1 Samuel 11:4

KJV

Then came the messengers to Gibeah of Saul, and told the tidings in the ears of the people: and all the people lifted up their voices, and wept.

KJV (with Strong's)

Then came {H935} the messengers {H4397} to Gibeah {H1390} of Saul {H7586}, and told {H1696} the tidings {H1697} in the ears {H241} of the people {H5971}: and all the people {H5971} lifted up {H5375} their voices {H6963}, and wept {H1058}.

Complete Jewish Bible

The messengers came to Giv'ah, where Sha'ul lived, and said these words in the hearing of the people; and all the people cried out and wept.

Berean Standard Bible

When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and relayed these words in the hearing of the people, they all wept aloud.

American Standard Version

Then came the messengers to Gibeah of Saul, and spake these words in the ears of the people: and all the people lifted up their voice, and wept.

Commentary

### SUMMARY
1 Samuel 11:4 captures the immediate and profound despair of the people of Gibeah upon receiving the devastating news of Nahash the Ammonite's brutal ultimatum to Jabesh-Gilead. This verse vividly portrays a community overwhelmed by fear and helplessness, collectively expressing their anguish through loud, unrestrained weeping, a desperate cry that underscores the gravity of Israel's crisis and sets the stage for divine intervention and the emergence of Saul as their deliverer.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** This verse serves as a crucial narrative pivot, immediately following the dire situation described in [1 Samuel 11:1-3](/1_samuel/11-1-3 "1 Samuel 11:1-3 - Nahash's Threat and Jabesh-Gilead's Plea"). The inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead, under siege by Nahash the Ammonite, had been given a horrific ultimatum: surrender and have their right eyes gouged out. They requested seven days to seek a deliverer, dispatching messengers throughout Israel. The arrival of these messengers in Gibeah, Saul's hometown, with these "tidings" (news) immediately precipitates the intense emotional outburst described in [1 Samuel 11:4](/1_samuel/11-4 "1 Samuel 11:4 - The People's Weeping"). This collective lamentation serves to underscore the gravity of the threat and to highlight Israel's desperate need for a leader, directly preceding Saul's Spirit-empowered response in [1 Samuel 11:6](/1_samuel/11-6 "1 Samuel 11:6 - The Spirit of God Rushes Upon Saul"). The narrative skillfully builds tension, moving from a specific local crisis to a widespread national emergency, culminating in Saul's decisive action as God's chosen king.
* **Historical & Cultural Context:** The period of 1 Samuel marks a pivotal transition in Israel's history, moving from the decentralized tribal system of the Judges to a centralized monarchy. During this era, Israel frequently faced existential threats from surrounding nations such as the Ammonites, Philistines, and Moabites, often lacking unified leadership. The practice of gouging out eyes was a common, brutal act of humiliation and incapacitation in ancient Near Eastern warfare, designed to break the spirit of a conquered people, render them militarily useless, and serve as a stark warning to others. The collective weeping and lamentation observed in Gibeah was a culturally recognized and powerful expression of communal grief, fear, and despair in response to overwhelming calamity. It was not merely private sorrow but a public, audible outpouring, often indicative of a desperate plea for divine or human intervention. The absence of a strong, unified central authority, a recurring theme in the [Book of Judges](/judges/21-25 "Judges 21:25 - No King in Israel"), left individual communities vulnerable, making the news from Jabesh-Gilead particularly terrifying and highlighting the urgent need for a king.
* **Key Themes:** This verse powerfully contributes to several overarching themes in 1 Samuel. Firstly, it emphasizes **Israel's vulnerability and desperate need for a king**, a theme introduced in [1 Samuel 8](/1_samuel/8 "1 Samuel 8 - Israel Demands a King"). The people's weeping is a raw expression of their perceived helplessness without a strong leader to protect them from such atrocities. Secondly, it highlights the theme of **divine deliverance in response to human distress**. Much like the pattern in the [Book of Judges](/judges/2 "Judges 2 - Israel's Disobedience and God's Deliverance") where God raises up deliverers when Israel cries out (e.g., [Judges 3:9](/judges/3-9 "Judges 3:9 - Othniel Delivers Israel")), this collective lamentation sets the stage for God's Spirit to empower Saul. Thirdly, it underscores the **burden of leadership** and the immediate challenges facing the newly anointed King Saul, providing the context for his first major act of national leadership and demonstrating God's anointing upon him for this specific purpose of protecting His people.

