1 Samuel 9:2-12

2 He had a son, whose name was Sha'ul, a young man and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Yisra'el a better person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.

3 The donkeys of Kish, Sha'ul's father, were lost. Kish said to Sha'ul his son, Take now one of the servants with you, and arise, go seek the donkeys.

4 He passed through the hill-country of Efrayim, and passed through the land of Shalishah, but they didn't find them: then they passed through the land of Sha`alim, and there they weren't there: and he passed through the land of the Binyamini, but they didn't find them.

5 When they had come to the land of Tzuf, Sha'ul said to his servant who was with him, Come, and let us return, lest my father leave off caring for the donkeys, and be anxious for us.

6 He said to him, See now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is a man who is held in honor; all that he says comes surely to pass: now let us go there; peradventure he can tell us concerning our journey whereon we go.

7 Then said Sha'ul to his servant, But, behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? for the bread is spent in our vessels, and there is not a present to bring to the man of God: what have we?

8 The servant answered Sha'ul again, and said, Behold, I have in my hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver: that will I give to the man of God, to tell us our way.

9 (In earlier times in Yisra'el, when a man went to inquire of God, thus he said, Come, and let us go to the seer; for he who is now called a Prophet was before called a Seer.)

10 Then said Sha'ul to his servant, Well said; come, let us go. So they went to the city where the man of God was.

11 As they went up the ascent to the city, they found young maidens going out to draw water, and said to them, Is the seer here?

12 They answered them, and said, He is; behold, [he is] before you: make haste now, for he is come today into the city; for the people have a sacrifice today in the high place:

1 Samuel 9:2-12 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 9

This chapter gives an account of Saul, the person the Lord had appointed to be king of Israel; it relates his descent, and describes his person, 1Sa 9:1,2 and how seeking his father's asses, which were lost, he providentially came to the place where Samuel dwelt, 1Sa 9:3-5 and being advised by his servant, and approving of his advice, he concluded to go to him, and inquire the way he should go, 1Sa 9:6-10 and being directed by some young maidens, they found him presently in the street going to a feast, 1Sa 9:11-14 and Samuel having some previous notice from the Lord of such a person's coming to him that day, when he met him invited him to dine with him, and obliged him to stay with him that day, 1Sa 9:15-19 satisfied him about his asses, and gave him a hint of the grandeur he was to be raised to, to which Saul made a modest reply, 1Sa 9:20,21 and Samuel treated him at the feast in a very respectable manner, 1Sa 9:22-24 and privately communed with him of things preparatory to what he was about to make known unto him, 1Sa 9:25-27.