Shmuel Alef 9:7

7 Then said Sha’ul to his na’ar, But, hinei, if we go, what shall we bring the Ish? For the lechem is all gone in our vessels, and there is not a teshurah (gift) for the Ish HaElohim: what have we?

Shmuel Alef 9:7 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 9:7

Then Saul said to his servant, but behold, if we go
The Targum is,

``if he receives money,''

which it seems Saul was not clear in; some sort of persons that set up for prophets, and a sort of diviners and fortune tellers, did; but he could not tell whether so eminent and honourable a person as Samuel was, did; in as much he was not better known by him, who had been so many years a judge in Israel:

what shall we bring the man?
it being usual, when persons addressed great men for a favour, to carry a present with them; or a man of God, a prophet of the Lord, to inquire of the Lord by him concerning any thing, see ( 1 Kings 14:2 1 Kings 14:3 ) ( 2 Kings 4:42 ) ,

for the bread is spent in our vessels;
the food they brought with them in their bags or scrips for their journey, this was all exhausted; not that he meant by it, that if they had had any quantity, they might present it to the man of God, though yet sometimes such things were done, as the instances before referred to show; but that since their stock of bread was gone, what money they had, if they had any, must be spent in recruiting themselves, and therefore could have none to spare to give to the man;

and there is not a present to bring to the man of God;
neither bread nor money, without which he seems to intimate it would be to no purpose to go to him:

what have we?
Saul knew he had none, he had spent what he brought out, with him for the journey, and he put this question to try what his servant had; unless it can be supposed it was the custom now, as afterwards among the Romans ^F2, for servants to carry the purse, and as it was with the Jews in Christ's time, ( John 12:6 ) though this may have respect not to a price of divination, but to the common custom in eastern countries, and which continues to this day with the Turks, who reckon it uncivil to visit any person, whether in authority, or an inferior person, without a present; and even the latter are seldom visited without presenting a flower, or an orange, and some token of respect to the person visited ^F3.

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FOOTNOTES:

F2 A. Gell. Noct. Attic. l. 20. c. 1.
F3 Maundrell's Journey from Aleppo p. 26, 27.

Shmuel Alef 9:7 In-Context

5 And when they were come to Eretz Tzuph, Sha’ul said to his na’ar that was with him, Come, and let us return; lest Avi stop caring for the donkeys, and become concerned for us.

6 And he said unto him, Hinei now, there is in this town an Ish Elohim, an ish nikhbad (an honorable man); all that he saith cometh surely to pass; now let us go there; perhaps he can show us darkeinu (our way) that we should go.

7 Then said Sha’ul to his na’ar, But, hinei, if we go, what shall we bring the Ish? For the lechem is all gone in our vessels, and there is not a teshurah (gift) for the Ish HaElohim: what have we?

8 And the na’ar answered Sha’ul again, and said, Hinei, I have here at hand the fourth part of a shekel of kesef; that will I give to the Ish HaElohim, to tell us darkeinu (our way).

9 Beforetime in Yisroel, when an ish went to inquire of Elohim, thus he spoke, Come, and let us go to the ro’eh (seer): for he that is now called a navi was beforetime called a ro’eh (seer).