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
#### Key Word Analysis
* **came (Hebrew, _bôwʼ'_):** (H935) This primitive root means "to go or come" in a wide variety of applications, often implying arrival or entry. In this context, it signifies the direct and impactful arrival of the messengers, bringing the news of the crisis to Gibeah. Their coming is not incidental but purposeful, setting in motion the chain of events that follow.
* **lifted up (Hebrew, _nâsâʼ'_):** (H5375) This root means "to lift" or "to bear," with a vast array of applications including raising, exalting, or carrying. When combined with "voices," it forms an idiom signifying a loud, audible, and often collective outcry. It denotes an unrestrained, public expression of emotion, indicating the profound intensity of the people's reaction.
* **voices (Hebrew, _qôwl'_):** (H6963) This word refers to a "voice" or "sound," encompassing anything from a whisper to a thunderous roar. In conjunction with "lifted up," it emphasizes the audible and widespread nature of the people's lamentation. It was not a quiet, private sorrow but a communal wail that would have resonated throughout the town, signaling deep distress.
* **wept (Hebrew, _bâkâh'_):** (H1058) This primitive root signifies "to weep" or "to bemoan," often implying deep emotional sorrow accompanied by tears. When combined with the "lifting up of voices," it emphasizes the profound and overwhelming nature of the people's grief. This verb speaks to a visceral, communal outpouring of anguish, a sign of their utter helplessness and a desperate plea for relief in the face of the horrific tidings.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"Then came the messengers to Gibeah of Saul,"**: This clause establishes the immediate geographical and personal connection to Saul. Gibeah was Saul's hometown, where he had returned after his anointing and public recognition as king (cf. [1 Samuel 10:26](/1_samuel/10-26 "1 Samuel 10:26 - Saul Returns to Gibeah")). The arrival of the messengers from Jabesh-Gilead directly to his community underscores the urgency and the expectation that a deliverer might emerge from among them, or that the newly appointed king himself would respond to this national crisis.
* **"and told the tidings in the ears of the people:"**: This phrase highlights the direct, public, and impactful dissemination of the horrific news. The "tidings" (or "word" in Hebrew, _dâbâr_) were not merely whispered but proclaimed, ensuring that the full weight of Nahash's brutal ultimatum and Jabesh-Gilead's desperate plight was understood by everyone present. The phrase "in the ears of the people" emphasizes the immediate, direct, and communal reception of the message, leaving no one untouched by its implications.
* **"and all the people lifted up their voices, and wept."**: This final clause describes the immediate, collective, and overwhelming emotional response. The phrase "all the people" signifies a unanimous and widespread reaction, indicating the depth of the crisis and the shared sense of vulnerability that permeated the entire community. Their loud, unrestrained weeping is a powerful, visceral expression of despair, fear, and perhaps a silent, desperate plea for divine intervention, setting the stage for Saul's Spirit-empowered response in the subsequent verses.

#### Literary Devices
The verse employs several powerful literary devices to convey the gravity of the situation and the depth of the people's distress. The most prominent is **Pathos**, as the narrative masterfully evokes deep pity and sorrow in the reader by depicting the raw, collective despair of an entire community. The phrase "lifted up their voices, and wept" is a vivid example of **Hyperbole** or **Intensification**, emphasizing the extreme and widespread nature of their grief, suggesting a wail of anguish that permeated the entire town and left no one unaffected. This collective expression also serves as a powerful instance of **Collective Action**, highlighting the unified response of the people, which underscores their shared vulnerability and desperate need for strong, decisive leadership. Furthermore, this scene functions as potent **Foreshadowing**, as the profound despair and weeping directly precede and necessitate Saul's dramatic, Spirit-empowered intervention, setting the stage for his first significant act as king and demonstrating God's provision for His people in their moment of acute distress.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
This verse vividly portrays the human experience of profound despair and helplessness in the face of overwhelming evil, a recurring theme throughout biblical history. The collective weeping of the people of Gibeah is a primal cry for deliverance, echoing the laments of Israel throughout its history when under oppression. Theologically, it underscores God's attentiveness to the cries of His people, often moving to raise up deliverers in moments of national crisis. This moment of deep distress serves as a crucible, preparing the way for the manifestation of divine power through a chosen leader, demonstrating that even in the darkest hours, God's plan for His people's salvation is at work. Their tears are a form of lament that often precedes divine intervention.

