King James Version
1 Samuel 8
22 verses with commentary
Israel Demands a King
And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.</strong><br><br>Israel's demand for a king represents fundamental rejection of God's direct rule over His people. The desire to be 'like all the nations' reveals spiritual apostasy—seeking conformity to surrounding culture rather than maintaining distinctive covenant identity. While God permits the monarchy...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(1) **When Samuel was old.**—We are not able with any precision to fix the dates of Samuel’s life. When the great disaster happened which resulted in the capture of the Ark of God and Eli’s death. the young prophet was barely thirty years old. For the next twenty years we have seen how unweariedly he laboured to awaken in the people a sense of their deep degradation and of the real causes of their...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 8
Chapter Outline
The evil government of Samuel's sons.(1-3)
The Israelites ask for a king.(4-9)
The manner of a king.(10-22)
**Verses 1-3**
It does not appear that Samuel's sons were so profane and vicious as Eli's sons; but they were corrupt judges, they turned aside after lucre. Samuel took no bribes, but his sons did, and then they perverted judgment. What added t...
Read full commentary →Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beersheba.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beer-sheba.</strong><br><br>Israel's demand for a king represents fundamental rejection of God's direct rule over His people. The desire to be 'like all the nations' reveals spiritual apostasy—seeking conformity to surrounding culture rather than maintaining distinctive covenant identity. While G...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
THE BOOK OF RUTH.
Commentary by Robert Jamieson
CHAPTER 1 Ru 1:1-5. Elimelech, Driven by Famine into Moab, Dies There.
**1. in the days when the judges ruled--**The beautiful and interesting story which this book relates belongs to the early times of the judges. The precise date cannot be ascertained.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 8
Chapter Outline
The evil government of Samuel's sons.(1-3)
The Israelites ask for a king.(4-9)
The manner of a king.(10-22)
**Verses 1-3**
It does not appear that Samuel's sons were so profane and vicious as Eli's sons; but they were corrupt judges, they turned aside after lucre. Samuel took no bribes, but his sons did, and then they perverted judgment. What added t...
Read full commentary →And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.</strong><br><br>Israel's demand for a king represents fundamental rejection of God's direct rule over His people. The desire to be 'like all the nations' reveals spiritual apostasy—seeking conformity to surrounding culture rather than maintaining distinctive covenant identity. While ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **Took bribes, and perverted judgment.**—This sin, at all times a fatally common one in the East, was especially denounced in the Law. (See Exodus 23:6-8; Deuteronomy 16:19.) It is strange that the same ills that ruined Eli’s house, owing to the evil conduct of his children, now threatened Samuel. The prophet-judge, however, acted differently to the high priestly judge. The sons of Samuel were...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**2. Elimelech--**signifies "My God is king."
**Naomi--**"fair or pleasant"; and their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, are supposed to be the same as Joash and Saraph (1Ch 4:22).
**Ephrathites--**The ancient name of Beth-lehem was Ephrath (Ge 35:19; 48:7), which was continued after the occupation of the land by the Hebrews, even down to the time of the prophet Micah (Mi 5:2).
**Beth-lehem-juda...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 8
Chapter Outline
The evil government of Samuel's sons.(1-3)
The Israelites ask for a king.(4-9)
The manner of a king.(10-22)
**Verses 1-3**
It does not appear that Samuel's sons were so profane and vicious as Eli's sons; but they were corrupt judges, they turned aside after lucre. Samuel took no bribes, but his sons did, and then they perverted judgment. What added t...
Read full commentary →Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,</strong><br><br>Israel's demand for a king represents fundamental rejection of God's direct rule over His people. The desire to be 'like all the nations' reveals spiritual apostasy—seeking conformity to surrounding culture rather than maintaining distinctive covenant identity. While God permits the m...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **All the elders of Israel.**—We have here a clear trace of a popular assembly which seems in all times to have existed in Israel. Such a body appears to have met for deliberation even during the Egyptian captivity (see Exodus 3:16). Of this popular council we know little beyond the fact of its existence. It seems to have been composed of representatives of the people, qualified by birth or of...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-9**
Samuel was displeased; he could patiently bear what reflected on himself, and his own family; but it displeased him when they said, Give us a king to judge us, because that reflected upon God. It drove him to his knees. When any thing disturbs us, it is our interest, as well as our duty, to show our trouble before God. Samuel is to tell them that they shall have a king. Not that...
