1 Samuel 13:8

8 Saul waited there seven days for Samuel, as Samuel had instructed him earlier, but Samuel still didn’t come. Saul realized that his troops were rapidly slipping away.

1 Samuel 13:8 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 13:8

And he tarried seven days, according to the set time that
Samuel had appointed
He tarried to the seventh day, but not to the end of it, or towards the close of it, as he should have done:

but Samuel came not to Gilgal;
so soon as Saul expected:

and the people were scattered from him;
many deserted him, the Philistines drawing nigh, and Samuel not coming, as Saul expected, and had given the people reason to expect.

1 Samuel 13:8 In-Context

6 The men of Israel saw what a tight spot they were in; and because they were hard pressed by the enemy, they tried to hide in caves, thickets, rocks, holes, and cisterns.

7 Some of them crossed the Jordan River and escaped into the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul’s Disobedience and Samuel’s Rebuke Meanwhile, Saul stayed at Gilgal, and his men were trembling with fear.

8 Saul waited there seven days for Samuel, as Samuel had instructed him earlier, but Samuel still didn’t come. Saul realized that his troops were rapidly slipping away.

9 So he demanded, “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings!” And Saul sacrificed the burnt offering himself.

10 Just as Saul was finishing with the burnt offering, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to meet and welcome him,