* [Judges 2:18](/judges/2-18 "God Raises Up Judges")
* [Psalm 34:17](/psalms/34-17 "The Lord Hears the Righteous Cry")
* [Isaiah 25:8](/isaiah/25-8 "God Wipes Away Tears")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
The scene in Gibeah reminds us that despair is a natural, human response to overwhelming threats and seemingly impossible situations. It illustrates how moments of collective crisis can lay bare our deepest needs—for strong, compassionate leadership, for unity, and ultimately, for divine intervention. For believers, this verse offers a profound lesson: our tears and cries of anguish are not unnoticed by God. Often, it is in the depths of our despair, when we have exhausted all human solutions, that God's power is most clearly manifested. This should encourage us to bring our fears and anxieties before God, trusting that He hears our cries and is able to raise up instruments of deliverance, whether through human leaders, community action, or direct supernatural intervention. It also calls us to cultivate empathy for those who are suffering, recognizing that collective distress can often precede a powerful move of God, transforming sorrow into a testimony of His faithfulness and power. Our lament, far from being a sign of weakness, can be a profound act of faith, acknowledging our dependence on God.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **How do I typically respond to news of widespread suffering or impending crisis in my community or the world?**
* **In what ways have I experienced or witnessed collective despair, and how did God's presence or intervention manifest in those moments?**
* **What does this verse teach me about the importance of empathy and lament within a community of faith?**
* **How might my own "weeping" or expressions of distress serve as a catalyst for God's action in my life or the lives of others?**

### FAQ
**Why did the people of Gibeah weep so intensely, and what does it signify?**

Answer: The people of Gibeah wept intensely because the messengers brought news of a horrific ultimatum from Nahash the Ammonite to their fellow Israelites in Jabesh-Gilead: surrender and have their right eyes gouged out. This was not just a threat of defeat but of profound humiliation and incapacitation, a fate that could easily befall them next. Their weeping, described as "lifting up their voices," signifies a deep, collective outpouring of fear, despair, and anguish. It reflects their profound sense of vulnerability and helplessness in the face of such a brutal enemy, highlighting the absence of a strong, unified leader to protect Israel. It was a culturally recognized expression of extreme sorrow and a desperate cry for deliverance, setting the stage for Saul's divinely empowered response in [1 Samuel 11:6](/1_samuel/11-6 "1 Samuel 11:6 - The Spirit of God Rushes Upon Saul"), demonstrating that their distress was heard and would be answered.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
While [1 Samuel 11:4](/1_samuel/11-4 "1 Samuel 11:4 - The People's Weeping") depicts the people's despair and their immediate need for a human deliverer in Saul, it ultimately points to the greater, eternal need for a perfect and eternal King. The weeping of Gibeah foreshadows the profound sorrow and brokenness of humanity under the dominion of sin, awaiting a true deliverer from a far more pervasive and destructive enemy. Just as Saul was empowered by the Spirit of God to bring salvation to Israel from the Ammonites, Jesus Christ, the ultimate King and Son of God, came empowered by the Holy Spirit to deliver humanity from the far greater oppression of sin and death. His arrival brought comfort to those who "weep" over their spiritual bondage and the brokenness of the world, as prophesied in [Isaiah 61:1-3](/isaiah/61-1-3 "Isaiah 61:1-3 - The Spirit of the Lord is Upon Me"). The tears shed in Gibeah find their ultimate answer not in a temporary military victory, but in the redemptive work of Christ on the cross, where He bore the weight of human despair and offered eternal hope and freedom. He is the one who ultimately "wipes away every tear from their eyes" ([Revelation 21:4](/revelation/21-4 "Revelation 21:4 - God Wipes Away Every Tear")), transforming the lament of a fallen world into the everlasting joy of salvation and the promise of a new heaven and new earth.

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

1 Samuel 10:26

And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and there went with him a band of men, whose hearts God had touched.

Judges 2:4

And it came to pass, when the angel of the LORD spake these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept.

Judges 21:2

And the people came to the house of God, and abode there till even before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore;

1 Samuel 15:34

Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of Saul.

1 Samuel 30:4

Then David and the people that [were] with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.

Hebrews 13:3

Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; [and] them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.

Galatians 6:2

Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.