1 Samuel 9

1 Samuel 9

Morgan - I have looked upon My people, because their cry is come unto Me.—1 Sam. 9.16. These words were spoken by Jehovah to Samuel in explanation of His action in giving them a king. His perfect counsel for them was that they should have no king other than Himself. They had failed to realize this high possibility. Their God knew them; He had looked upon them. Their cry for a king had come up to Him. That cry should be answered. He would give them a king, in order that, in the long processes of experience, they might learn the folly of their choice. In this is revealed a constant method of the Divine government. When men fail to rise to the height of the purpose of God, and clamour for something lower, He gives them what they ask, and then watches over them and guards them as they work out their low choice to its ultimate conclusion, and thus are eventually brought back to His purpose with a full understanding of its perfection. The grace of the method is discovered in the fact that, while God gave them up to the discipline of their choice, He selected the king. If there be one thing more important than any other in our lives, it surely is that we should begin all our praying by petitions which ask that we may be taught to desire only what God desires for us. When desire is out of harmony with the will of God, He constantly grants its petitions, and then in justice and mercy watches over us until we have discovered in experience how much better is His way. (Borrow Life applications from every chapter of the Bible) 1 Samuel 9:17 When Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said to him, "Behold, the man of whom I spoke to you! This one shall rule over My people." BGT 1 Samuel 9:17 καὶ Σαμουηλ εἶδεν τὸν Σαουλ καὶ κύριος ἀπεκρίθη αὐτῷ ἰδοὺ ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὃν εἶπά σοι οὗτος ἄρξει ἐν τῷ λαῷ μου KJV 1 Samuel 9:17 And when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said unto him, Behold the man whom I spake to thee of! this same shall reign over my people. NET 1 Samuel 9:17 When Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said, "Here is the man that I told you about! He will rule over my people." CSB 1 Samuel 9:17 When Samuel saw Saul, the LORD told him, "Here is the man I told you about; he will rule over My people." ESV 1 Samuel 9:17 When Samuel saw Saul, the LORD told him, "Here is the man of whom I spoke to you! He it is who shall restrain my people." NIV 1 Samuel 9:17 When Samuel caught sight of Saul, the LORD said to him, "This is the man I spoke to you about; he will govern my people." NLT 1 Samuel 9:17 When Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said, "That's the man I told you about! He will rule my people." NRS 1 Samuel 9:17 When Samuel saw Saul, the LORD told him, "Here is the man of whom I spoke to you. He it is who shall rule over my people." YLT 1 Samuel 9:17 When Samuel hath seen Saul, then hath Jehovah answered him, 'Lo, the man of whom I have spoken unto thee; this one doth restrain My people.' Behold: 1Sa 16:6-12 Ho 13:11 rule over: 1Sa 3:13 2Sa 23:6,7 Ne 13:19,25 Ac 13:21 Ro 13:3,4 1 Samuel 9 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries YAHWEH SAYS THIS IS THE MAN! When Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said to him, "Behold, the (unnamed) man of whom I spoke to you! This one shall rule over (atsar; Lxx - archo) My people - Yahweh takes care of the details to make sure that Samuel recognizes Saul (remember He had not given his name before). In some way not stated God communicates clearly with His prophet that "Saul is the man." Notice God prophesies that Saul would rule over My people, not over his subjects. Saul was to be God's representative authority over God's people. The verb for rule is interesting in that it means conveys the sense of controlling or restraining the people, thus ruling over them. Bergen has an interesting not on rule - God’s words to Samuel regarding Saul in v. 17 are filled with irony: the Hebrew verb ʿṣr, translated here as “govern,” can equally well mean “restrain/hold back/hinder” or even “imprison.” The core meaning is “to restrain/constrict.” In the majority of its forty-six occurrences in the Hebrew text the word possesses a negative connotation, suggesting imprisonment (2 Kgs 17:4; Jer 33:1), sterility (Gen 20:18), silencing (Job 4:2), or holding back (2 Kgs 4:24). In fact, 9:17 is the only location in Scripture where the word can be taken to mean “rule.” By employing the verb here, the writer was suggesting that the Lord had determined to use Saul’s career as a means of punishing the nation. Saul would literally fulfill the various meanings of this verb. Even as he governed Israel, his policies and behavior would hinder the welfare of the nation and act as a sort of barrier separating Israel from God’s best for them. (Borrow 1 & 2 Samuel - New American Commentary) Brian Bell Samuel’s godward relationship was remarkable. His trust in the Lord implicit. 