1 Samuel 11:10

10 Then the men of Jabesh said, "¹Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you may do to us whatever seems good to you."

1 Samuel 11:10 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 11:10

Therefore the men of Jabesh said
To Nahash the Ammonite:

tomorrow we will come out unto you;
meaning if they had no help, which they were well assured they should have; but this condition they expressed not, which they were not obliged to, but left him to conclude they had no hope of any, the messengers being returned, and the next being the last of the seven days' respite; and by this artifice the Ammonites were secure, and not at all upon their guard against an approaching enemy:

and ye shall do with us all that seemeth good unto you;
make shows of them, pluck out their eyes, or put them to death, or do what they would with them.

1 Samuel 11:10 In-Context

8 He numbered them in Bezek; and the sons of Israel were 300,000 , and the men of Judah 30,000 .

9 They said to the messengers who had come, "Thus you shall say to the men of Jabesh-gilead , 'Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you will have deliverance.' " So the messengers went and told the men of Jabesh; and they were glad.

10 Then the men of Jabesh said, "Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you may do to us whatever seems good to you."

11 The next morning Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the camp at the morning watch and struck down the Ammonites until the heat of the day. Those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.

12 Then the people said to Samuel, "Who is he that said, 'Shall Saul reign over us?' Bring the men, that we may put them to death."

Cross References

• 1. 1 Samuel 11:3

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "in your sight"