Read full commentary →And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.</strong><br><br>Israel's demand for a king represents fundamental rejection of God's direct rule over His people. The desire to be 'like all the nations' reveals spiritual apostasy—seeking conformity to surrounding culture rather than maintaining distinctive cove...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **And said unto him.**—They ground their request—which, however, they framed almost in the very terms used in the prophecy of the Law (Deuteronomy 17:14)—upon two circumstances: first, the age of Samuel, and his consequent inability to act as their leader in those perpetual wars and forays with the surrounding hostile nations; secondly, the degeneracy of his sons, who, placed by their father i...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-9**
Samuel was displeased; he could patiently bear what reflected on himself, and his own family; but it displeased him when they said, Give us a king to judge us, because that reflected upon God. It drove him to his knees. When any thing disturbs us, it is our interest, as well as our duty, to show our trouble before God. Samuel is to tell them that they shall have a king. Not that...
Read full commentary →But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD. displeased: Heb. was evil in the eyes of
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD.</strong><br><br>Israel's demand for a king represents fundamental rejection of God's direct rule over His people. The desire to be 'like all the nations' reveals spiritual apostasy—seeking conformity to surrounding culture rather than maintaining distinctive covenant identity. Whil...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **The thing displeased Samuel.**—It is clear that it was perfectly justifiable in the elders of the people to come to the resolution contained in their petition to Samuel. The Deuteronomy directions contained in 1Samuel 17:14-20 are clear and explicit in this matter of an earthly king for the people, and Moses evidently had looked forward to this alteration in the constitution when he framed t...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-9**
Samuel was displeased; he could patiently bear what reflected on himself, and his own family; but it displeased him when they said, Give us a king to judge us, because that reflected upon God. It drove him to his knees. When any thing disturbs us, it is our interest, as well as our duty, to show our trouble before God. Samuel is to tell them that they shall have a king. Not that...
Read full commentary →And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.</strong><br><br>Israel's demand for a king represents fundamental rejection of God's direct rule over His people. The desire to be 'like all the nations' reveals spiritual apostasy—seeking conformi...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **Hearken unto the voice of the people.**—The words spoken to Samuel, probably in a vision, by the Most High are very touching and very sad. *Very touching, *in their extreme tenderness to the noble old man. Take courage, they seem to say, “my old true servant, and be not dismayed at this apparently bitter proof of the ingratitude of the people you loved so well. This deliberate complaint on t...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Ru 1:6-18. Naomi Returning Home, Ruth Accompanies Her.
**6-7. Then she arose with her daughters-in-law, that she might return from the country of Moab--**The aged widow, longing to enjoy the privileges of Israel, resolved to return to her native land as soon as she was assured that the famine had ceased, and made the necessary arrangements with her daughters-in-law.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-9**
Samuel was displeased; he could patiently bear what reflected on himself, and his own family; but it displeased him when they said, Give us a king to judge us, because that reflected upon God. It drove him to his knees. When any thing disturbs us, it is our interest, as well as our duty, to show our trouble before God. Samuel is to tell them that they shall have a king. Not that...
Read full commentary →According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.</strong><br><br>Israel's demand for a king represents fundamental rejection of God's direct rule over His people. The desire to be 'like all the nations' reveals spiritual apostasy—seeking co...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Ru 1:6-18. Naomi Returning Home, Ruth Accompanies Her.
**6-7. Then she arose with her daughters-in-law, that she might return from the country of Moab--**The aged widow, longing to enjoy the privileges of Israel, resolved to return to her native land as soon as she was assured that the famine had ceased, and made the necessary arrangements with her daughters-in-law.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-9**
Samuel was displeased; he could patiently bear what reflected on himself, and his own family; but it displeased him when they said, Give us a king to judge us, because that reflected upon God. It drove him to his knees. When any thing disturbs us, it is our interest, as well as our duty, to show our trouble before God. Samuel is to tell them that they shall have a king. Not that...
