Shmuel Alef 9:19

19 And Shmuel answered Sha’ul, and said, I am the Ro’eh (seer): go up before me unto the bamah (high place); for ye shall eat with me hayom, and baboker I will let thee go, and will tell thee all that is in thine levav.

Shmuel Alef 9:19 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 9:19

And Samuel answered Saul, and said, I am the seer
For he supposed, by inquiring for his house, that his business was with him; wherefore this he said, not as boasting of his character and office, or in the pride and vanity of his mind, but merely for information sake:

go up before me unto the high place;
instead of returning home with him, he invited him to go to the place of feasting, as the Targum, whither he was going to partake of the entertainment there; and he bids him go before him, either because he was an old man, and could not go his pace, or he had business to do by the way, or this was in honour to Saul, whom he knew was to be king of Israel:

for ye shall eat with me today;
he and his servant, at the public feast: he insisted upon his dining, or it may be rather supping with him:

and tomorrow I will let thee go;
for it being in the evening when this feast was, he could not depart that night, but must stay till morning, and then he promised to dismiss him:

and will tell thee all that is in thine heart;
answer all questions he had in his mind to ask him, for which he came into the city, and inquired for his house. The Jews F12 have a tradition that it was in the heart of Saul that he should be a king, having in a vision seen himself placed on the top of a palm tree, which was a sign of royalty, and this Samuel told him.


FOOTNOTES:

F12 Hieron. Trad. Heb. in lib. Reg. fol. 75. G.

Shmuel Alef 9:19 In-Context

17 And when Shmuel saw Sha’ul, Hashem said unto him, Hinei haIsh [Zech 6:12] whom I spoke to thee of! This same shall rule over My people.
18 Then Sha’ul drew near to Shmuel in the sha’ar, and said, Tell me, now, where is the Bais HaRo’eh.
19 And Shmuel answered Sha’ul, and said, I am the Ro’eh (seer): go up before me unto the bamah (high place); for ye shall eat with me hayom, and baboker I will let thee go, and will tell thee all that is in thine levav.
20 And as for thine donkeys that were lost hayom sheloshet hayamim (now three days), set not thy mind on them; for they are found. And on whom is kol chemdat Yisroel (all the Desire of Yisroel [See Hag 2:7])? Is it not on thee, and on Kol Bais Avicha?
21 And Sha’ul answered and said, Am not I of Binyamin, of the smallest of the Shivtei Yisroel? And my mishpakhat the least of all the mishpekhot of the Shivtei Binyamin? Wherefore then speakest thou so to me?
The Orthodox Jewish Bible fourth edition, OJB. Copyright 2002,2003,2008,2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International. All rights reserved.