1 Samuel 10
10
Saul among Prophets
1Then Samuel took the flask of oil and poured it on Saul’s head, kissed him, and said, “Has the Lord not anointed you as ruler over His inheritance (Israel)? 2When you leave me today, you will meet two men beside Rachel’s tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah; they will say to you, ‘The donkeys you went to look for have been found. And your father has stopped caring about them and is worried about you, saying, “What shall I do about my son?” ’ 3Then you will go on further from there, and you will come to the terebinth tree of Tabor, and three men going up to [sacrifice to] God at Bethel will meet you there, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a jug of wine. 4They will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from their hand. 5After that you will come to #10:5 Or Gibeath-haelohim.the hill of God where the garrison of the Philistines is; and when you come there to the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place [of worship] with harp, tambourine, flute, and lyre before them, and they will be prophesying. 6Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you mightily, and you will prophesy with them, and you will be changed into another man. 7When these signs come to you, do for yourself whatever #10:7 Lit your hand finds.the situation requires, for God is with you. 8You shall go down ahead of me to Gilgal; and behold, I will be coming down to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. You shall wait seven days until I come to you and show you what you must do.”
9Then it happened when Saul turned his back to leave Samuel, God changed his heart; and all those signs came to pass that day. 10When they came to the hill [Gibeah], behold, a group of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came on him mightily, and he prophesied [under divine guidance] among them. 11Now when all who knew Saul previously saw that he actually prophesied now [by inspiration] with the prophets, the people said one to another, “What has happened to [Saul, who is nobody but] the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?” 12And a man from there answered, “But who is the father of the others?” So it became a proverb, “Is Saul also among the prophets?” 13When Saul had finished prophesying, he went to the high place [of worship].
14Saul’s uncle said to him and to his servant, “Where did you go?” And Saul said, “To look for the donkeys. And when we saw that they were nowhere to be found, we went to Samuel [for help].” 15Saul’s uncle said, “Please tell me, what did Samuel say to you?” 16And Saul said to his uncle, “He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found.” But he did not tell him about the matter of the kingdom which Samuel had mentioned.
Saul Publicly Chosen King
17Then Samuel called the people together to the Lord at Mizpah, 18and he said to Israel, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘It was I who brought Israel up from Egypt, and I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and from all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’ 19But today you have rejected your God, who Himself saves you from all your disasters and distresses; yet you have said, ‘No! Set a king over us.’ Now then, present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your families (clans).”
20And when Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, the tribe of Benjamin was chosen by lot. 21Then he brought the tribe of Benjamin near by their families, and the family of Matri was chosen by lot. And Saul the son of Kish was chosen by lot; but when they looked for him, he could not be found. 22So they inquired further of the Lord, “Has the man come here yet?” And the Lord answered, “He is there, hiding himself by the #10:22 Lit baggage.provisions and supplies.” [Ex 28:30] 23So they ran and took him from there, and when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. 24Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen? For there is no one like him among all the people.” So all the people shouted and said, “Long live the king!”
25Then Samuel told the people the #10:25 Lit legal claim, i.e. what a king would require from his subjects.requirements of the kingdom, and wrote them in a book and placed it before the Lord. And Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his home. 26Saul also went home to Gibeah; and the #10:26 Or men of wealth and influence.brave men whose hearts God had touched went with him. 27But some #10:27 Lit sons of Belial.worthless men said, “How can this man save and rescue us?” And they regarded Saul with contempt and did not bring him a gift. But he ignored the insult and kept silent.
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1 Samuel 10
10
1Then, from a flask he had with him, Samuel poured oil on Saul’s head and kissed him, saying: “The Lord anoints you ruler over his people Israel. You are the one who will govern the Lord’s people and save them from the power of their enemies all around them.#1 Sm 9:16–17; 16:13; 24:7; Jgs 9:9; 1 Kgs 1:39; Acts 13:21.
