King James Version:
(The Lord speaking is red text)
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.
Complete Jewish Bible:
He said, "Here is the kind of rulings your king will make: he will draft your sons and assign them to take care of his chariots, be his horsemen and be bodyguards running ahead of his chariots.
Berean Standard Bible:
He said, “This will be the manner of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them to his own chariots and horses, to run in front of his chariots.
American Standard Version:
And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: he will take your sons, and appoint them unto him, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and they shall run before his chariots;
KJV with Strong’s Numbers:
And he said{H559}, This will be the manner{H4941} of the king{H4428} that shall reign{H4427} over you: He will take{H3947} your sons{H1121}, and appoint{H7760} them for himself, for his chariots{H4818}, and to be his horsemen{H6571}; and some shall run{H7323} before{H6440} his chariots{H4818}.
Cross-References (KJV):
1 Samuel 14:52
- And there was sore war against the Philistines all the days of Saul: and when Saul saw any strong man, or any valiant man, he took him unto him.
1 Samuel 10:25
- Then Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom, and wrote [it] in a book, and laid [it] up before the LORD. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house.
Deuteronomy 17:14
- ¶ When thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that [are] about me;
Deuteronomy 17:20
- That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, [to] the right hand, or [to] the left: to the end that he may prolong [his] days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.
2 Samuel 15:1
- ¶ And it came to pass after this, that Absalom prepared him chariots and horses, and fifty men to run before him.
1 Kings 10:26
- And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he bestowed in the cities for chariots, and with the king at Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 26:10
- Also he built towers in the desert, and digged many wells: for he had much cattle, both in the low country, and in the plains: husbandmen [also], and vine dressers in the mountains, and in Carmel: for he loved husbandry.
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Commentary for 1 Samuel 8:11
1 Samuel 8:11 is part of a pivotal moment in the history of ancient Israel, reflecting the transition from a theocracy, where God is recognized as the ruler, to a monarchy, where a human king assumes leadership. In this verse, the prophet Samuel, who has been serving as a judge over Israel, is warning the people about the consequences of their demand for a king. The Israelites, looking at the surrounding nations, desire a king to lead them in battle and to establish a centralized government, moving away from the informal leadership of judges that had been guided by God.
Samuel, disheartened by their request which he perceives as a rejection of God's rule, outlines the burdens and abuses of power that a king will likely impose upon them. Specifically, in 1 Samuel 8:11, Samuel foretells that the king will conscript their sons to serve in his military forces, as charioteers and cavalrymen, and will also require some to perform menial tasks such as running in front of his chariot. This prophecy is a stark warning of the loss of freedom and the heavy taxation on personal resources and labor that monarchical rule often entails.
The verse underscores themes of power and its potential for abuse, the importance of discerning the will of God, and the consequences of rejecting divine authority in favor of human governance. It also reflects the historical context of the time, when the establishment of a monarchy was a significant political and social change, one that would shape the future of Israel and have lasting implications for its relationship with God as described throughout the books of Samuel and Kings.
*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model
Strong's Numbers and Definitions:
Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)
- Strong's Number: H559
There are 4434 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אָמַר
Transliteration: ʼâmar
Pronunciation: aw-mar'
Description: a primitive root; to say (used with great latitude); answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, [phrase] (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, [idiom] desire, determine, [idiom] expressly, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] intend, name, [idiom] plainly, promise, publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), [idiom] still, [idiom] suppose, talk, tell, term, [idiom] that is, [idiom] think, use (speech), utter, [idiom] verily, [idiom] yet. - Strong's Number: H4941
There are 406 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: מִשְׁפָּט
Transliteration: mishpâṭ
Pronunciation: mish-pawt'