1. After being rejected by the people (ch.8) he didn’t show any resentment when God told him about the man that would replace him as judge of the nation. 2. Instead a readiness to further the plan & purpose of God. 3. Such obedience is both noteworthy & praiseworthy! 4. Your response to your employer? “I need to let you go, but before you leave I want you to train the new guy!” Rule (06113)(atsar) to restrain, retain, hold back, shut in, to keep in slavery, to keep from, to prevent (Ge 16:2). Of stopping something like plague (Nu 16:48, 30, 25:8). Shutting up the heavens (Dt 11:17). Refers to one enslaved or kept in bondage (Dt 32:36). To bind as in prison (2Ki 17:4). Ronald Allen - In the Qal stem this root has three basic meanings: (1) to hold back, restrain, retain, prevent" as in Sarai's words, "Yahweh has prevented me from bearing" (Genesis 16:2; cf. Genesis 20:18); (2) "to keep from," as in David's words, "women have been kept from us" (1 Samuel 21:5 [H 6]), and (3) "to rule," only in 1 Samuel 9:17, Yahweh to Samuel, of Saul. "This one shall rule over my people." The Niphal has the passive renderings, "to be restrained, shut up under restraint," as in Numbers 16:48 [H 17:13], "and the plague was checked" (NASB). With Yahweh as subject, this verb contributes greatly to the doctrine of the sovereignty of God. It is he who restrains as well as who wills. (TWOT online) Gilbrant - Appearing forty-six times in the OT, usually in literal contexts, ʿātsar means "to hold back," "to restrain," "to prevent," "to confine." It has cognates in Arabic, Ethiopic and Syriac. Some scholars also suggest a connection to an Akkadian word that means "to draw." In the Qal stem, ʿātsar can mean "to be confined" or "to be imprisoned." It is used of both people and inanimate objects. The verb is used of Jeremiah when "he was shut up in the court of the prison" (Jer. 39:15) and of the fire "shut up" in his bones (Jer. 20:9). Also, with ʿātsar, Job tells us God "withholdeth the waters" (Job 12:15). An inanimate subject of ʿātsar is seen in the sentence, "Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not" (1 Ki. 18:44). In this occurrence, "rain" is the subject of ʿātsar. Three times in Daniel (10:8, 16; 11:6), ʿātsar is used in an idiom with kōach (HED #3699), "strength," "power." The idiom is rendered, "to retain strength," "to retain power." The verb is used of the Lord's closing the womb (Gen. 20:18) and shutting up heaven (2 Chr. 6:26; 7:13). Here the scope of Yahweh's rule over life is expressed. He sustains by opening heaven and sending life-giving rain, and He opens and closes the womb, displaying his authority over regeneration. In the Niphal (passive) stem, ʿātsar yields renderings such as "is shut up," "was stayed," "was checked." Twice in this stem, the verb is used in the phrase, "when heaven is shut up" (1 Ki. 8:35; 2 Chr. 6:26). Most of the occurrences in this stem are in reference to various plagues. When the Lord struck the children of Israel with a plague because they grumbled against Moses (Num. 16:41-48), He had Aaron carry incense through the congregation to make atonement for them. Verse 48 says that Aaron "stood between the the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed." When God sent a pestilence for David's sin of numbering the army of Israel, David offered a sacrifice, and "the plague was stayed" (2 Sam. 24:25). The verb is used in the idiomatic expression, "him that is shut up and left in Israel" (1 Ki. 14:10; 21:21; 2 Ki. 9:8). The meaning of the expression is debated and interpretations have been proposed such as: "the slave and the free," "the man who is obligated to military duty and the one who is exempt," "the family member and the guest" and "the one under parental guardianship and the one who is of age." (Complete Biblical Library) Atsar - 45v - able*(2), bond(5), checked(3), closed fast(1), confined(3), could(1), detain(2), detained(1), held back(2), kept(1), prevail(1), prevented(1), recover(1), refrain(1), restrained(1), restrains(1), restricted(2), retain(2), retained(2), rule(1), shut(7), slow down(1), stayed(1), stop(1), stopped(1). Gen. 16:2; Gen. 20:18; Num. 16:48; Num. 16:50; Num. 25:8; Deut. 11:17; Deut. 32:36; Jdg. 13:15; Jdg. 13:16; 1 Sam. 9:17; 1 Sam. 21:5; 1 Sam. 21:7; 2 Sam. 24:21; 2 Sam. 24:25; 1 Ki. 8:35; 1 Ki. 14:10; 1 Ki. 18:44; 1 Ki. 21:21; 2 Ki. 4:24; 2 Ki. 9:8; 2 Ki. 14:26; 2 Ki. 17:4; 1 Chr. 12:1; 1 Chr. 21:22; 1 Chr. 29:14; 2 Chr. 2:6; 2 Chr. 6:26; 2 Chr. 7:13; 2 Chr. 13:20; 2 Chr. 14:11; 2 Chr. 20:37; 2 Chr. 22:9; Neh. 6:10; Job 4:2; Job 12:15; Job 29:9; Ps. 106:30; Isa. 66:9; Jer. 20:9; Jer. 33:1; Jer. 36:5; Jer. 39:15; Dan. 10:8; Dan. 10:16; Dan. 11:6 1 Samuel 9:18 Then Saul approached Samuel in the gate and said, "Please tell me where the seer's house is." BGT 1 Samuel 9:18 καὶ προσήγαγεν Σαουλ πρὸς Σαμουηλ εἰς μέσον τῆς πόλεως καὶ εἶπεν ἀπάγγειλον δὴ ποῖος ὁ οἶκος τοῦ βλέποντος KJV 1 Samuel 9:18 Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, where the seer's house is. NET 1 Samuel 9:18 As Saul approached Samuel in the middle of the gate, he said, "Please tell me where the seer's house is." CSB 1 Samuel 9:18 Saul approached Samuel in the gate area and asked, "Would you please tell me where the seer's house is?" ESV 1 Samuel 9:18 Then Saul approached Samuel in the gate and said, "Tell me where is the house of the seer?" NIV 1 Samuel 9:18 Saul approached Samuel in the gateway and asked, "Would you please tell me where the seer's house is?" NLT 1 Samuel 9:18 Just then Saul approached Samuel at the gateway and asked, "Can you please tell me where the seer's house is?" NRS 1 Samuel 9:18 Then Saul approached Samuel inside the gate, and said, "Tell me, please, where is the house of the seer?" YLT 1 Samuel 9:18 And Saul draweth nigh to Samuel in the midst of the gate, and saith, 'Declare, I pray thee, to me, where is this -- the seer's house?' 1 Samuel 9 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries AN AMAZING ENCOUNTER WHERE IS THE SEER'S HOUSE Then Saul approached Samuel in the gate and said, "Please tell me where the seer's house is - Saul does not know one of the greatest prophets in Israel's history. What might this say about Saul's spirituality? Just wondering! Since Saul mentions the seer's house, it does raise the possibility that this city is Ramah. Bergen on Saul's spiritual condition - One function of the Saul narratives is to depict the spiritual unfitness of the man who would serve as Israel’s first king. In so doing the writer demonstrates that Saul is spiritually, as in other ways, “a king such as all the other nations have.” Emblematic of Saul’s spiritual blindness is his initial encounter with Samuel. Though Samuel was the most famous and honored spiritual leader in Israel since the time of Moses, when Saul looked at him he saw only a stranger. The contrast between Saul and Samuel is striking: Samuel, the man of spiritual insight (the “seer”), knew all about an obscure young man even before he met up with him; Saul, the paragon of spiritual blindness, knew nothing of the most famous man in Israel even after he encountered him. The narrative motif of Saul’s incapacity to see the true nature of people would later be expressed in the context of his relationships with Jonathan, David, and Ahimelech. He would misjudge Jonathan to be an unworthy son and traitor; David, a treacherous revolutionary; and Ahimelech, a co-conspirator against the throne. All of these misreadings of others resulted in tragedy, both for Saul and others. (Borrow 1 & 2 Samuel - New American Commentary) 1 Samuel 9:19 Samuel answered Saul and said, "I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, for you shall eat with me today; and in the morning I will let you go, and will tell you all that is on your mind. BGT 1 Samuel 9:19 καὶ ἀπεκρίθη Σαμουηλ τῷ Σαουλ καὶ εἶπεν ἐγώ εἰμι αὐτός ἀνάβηθι ἔμπροσθέν μου εἰς Βαμα καὶ φάγε μετ᾽ ἐμοῦ σήμερον καὶ ἐξαποστελῶ σε πρωὶ καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου ἀπαγγελῶ σοι KJV 1 Samuel 9:19 And Samuel answered Saul, and said, I am the seer: go up before me unto the high place; for ye shall eat with me to day, and to morrow I will let thee go, and will tell thee all that is in thine heart. NET 1 Samuel 9:19 Samuel replied to Saul, "I am the seer! Go up in front of me to the high place! Today you will eat with me and in the morning I will send you away. I will tell you everything that you are thinking. CSB 1 Samuel 9:19 "I am the seer," Samuel answered. "Go up ahead of me to the high place and eat with me today. When I send you off in the morning, I'll tell you everything that's in your heart. ESV 1 Samuel 9:19 Samuel answered Saul, "I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, for today you shall eat with me, and in the morning I will let you go and will tell you all that is on your mind. NIV 1 Samuel 9:19 "I am the seer," Samuel replied. "Go up ahead of me to the high place, for today you are to eat with me, and in the morning I will let you go and will tell you all that is in your heart. NLT 1 Samuel 9:19 "I am the seer!" Samuel replied. "Go up to the place of worship ahead of me. We will eat there together, and in the morning I'll tell you what you want to know and send you on your way. NRS 1 Samuel 9:19 Samuel answered Saul, "I am the seer; go up before me to the shrine, for today you shall eat with me, and in the morning I will let you go and will tell you all that is on your mind. YLT 1 Samuel 9:19 And Samuel answereth Saul and saith, 'I am the seer; go up before me into the high place, and ye have eaten with me to-day, and I have sent thee away in the morning, and all that is in thy heart I declare to thee. and will tell: Joh 4:29 1Co 14:25 1 Samuel 9 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries SAMUEL'S INVITATION AND PREDICTION