a hundred, and the tillers of his fields, and the reapers of his harvest, and the smiths of his arms, or of his weapons, and the smiths of his chariots.)

13 Also he shall make your daughters (to be) makers of his ointments, and his fire-makers (and his cooks), and (his) bakers/his makers of bread.

14 And he shall take your fields, and your vineries (and your vineyards), and the best places of olives, and he shall give those to his servants.

15 But also he shall take the tenth part of your corns, and (of) the rents of your vineries, that he give those to his chamberlains, and [to his] servants.

16 And he shall take away your servants, and your handmaids, and your best young men, and your asses, and he shall set these in his work. (And he shall take away your servants, and your servantesses, and your best young men, and your donkeys, and he shall make them do his bidding/and he shall make them work for him.)

17 Also he shall take the tenth part of your flocks; and ye shall be his servants.

18 And ye shall cry in that day from the face of your king, whom ye have chosen to you; and the Lord shall not hear you in that day; for ye [have] asked (for) a king to you. (And ye shall cry out on that day because of your king, whom ye have chosen for yourselves; but the Lord shall not hear you on that day; for ye have asked for a king for yourselves.)

19 Soothly the people would not hear the voice of Samuel, but they said, Nay, for a king shall be on us; (But the people would not listen to Samuel, and they said, No! let a king rule over us;)

20 and (then) we also shall be as all folks (and then we shall be like all the other nations), and our king shall deem us, and he shall go out before us, and he shall fight our battles for us.

21 And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he spake them in the ears of the Lord.

22 And the Lord said to Samuel, Hear thou their voices, and ordain thou a king upon them. And Samuel said to the men of Israel, Each man go into his city (Now everyone go home).

1 Samuel 8 Commentary

Chapter 8

The evil government of Samuel's sons. (1-3) The Israelites ask for a king. (4-9) The manner of a king. (10-22)

Verses 1-3 It does not appear that Samuel's sons were so profane and vicious as Eli's sons; but they were corrupt judges, they turned aside after lucre. Samuel took no bribes, but his sons did, and then they perverted judgment. What added to the grievance of the people was, that they were threatened by an invasion from Nahash, king of the Ammonites.

Verses 4-9 Samuel was displeased; he could patiently bear what reflected on himself, and his own family; but it displeased him when they said, Give us a king to judge us, because that reflected upon God. It drove him to his knees. When any thing disturbs us, it is our interest, as well as our duty, to show our trouble before God. Samuel is to tell them that they shall have a king. Not that God was pleased with their request, but as sometimes he opposes us from loving-kindness, so at other times he gratifies us in wrath; he did so here. God knows how to bring glory to himself, and serves his own wise purposes, even by men's foolish counsels.

Verses 10-22 If they would have a king to rule them, as the eastern kings ruled their subjects, they would find the yoke exceedingly heavy. Those that submit to the government of the world and the flesh, are told plainly, what hard masters they are, and what tyranny the dominion of sin is. The law of God and the manner of men widely differ from each other; the former should be our rule in the several relations of life; the latter should be the measure of our expectations from others. These would be their grievances, and, when they complained to God, he would not hear them. When we bring ourselves into distress by our own wrong desires and projects, we justly forfeit the comfort of prayer, and the benefit of Divine aid. The people were obstinate and urgent in their demand. Sudden resolves and hasty desires make work for long and leisurely repentance. Our wisdom is, to be thankful for the advantages, and patient under the disadvantages of the government we may live under; and to pray continually for our rulers, that they may govern us in the fear of God, and that we may live under them in all godliness and honesty. And it is a hopeful symptom when our desires of worldly objects can brook delay; and when we can refer the time and manner of their being granted to God's providence.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 8

This chapter relates, how that Samuel being old, and his sons behaving ill, the people desired to have a king set over them, 1Sa 8:1-5, which case Samuel laid before the Lord, and he was directed by him to yield to the people's desire, but at the same time to set before them all the disadvantages and ill consequences that would arise from thence, which he did, 1Sa 8:6-18, but they insisting upon it, nevertheless, he gave them reason to expect that their request would be granted, 1Sa 8:19-22.