1 Samuel 8:3

3 And his sons went not in his ways, but they bowed after avarice, and they took gifts, and perverted doom (and perverted justice, or judgement).

1 Samuel 8:3 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 8:3

And his sons walked not in his ways
The meaning of which is not that they did not go the circuit he did, which is too low a sense of the words some Jewish writers give; but they did not walk in the fear of God, in the paths of religion and righteousness, truth and holiness; they neither served God, nor did justice to men, as Samuel had done:

but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment;
indulged to covetousness, sought to get riches at any rate, took bribes, which blind the eyes of judges; and so passed wrong judgment, and gave the cause to those that gave the largest gifts, right or wrong.

1 Samuel 8:3 In-Context

1 And it was done, when Samuel waxed eld, he set his sons to be judges of Israel. (And it was done, when Samuel grew old, he made his sons to be judges in Israel.)

2 And the name of his first begotten son was Joel, and the name of the second was Abiah, that were judges in Beersheba (and they were judges in Beersheba).

3 And his sons went not in his ways, but they bowed after avarice, and they took gifts, and perverted doom (and perverted justice, or judgement).

4 Therefore all the greater men in birth of Israel were gathered together, and came to Samuel into Ramah. (And so all the men of great age, that is, the elders, of Israel gathered together, and came to Samuel in Ramah.)

5 And they said to him, Lo! thou hast waxed eld, and thy sons go not in thy ways; ordain thou a king to us, that he deem us, as also all other nations have. (And they said to him, Lo! thou hast grown old, and thy sons do not go in thy ways; ordain thou a king for us, so that he can judge, or can rule, us, like all the other nations have.)