1 Samuel 12:1

Samuel's Final Public Speech

1 Then Samuel said to all Israel, "I have carefully listened to everything you said to me and placed a king over you.^[a]

1 Samuel 12:1 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 12:1

And Samuel said unto all Israel
When assembled at Gilgal, after they had recognized Saul as their king, and he was established in the kingdom, and while in the midst of their mirth and joy:

behold, I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye have said unto
me;
respecting the affair of a king, to which it must be limited, as appears by what follows; otherwise it is possible, in some things they might apply to him about, he did not think fit to hearken to them, and grant their request, or speak for them:

and have made a king over you;
that is, had by the direction and appointment of God chosen one by lot, anointed and declared him king; for it was the Lord alone, that, properly speaking, made him a king.

1 Samuel 12:1 In-Context

1 Then Samuel said to all Israel, "I have carefully listened to everything you said to me and placed a king over you.

2 But now, you can see that the king is leading you. As for me, I'm old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have led you from my youth until today.

3 Here I am. Bring charges against me before the Lord and His anointed: Whose ox or donkey have I taken? Whom have I wronged or mistreated? From whose hand have I taken a bribe to overlook something?I will return it to you."

4 "You haven't wronged us, you haven't mistreated us, and you haven't taken anything from anyone's hand," they responded.

5 He said to them, "The Lord is a witness against you, and His anointed is a witness today that you haven't found anything in my hand." "[He is] a witness," they said.

Footnotes

• [a]. 1 Sm 8:5-22