Description: from שָׁפַט; properly, a verdict (favorable or unfavorable) pronounced judicially, especially a sentence or formal decree (human or (participant's) divine law, individual or collective), including the act, the place, the suit, the crime, and the penalty; abstractly, justice, including a participant's right or privilege (statutory or customary), or even a style; [phrase] adversary, ceremony, charge, [idiom] crime, custom, desert, determination, discretion, disposing, due, fashion, form, to be judged, judgment, just(-ice, -ly), (manner of) law(-ful), manner, measure, (due) order, ordinance, right, sentence, usest, [idiom] worthy, [phrase] wrong. - Strong's Number: H4428
There are 1922 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: מֶלֶךְ
Transliteration: melek
Pronunciation: meh'-lek
Description: from מָלַךְ; a king; king, royal. - Strong's Number: H4427
There are 284 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: מָלַךְ
Transliteration: mâlak
Pronunciation: maw-lak'
Description: a primitive root; to reign; inceptively, to ascend the throne; causatively, to induct into royalty; hence (by implication) to take counsel; consult, [idiom] indeed, be (make, set a, set up) king, be (make) queen, (begin to, make to) reign(-ing), rule, [idiom] surely. - Strong's Number: H3947
There are 909 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: לָקַח
Transliteration: lâqach
Pronunciation: law-kakh'
Description: a primitive root; to take (in the widest variety of applications); accept, bring, buy, carry away, drawn, fetch, get, infold, [idiom] many, mingle, place, receive(-ing), reserve, seize, send for, take (away, -ing, up), use, win. - Strong's Number: H1121
There are 3654 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: בֵּן
Transliteration: bên
Pronunciation: bane
Description: from בָּנָה; a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.); [phrase] afflicted, age, (Ahoh-) (Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-) ite, (anoint-) ed one, appointed to, ([phrase]) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-) ian, one born, bough, branch, breed, [phrase] (young) bullock, [phrase] (young) calf, [idiom] came up in, child, colt, [idiom] common, [idiom] corn, daughter, [idiom] of first, [phrase] firstborn, foal, [phrase] very fruitful, [phrase] postage, [idiom] in, [phrase] kid, [phrase] lamb, ([phrase]) man, meet, [phrase] mighty, [phrase] nephew, old, ([phrase]) people, [phrase] rebel, [phrase] robber, [idiom] servant born, [idiom] soldier, son, [phrase] spark, [phrase] steward, [phrase] stranger, [idiom] surely, them of, [phrase] tumultuous one, [phrase] valiant(-est), whelp, worthy, young (one), youth. - Strong's Number: H7760
There are 550 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: שׂוּם
Transliteration: sûwm
Pronunciation: soom
Description: or שִׂים; a primitive root; to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically); [idiom] any wise, appoint, bring, call (a name), care, cast in, change, charge, commit, consider, convey, determine, [phrase] disguise, dispose, do, get, give, heap up, hold, impute, lay (down, up), leave, look, make (out), mark, [phrase] name, [idiom] on, ordain, order, [phrase] paint, place, preserve, purpose, put (on), [phrase] regard, rehearse, reward, (cause to) set (on, up), shew, [phrase] stedfastly, take, [idiom] tell, [phrase] tread down, (over-)turn, [idiom] wholly, work. - Strong's Number: H4818
There are 41 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: מֶרְכָּבָה
Transliteration: merkâbâh
Pronunciation: mer-kaw-baw'
Description: feminine of מֶרְכָּב; a chariot; chariot. See also בֵּית הַמַּרְכָּבוֹת. - Strong's Number: H6571
There are 54 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: פָּרָשׁ
Transliteration: pârâsh
Pronunciation: paw-rawsh'
Description: from פָּרָשׁ; (compare סוּס); a steed (as stretched out to a vehicle, not single nor for mounting ); also (by implication) a driver (in a chariot), i.e. (collectively) cavalry; horseman. - Strong's Number: H7323
There are 92 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: רוּץ
Transliteration: rûwts
Pronunciation: roots
Description: a primitive root; to run (for whatever reason, especially to rush); break down, divide speedily, footman, guard, bring hastily, (make) run (away, through), post. - Strong's Number: H6440
There are 1890 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: פָּנִים
Transliteration: pânîym
Pronunciation: paw-neem'
Description: plural (but always as singular) of an unused noun פָּנֶה; from פָּנָה); the face (as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally and figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a preposition (before, etc.); [phrase] accept, a-(be-) fore(-time), against, anger, [idiom] as (long as), at, [phrase] battle, [phrase] because (of), [phrase] beseech, countenance, edge, [phrase] employ, endure, [phrase] enquire, face, favour, fear of, for, forefront(-part), form(-er time, -ward), from, front, heaviness, [idiom] him(-self), [phrase] honourable, [phrase] impudent, [phrase] in, it, look(-eth) (-s), [idiom] me, [phrase] meet, [idiom] more than, mouth, of, off, (of) old (time), [idiom] on, open, [phrase] out of, over against, the partial, person, [phrase] please, presence, propect, was purposed, by reason of, [phrase] regard, right forth, [phrase] serve, [idiom] shewbread, sight, state, straight, [phrase] street, [idiom] thee, [idiom] them(-selves), through ([phrase] -out), till, time(-s) past, (un-) to(-ward), [phrase] upon, upside ([phrase] down), with(-in, [phrase] -stand), [idiom] ye, [idiom] you.