Read full commentary →Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them. hearken: or, obey howbeit: or, notwithstanding when thou hast solemnly protested against them then thou shalt
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.</strong><br><br>Israel's demand for a king represents fundamental rejection of God's direct rule over His people. The desire to be 'like all the nations' reveals spiritual apostasy—seeking conformity to surrounding culture rather than maintaining ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**8. Naomi said unto her two daughters-in-law, Go, return each to her mother's house--**In Eastern countries women occupy apartments separate from those of men, and daughters are most frequently in those of their mother.
**the Lord deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead--**that is, with my sons, your husbands, while they lived.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-9**
Samuel was displeased; he could patiently bear what reflected on himself, and his own family; but it displeased him when they said, Give us a king to judge us, because that reflected upon God. It drove him to his knees. When any thing disturbs us, it is our interest, as well as our duty, to show our trouble before God. Samuel is to tell them that they shall have a king. Not that...
Read full commentary →And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king.</strong><br><br>Samuel's faithfulness as a prophet shines through this pivotal moment. The Hebrew phrase "kol divrei" (all the words) emphasizes his complete transmission of God's message without omission or softening. As God's spokesman, Samuel does not filter the divine warning to make it more palatable, ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9. The Lord grant you that ye may find rest--**enjoy a life of tranquillity, undisturbed by the cares, incumbrances, and vexatious troubles to which a state of widowhood is peculiarly exposed.
**Then she kissed them--**the Oriental manner when friends are parting.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-22**
If they would have a king to rule them, as the eastern kings ruled their subjects, they would find the yoke exceedingly heavy. Those that submit to the government of the world and the flesh, are told plainly, what hard masters they are, and what tyranny the dominion of sin is. The law of God and the manner of men widely differ from each other; the former should be our rule in ...
Read full commentary →And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots.</strong><br><br>The Hebrew word "mishpat" (manner/justice) carries deep irony here. Normally it refers to righteous judgment or legal rights, but Samuel uses it to describe the kin...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you.**—In obedience to the word of the Lord, Samuel, the judge of Israel, without blaming the people for their desire, quietly asks them if they were in real earnest—if they had fully considered the grave changes which such an appointment as that of a sovereign over the nation would bring about in the constitution. Were ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-22**
If they would have a king to rule them, as the eastern kings ruled their subjects, they would find the yoke exceedingly heavy. Those that submit to the government of the world and the flesh, are told plainly, what hard masters they are, and what tyranny the dominion of sin is. The law of God and the manner of men widely differ from each other; the former should be our rule in ...
Read full commentary →And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots.</strong><br><br>The military hierarchy described here ("sarei alaphim" and "sarei chamishim"—captains over thousands and fifties) mirrors Moses' organization in Exodus 18:21, but now se...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) **To ear his ground.**—To ear, that is, *to plough. *The word is an old word (Anglo-Saxon *earian*)*, *and connected with the Latin *arare.*
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**11. are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?--**This alludes to the ancient custom (Ge 38:26) afterwards expressly sanctioned by the law of Moses (De 25:5), which required a younger son to marry the widow of his deceased brother.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-22**
If they would have a king to rule them, as the eastern kings ruled their subjects, they would find the yoke exceedingly heavy. Those that submit to the government of the world and the flesh, are told plainly, what hard masters they are, and what tyranny the dominion of sin is. The law of God and the manner of men widely differ from each other; the former should be our rule in ...
Read full commentary →And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.</strong><br><br>Having addressed sons, Samuel now turns to daughters, extending the warning to encompass entire families. The three terms—"raqqachot" (perfumers/confectionaries), "tabbachot" (cooks), and "ophot" (bakers)—describe skilled domestic positions in the royal household. While these roles mig...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13) **Confectionaries.**—Better rendered *perfumers—*that is, makers of ointments and scents, of which Orientals are inordinately fond.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**12-13. Turn again, my daughters, go your way--**That Naomi should dissuade her daughters-in-law so strongly from accompanying her to the land of Israel may appear strange. But it was the wisest and most prudent course for her to adopt: first, because they might be influenced by hopes which could not be realized; second, because they might be led, under temporary excitement, to take a step they m...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-22**
If they would have a king to rule them, as the eastern kings ruled their subjects, they would find the yoke exceedingly heavy. Those that submit to the government of the world and the flesh, are told plainly, what hard masters they are, and what tyranny the dominion of sin is. The law of God and the manner of men widely differ from each other; the former should be our rule in ...
