1 Samuel chapter 10

Samuel anoints Saul as king. Saul becomes a prophet. He is acclaimed as king.

 


 

SAMUEL ANOINTS SAUL AS KING

 

VERSE 1. Then Samuel took the vial of oil, and poured it on his head, and kissed him, and said, “Hasn’t the LORD anointed you to be prince over his inheritance?

took the vial of oil, and poured it on his head. This is called anointing. It is the pouring of oil. Anointing is not a dabbing with a thumb.

 

VERSE 2. When you have departed from me today, then you will find two men by Rachel’s tomb, on the border of Benjamin at Zelzah. They will tell you, ‘The donkeys which you went to look for have been found; and behold, your father has stopped caring about the donkeys, and is anxious for you, saying, “What shall I do for my son?” ’

 

VERSE 3. “Then you will go on forward from there, and you will come to the oak of Tabor. Three men will meet you there going up to God to Bethel, one carrying three young goats, and another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a container of wine.

 

VERSE 4. They will greet you, and give you two loaves of bread, which you shall receive from their hand.

 

VERSE 5. “After that you will come to the hill of God, where the garrison of the Philistines is; and it will happen, when you have come there to the city, that you will meet a band of prophets coming down from the high place with a lute, a tambourine, a pipe, and a harp before them; and they will be prophesying.

a band. The Hebrew word is חֶ֤בֶל (“ḥe·ḇel”). It can also be translated as guild.

A guild is an association of artisans or merchants who control the practice of their craft in a particular town.

of prophets. The Hebrew word is נְבִיאִים֙ (“nə·ḇî·’îm”). It means spokesman, speaker, prophet. It can also be translated as madmen.

prophesying. The Hebrew word is מִֽתְנַבְּאִֽים (“miṯ·nab·bə·’îm”).

It means to prophesy, in an ecstatic state, with or without song and music. It can also be translated as raving wildly.

In the Bible, music is sometimes associated with the ministry of a prophet. We see that with Samuel, Elisha, and David. Read more »

 

VERSE 6. Then the LORD’s Spirit will come mightily on you, and you will prophesy with them, and will be turned into another man.

you will prophesy with them. Saul will join the prophetic guild in their ecstatic state and rave wildly with them.

turned into another man. The Hebrew word for “turned” is וְנֶהְפַּכְתָּ֖ (“wə·neh·paḵ·tā”). It means turned, overturned, changed.

Like the prophets he was with, Saul will be transported into an ecstatic state.

 

VERSE 7. Let it be, when these signs have come to you, that you do what is appropriate for the occasion; for God is with you.

Let it be. Saul should let this transformation to happen. He should not resist it.

 

VERSE 8. “Go down ahead of me to Gilgal; and behold, I will come down to you, to offer burnt offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings. Wait seven days, until I come to you, and show you what you are to do.”

Wait seven days. In Gilgal, Saul must wait seven days.

 

SAUL BECOMES A PROPHET

 

VERSE 9. It was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart; and all those signs happened that day.

 

VERSE 10. When they came there to the hill, behold, a band of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came mightily on him, and he prophesied among them.

a band. The Hebrew word is חֶ֤בֶל (“ḥe·ḇel”). It can also be translated as guild.

A guild is an association of artisans or merchants who control the practice of their craft in a particular town.

of prophets. The Hebrew word is נְבִיאִים֙ (“nə·ḇî·’îm”). It means spokesman, speaker, prophet. It can also be translated as madmen.

the Spirit of God. In the Old Testament, the Spirit is not mentioned often. However, the Spirit was indeed present and interacted with us humans. Read more »

 

VERSE 11. When all who knew him before saw that, behold, he prophesied with the prophets, then the people said to one another, “What is this that has come to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”

Is Saul also among the prophets? Saul had joined the prophetic guild in their ecstatic state and raved wildly with them.

 

VERSE 12. One of the same place answered, “Who is their father?” Therefore it became a proverb, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”

 

VERSE 13. When he had finished prophesying, he came to the high place.

 

VERSE 14. Saul’s uncle said to him and to his servant, “Where did you go?” He said, “To seek the donkeys. When we saw that they were not found, we came to Samuel.”

 

VERSE 15. Saul’s uncle said, “Please tell me what Samuel said to you.”

 

VERSE 16. Saul said to his uncle, “He told us plainly that the donkeys were found.” But concerning the matter of the kingdom, of which Samuel spoke, he didn’t tell him.

 

SAUL ACCLAIMED AS KING

 

VERSE 17. Samuel called the people together to the LORD to Mizpah;

 

VERSE 18. and he said to the children of Israel, “The LORD, the God of Israel, says ‘I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all the kingdoms that oppressed you.’

 

VERSE 19. But you have today rejected your God, who himself saves you out of all your calamities and your distresses; and you have said to him, ‘No! Set a king over us.’ Now therefore present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes, and by your thousands.”

 

VERSE 20. So Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen.

 

VERSE 21. He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by their families; and the family of the Matrites was chosen. Then Saul the son of Kish was chosen; but when they looked for him, he could not be found.

 

VERSE 22. Therefore they asked of the LORD further, “Is there yet a man to come here?” The LORD answered, “Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage.”

he has hidden himself among the baggage. Saul is a reluctant king.

Even though he is handsome and stands head and shoulders above the people, Saul is afraid and hides from his destiny.

 

VERSE 23. They ran and got him there. When he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward.

 

VERSE 24. Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom the LORD has chosen, that there is no one like him among all the people?” All the people shouted, and said, “Long live the king!”

 

VERSE 25. Then Samuel told the people the regulations of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the LORD. Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house.

 

VERSE 26. Saul also went to his house to Gibeah; and the army went with him, whose hearts God had touched.

 

VERSE 27. But certain worthless fellows said, “How could this man save us?” They despised him, and brought him no present. But he held his peace.

certain worthless fellows. In every big crowd, there are people like this. They behold a wonderful thing, but they despise it and want to destroy it.

 


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1 SAMUEL

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Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations on this page are from the World English Bible and the World Messianic Edition. These translations have no copyright restrictions. They are in the Public Domain.