The Signs Foretold. “This will be the sign#The sign: the role of the new ruler is confirmed by specific signs; cf. Ex 7:9. for you that the Lord has anointed you ruler over his heritage: 2When you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel’s tomb#Here, as in Jer 31:15, Rachel’s tomb is placed at Ramah, north of Jerusalem. Later tradition understood Ephrath (Gn 35:19–20) as Bethlehem and placed the tomb farther south (Mt 2:16–18). at Zelzah in the territory of Benjamin. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys you went to look for have been found. Now your father is no longer worried about the donkeys, but is anxious about you and says: What shall I do about my son?’#Jer 31:15; Mk 14:13. 3Farther on, when you arrive at the oak of Tabor,#Oak of Tabor: or terebinth. Such a tree often indicates a shrine. three men will meet you as they go up to God at Bethel; one will be bringing three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and the third a skin of wine. 4They will greet you and offer you two elevated offerings of bread, which you should accept from them. 5#1 Sm 13:3; 16:13; 19:20–21. After that you will come to Gibeath-elohim, where the Philistine garrison#The Philistine garrison: the Hebrew word for “garrison” has been explained alternatively to mean a stele established to mark the Philistine occupation, or an inspector or officer for the collection of taxes. Prophetic ecstasy: a condition of religious enthusiasm often induced by communal rituals of music and dancing. is located. As you enter that city, you will meet a band of prophets coming down from the high place. They will be preceded by lyres, tambourines, flutes, and harps, and will be in prophetic ecstasy. 6The spirit of the Lord will rush upon you, and you will join them in their prophetic ecstasy and will become a changed man.#1 Sm 11:6; 16:13; Jgs 14:6, 19; 15:14; 2 Kgs 3:15. 7When these signs have come to pass, do whatever lies to hand, because God is with you. 8#1 Sm 13:8; Lv 3:1. Now go down ahead of me to Gilgal, for I shall come down to you, to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice communion offerings. Wait seven days until I come to you; I shall then tell you what you must do.”#By inserting this verse, with its seven days, an editor has named in the very context of Saul’s anointing the condition which in a later narrative will be the grounds for the rejection of the dynastic character of Saul’s kingship (13:8–15).
The Signs Come to Pass. 9As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed his heart. That very day all these signs came to pass…. 10#An editor has abridged a longer version of this story by omitting mention of the first two signs Samuel has given (vv. 2–4). From there they arrived at Gibeah, where a band of prophets met Saul, and the spirit of God rushed upon him, so that he joined them in their prophetic ecstasy.#1 Sm 19:20–24; Nm 11:25. 11When all who had known him previously saw him in a prophetic state among the prophets, they said to one another, “What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”#1 Sm 19:24. 12And someone from that district responded, “And who is their father?” Thus the saying arose, “Is Saul also among the prophets?” 13When he came out of the prophetic ecstasy, he went home.
Silence About the Kingship. 14Saul’s uncle asked him and his servant, “Where have you been?” Saul replied, “Looking for the donkeys. When we could not find them, we went to Samuel.” 15Saul’s uncle said, “Tell me, then, what Samuel said to you.” 16Saul said to his uncle, “He assured us that the donkeys had been found.” But Saul told him nothing about what Samuel had said about the kingship.
Saul Chosen King. 17Samuel called the people together to the Lord at Mizpah#1 Sm 7:5. 18and addressed the Israelites: “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: It was I who brought Israel up from Egypt and delivered you from the power of the Egyptians and from the power of all the kingdoms that oppressed you.#Ex 20:2; Lv 11:45; 25:38; Nm 15:41; Dt 5:6; Jgs 6:8–9. 19But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your evils and calamities, by saying, ‘No! You must appoint a king over us.’ Now, therefore, take your stand before the Lord according to your tribes and families.”#1 Sm 8:19. 20So Samuel had all the tribes of Israel come forward, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen.#Was chosen: probably by casting lots; cf. 14:40–42; Jos 7:14, 17. 21Next he had the tribe of Benjamin come forward by clans, and the clan of Matri was chosen, and finally Saul, son of Kish, was chosen. But when they went to look for him, he was nowhere to be found. 22#1 Sm 30:24. Again they consulted the Lord, “Is there still someone else to come forward?” The Lord answered: He is hiding among the baggage. 23They ran to bring him from there; when he took his place among the people, he stood head and shoulders above all the people.#1 Sm 9:2; 16:7. 24Then Samuel addressed all the people, “Do you see the man whom the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people!” Then all the people shouted out, “Long live the king!”#2 Sm 16:16; 1 Kgs 1:25; 2 Kgs 11:12.
25Samuel next explained to the people the rules of the monarchy,#Rules of the monarchy: a charter describing the relationship between the king and the people. wrote them in a book, and placed them before the presence of the Lord. Samuel then sent the people back to their own homes.#1 Sm 8:11; Dt 17:14–20. 26Saul also went home to Gibeah, accompanied by warriors whose hearts the Lord had touched. 27But some worthless people said, “How can this fellow save us?” They despised him and brought him no tribute.#Tribute: a gift to honor a new ruler as a pledge of one’s loyalty; see Gn 32:14; Jgs 3:15; 2 Sm 8:2. #1 Sm 11:12.
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