1 Samuel 8:12

12 And he will make them captains of thousands and of fifties; some he will put to work ploughing and cutting his grain and making his instruments of war and building his war-carriages.

1 Samuel 8:12 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 8:12

And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains
over fifties
Which though posts of honour, yet when they are not matter of choice, and especially being precarious, and depending on the arbitrary will of a prince, are not eligible, and less so to persons that choose another sort of life:

and [will set] them to ear his ground;
to plough it; not the same persons made captains of thousands and fifties, but others, whom he will employ in tilling and manuring his fields, and oblige them to it:

and to reap his harvest;
when it is ripe, and gather it in, and bring it home into his barns and garners:

and to make his instruments of war:
as swords, spears, bows and arrows, most commonly used in those times:

and instruments of chariots;
which seem to design chariots of war, and the iron spikes and scythes which were joined to them, to cut down the foot soldiers, when driven among them in battle, which are commonly called chariots of iron; see ( Joshua 17:16 ) ( Judges 4:3 ) .

1 Samuel 8:12 In-Context

10 And Samuel said all these words of the Lord to the people who were desiring a king.

11 And he said, This is the sort of king who will be your ruler: he will take your sons and make them his servants, his horsemen, and drivers of his war-carriages, and they will go running before his war-carriages;

12 And he will make them captains of thousands and of fifties; some he will put to work ploughing and cutting his grain and making his instruments of war and building his war-carriages.

13 Your daughters he will take to be makers of perfumes and cooks and bread-makers.

14 He will take your fields and your vine-gardens and your olive-gardens, all the best of them, and give them to his servants.