1 Samuel 8:12

12 He will appoint them to serve him as officers in charge of a thousand or of fifty, plowing his fields, gathering his harvest, and making his weapons and the equipment for his chariots.

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 Sh'mu'el reported everything ADONAI had said to the people asking him for a king.

11 He said, "Here is the kind of rulings your king will make: he will draft your sons and assign them to take care of his chariots, be his horsemen and be bodyguards running ahead of his chariots.

12 He will appoint them to serve him as officers in charge of a thousand or of fifty, plowing his fields, gathering his harvest, and making his weapons and the equipment for his chariots.

13 He will take your daughters and have them be perfume-makers, cooks and bakers.

14 He will expropriate your fields, vineyards and olive groves - the very best of them! - and hand them over to his servants.