Read full commentary →And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.</strong><br><br>The confiscation of agricultural land strikes at the heart of Israelite social structure. Under the covenant, the land belonged ultimately to God (Leviticus 25:23), distributed among tribes and families as an inalienable inheritance ("nachalah"). Fiel...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**12-13. Turn again, my daughters, go your way--**That Naomi should dissuade her daughters-in-law so strongly from accompanying her to the land of Israel may appear strange. But it was the wisest and most prudent course for her to adopt: first, because they might be influenced by hopes which could not be realized; second, because they might be led, under temporary excitement, to take a step they m...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-22**
If they would have a king to rule them, as the eastern kings ruled their subjects, they would find the yoke exceedingly heavy. Those that submit to the government of the world and the flesh, are told plainly, what hard masters they are, and what tyranny the dominion of sin is. The law of God and the manner of men widely differ from each other; the former should be our rule in ...
Read full commentary →And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. officers: Heb. eunuchs
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants.</strong><br><br>The royal tithe directly parallels—and competes with—the sacred tithe owed to God. Under the Mosaic covenant, Israelites gave a tenth of their produce to support the Levites (Numbers 18:21-24) and the sanctuary system. Now the king will impose his own tenth, effect...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-22**
If they would have a king to rule them, as the eastern kings ruled their subjects, they would find the yoke exceedingly heavy. Those that submit to the government of the world and the flesh, are told plainly, what hard masters they are, and what tyranny the dominion of sin is. The law of God and the manner of men widely differ from each other; the former should be our rule in ...
Read full commentary →And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work.</strong><br><br>The conscription now extends beyond family members to household servants and livestock. The Hebrew "avadim" and "shiphchot" (menservants and maidservants) were not merely employees but integral members of the household economy, often for life. Th...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(16) **And your goodliest young men.**—The LXX. Greek Version here reads, “your best oxen,” which required only the change of one letter of similar sound in the Hebrew word here. This was, no doubt,. the reading of the original text, as the young men seem included among the sons in 1Samuel 8:11-12, and oxen would naturally precede the asses mentioned in the next clause of this verse.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-22**
If they would have a king to rule them, as the eastern kings ruled their subjects, they would find the yoke exceedingly heavy. Those that submit to the government of the world and the flesh, are told plainly, what hard masters they are, and what tyranny the dominion of sin is. The law of God and the manner of men widely differ from each other; the former should be our rule in ...
Read full commentary →He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants.</strong><br><br>Samuel's warning reaches its devastating climax. The livestock tithe ("tso'n," sheep/flocks) represents pastoral wealth just as earlier verses addressed agricultural resources. But the final clause delivers the crushing conclusion: "ve'attem tihyu-lo la'avadim"—"and you yourselves shall be his servants." Th...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(17) **And ye shall be his servants.**—This statement generally includes all that has gone before. In other words, “Ye elders and chiefs of the people must make up your minds, in the event of electing a king, to the loss of all political and social freedom.” How bitterly the nation, even in the successful and glorious reign of King Solomon, felt the pressure of the royal yoke, so truly foretold by...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-22**
If they would have a king to rule them, as the eastern kings ruled their subjects, they would find the yoke exceedingly heavy. Those that submit to the government of the world and the flesh, are told plainly, what hard masters they are, and what tyranny the dominion of sin is. The law of God and the manner of men widely differ from each other; the former should be our rule in ...
Read full commentary →And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day.</strong><br><br>This prophetic warning employs the same vocabulary as Israel's Egyptian bondage. The verb "za'aq" (cry out) appears in Exodus 2:23 when Israel groaned under Pharaoh's oppression and their cry came up to God. But here comes the chilling difference...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(18) **The Lord will not hear you in that day.**—After the separation of the north and the south, when King Solomon was dead, a large proportion of the northern sovereigns—or kings, as they were called, of “Israel,” in distinction to the southern monarchs, the kings of “Judah”—fulfilled in their lives and government of the realm the dark forebodings of the seer. The northern tribes broke with all ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-22**
If they would have a king to rule them, as the eastern kings ruled their subjects, they would find the yoke exceedingly heavy. Those that submit to the government of the world and the flesh, are told plainly, what hard masters they are, and what tyranny the dominion of sin is. The law of God and the manner of men widely differ from each other; the former should be our rule in ...