Samuel answered Saul and said, "I am the seer - Samuel does not direct him to the seer's house to the seer himself! Samuel identifies himself. Imagine the reaction of Saul. Was he taken aback? Embarrassed? We really cannot say for certain. Clearly the point is that Saul had no clue who Samuel was! One wonders why the servant did not recognize him, but at least he had heard of his reputation in contrast to Saul. Go up before me to the high place (bamah), for you shall eat with me today; and in the morning I will let you go, and will tell you all that is on your mind - Samuel predicts he will "read" Saul's mind. Samuel's reference to the high place (bamah) is notable. Clearly Samuel is a man of God, and so it follows he would never attend a place of worship that was inappropriate, much less idolatrous. So it seems that at this time in Israel's history (when likely the sanctuary at Shiloh had been destroyed with no replacement) it was appropriate for Israel to worship Yahweh at the high places. This would change in years to come as their worship of Yahweh became syncretistic and mixed with idolatry and the high places because a place of inappropriate (being euphemistic!) worship of Yahweh. Brian Bell I am the seer - simple & direct. 1. Without waiting for Saul to tell him of their errand or for the servant to offer him any money for his services, Samuel invited Saul to dine w/him & other hand selected guests. He promised Saul that he’d get home soon; He assured Saul that he’d tell him what’s on his mind; He informed Saul that the donkeys had been found. Then, he gave him this strange statement, “And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on you and on all your father’s house?” Samuel’s words were probably designed to arouse Saul’s curiosity & lead him into an ever-deepening understanding of himself & God’s purpose for him. 1 Samuel 9:20 "As for your donkeys which were lost three days ago, do not set your mind on them, for they have been found. And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you and for all your father's household?" BGT 1 Samuel 9:20 καὶ περὶ τῶν ὄνων σου τῶν ἀπολωλυιῶν σήμερον τριταίων μὴ θῇς τὴν καρδίαν σου αὐταῖς ὅτι εὕρηνται καὶ τίνι τὰ ὡραῖα τοῦ Ισραηλ οὐ σοὶ καὶ τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ πατρός σου KJV 1 Samuel 9:20 And as for thine asses that were lost three days ago, set not thy mind on them; for they are found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on thee, and on all thy father's house? NET 1 Samuel 9:20 Don't be concerned about the donkeys that you lost three days ago, for they have been found. Whom does all Israel desire? Is it not you, and all your father's family?" CSB 1 Samuel 9:20 As for the donkeys that wandered away from you three days ago, don't worry about them because they've been found. And who does all Israel desire but you and all your father's family?" ESV 1 Samuel 9:20 As for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not set your mind on them, for they have been found. And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you and for all your father's house?" NIV 1 Samuel 9:20 As for the donkeys you lost three days ago, do not worry about them; they have been found. And to whom is all the desire of Israel turned, if not to you and all your father's family?" NLT 1 Samuel 9:20 And don't worry about those donkeys that were lost three days ago, for they have been found. And I am here to tell you that you and your family are the focus of all Israel's hopes." NRS 1 Samuel 9:20 As for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, give no further thought to them, for they have been found. And on whom is all Israel's desire fixed, if not on you and on all your ancestral house?" YLT 1 Samuel 9:20 As to the asses which are lost to thee this day three days, set not thy heart to them, for they have been found; and to whom is all the desire of Israel?' is it not to thee and to all thy father's house?' three days ago: 1Sa 9:3 set: 1Sa 4:20 *marg: 1Ch 29:3 Ps 62:10 Col 3:2 whom: 1Sa 8:5,19 12:13,15 1 Samuel 9 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries SAUL YOU ARE ISRAEL'S DESIRE As for your donkeys which were lost three days ago - There is no evidence Saul related to Samuel the scenario about the lost donkeys. Therefore Samuel's knowledge would show Saul he had supernatural powers. Do not set your mind on them, for they have been found - Samuel goes on to say the lost have been found. They had served God's sovereign purpose of providentially connecting Saul to Samuel. And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you and for all your father's household - CSB = "And who does all Israel desire but you and all your father's family?" NET = "Whom does all Israel desire? Is it not you, and all your father's family?" NLT helps understand paraphrasing it "And I am here to tell you that you and your family are the focus of all Israel's hopes." Cyril