1 Samuel 11:9-15

9 He told the messengers who had come, "Tell this to the men of Jabesh-gilead: 'Deliverance will be yours tomorrow by the time the sun is hot.' " So the messengers told the men of Jabesh, and they rejoiced.

10 Then the men of Jabesh said to [Nahash], "Tomorrow we will come out, and you can do whatever you want^[a] to us."

11 The next day Saul organized the troops into three divisions. During the morning watch, they invaded the Ammonite camp and slaughtered them until the heat of the day. There were survivors, but they were so scattered that no two of them were left together.

Saul's Confirmation as King

12 Afterwards, the people said to Samuel, "Who said that Saul should not^[b] reign over us?^[c] Give us those men so we can kill them!"^[d]

13 But Saul ordered, "No one will be executed this day, for today the Lord has provided deliverance in Israel."

14 Then Samuel said to the people, "Come, let's go to Gilgal,^[e] so we can renew^[f] the kingship there."

15 So all the people went to Gilgal, and there in the Lord's presence they made Saul king. There they sacrificed fellowship offerings in the Lord's presence, and Saul and all the men of Israel greatly rejoiced.

1 Samuel 11:9-15 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 11

This chapter relates the distress the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead were in on account of the Ammonites, 1Sa 11:1-3 upon which they sent messengers to Saul, whose spirit was immediately stirred up to help them, 1Sa 11:4-6, and prepared for it, and came up soon enough for their relief, and slew their enemies, 1Sa 11:7-11, which gained him much honour and reputation among the people, and occasioned the renewal of the kingdom to him, 1Sa 11:12-15.

Footnotes

• [a] Lit do what is good in your eyes
• [b] Some Hb mss, LXX; other Hb mss omit not
• [c] 1 Sm 10:27
• [d] Lk 19:27
• [e] 1 Sm 13:8-15; 15:10-26
• [f] 1 Sm 10:24