Read full commentary →Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us;
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us;</strong><br><br>The Hebrew "vayma'anu" (they refused) conveys stubborn rejection—the same verb used of Pharaoh hardening his heart. Despite the comprehensive warning, the people's determination remains unchanged. The phrase "obey the voice" ("lishmo'a beqol") echoes covenant la...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(19) **The people refused.**—The warning words of the prophet-judge were evidently carefully considered and debated in a formal assembly, but the majority at least abided by the terms of their request.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-22**
If they would have a king to rule them, as the eastern kings ruled their subjects, they would find the yoke exceedingly heavy. Those that submit to the government of the world and the flesh, are told plainly, what hard masters they are, and what tyranny the dominion of sin is. The law of God and the manner of men widely differ from each other; the former should be our rule in ...
Read full commentary →That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.</strong><br><br>Israel articulates three reasons for wanting a king, each revealing theological confusion. First, "like all the nations" ("kekol-hagoyim") expresses the desire to abandon covenant distinctiveness—the very identity God intended when He called them to be "a k...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(20) **Like all the nations.**—There is something strangely painful in these terms with which the elders urged their request—the wish “to be like other nations” seems to have been very strong with them. They forgot, or chose to ignore, the solitary position of lofty pre-eminence God had given them among the nations. They had, it is true, failed to comprehend it in past, as in present days, but thi...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Ru 1:19-22. They Come to Beth-lehem.
**19-22. all the city was moved about them--**The present condition of Naomi, a forlorn and desolate widow, presented so painful a contrast to the flourishing state of prosperity and domestic bliss in which she had been at her departure.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-22**
If they would have a king to rule them, as the eastern kings ruled their subjects, they would find the yoke exceedingly heavy. Those that submit to the government of the world and the flesh, are told plainly, what hard masters they are, and what tyranny the dominion of sin is. The law of God and the manner of men widely differ from each other; the former should be our rule in ...
Read full commentary →And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD.</strong><br><br>Samuel's response to rejection models prophetic faithfulness. Rather than arguing, manipulating, or retaliating, he brings the people's words directly to God. The phrase "rehearsed them" (Hebrew "vayedabbrem") literally means he "spoke them"—giving the people's exact words back to G...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(21) **In the ears of the Lord.**—Again the seer returns from the council chamber, where he had met the elders of the people, to some quiet spot, probably the sanctuary he had set up in his own “Ramah of the Watchers,” where he poured out his heart before his God-Friend.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Ru 1:19-22. They Come to Beth-lehem.
**19-22. all the city was moved about them--**The present condition of Naomi, a forlorn and desolate widow, presented so painful a contrast to the flourishing state of prosperity and domestic bliss in which she had been at her departure.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-22**
If they would have a king to rule them, as the eastern kings ruled their subjects, they would find the yoke exceedingly heavy. Those that submit to the government of the world and the flesh, are told plainly, what hard masters they are, and what tyranny the dominion of sin is. The law of God and the manner of men widely differ from each other; the former should be our rule in ...
Read full commentary →And the LORD said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the LORD said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city.</strong><br><br>God's final response reveals the mystery of divine sovereignty operating through human freedom. The repeated command "hearken unto their voice" (now the third time—verses 7, 9, 22) grants the people's request while neither appro...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(22) **Hearken unto their voice.**—And for the third time (see 1Samuel 8:7; 1Samuel 8:9) the voice of the Eternal, which Samuel the seer knew so well, used the same expression, bidding the reluctant and indignant old man comply with the request of the people. God had allowed His servant to remonstrate, well knowing all the time what would be the result of his remonstrances.
So now, with the self-s...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Ru 1:19-22. They Come to Beth-lehem.
**19-22. all the city was moved about them--**The present condition of Naomi, a forlorn and desolate widow, presented so painful a contrast to the flourishing state of prosperity and domestic bliss in which she had been at her departure.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-22**
If they would have a king to rule them, as the eastern kings ruled their subjects, they would find the yoke exceedingly heavy. Those that submit to the government of the world and the flesh, are told plainly, what hard masters they are, and what tyranny the dominion of sin is. The law of God and the manner of men widely differ from each other; the former should be our rule in ...
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