TRV
Translation
King James Version
And they said unto the messengers that came, Thus shall ye say unto the men of Jabeshgilead, To morrow, by that time the sun be hot, ye shall have help. And the messengers came and shewed it to the men of Jabesh; and they were glad.
KJV (with Strong's)
And they said H559 unto the messengers H4397 that came H935, Thus shall ye say H559 unto the men H376 of Jabeshgilead H3003 H1568, To morrow H4279, by that time the sun H8121 be hot H2527, ye shall have help H8668. And the messengers H4397 came H935 and shewed H5046 it to the men H582 of Jabesh H3003; and they were glad H8055.
Complete Jewish Bible
To the messengers that had come they said, "Tell the men of Yavesh-Gil'ad, 'Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you will have been rescued.'"The messengers returned and told the men of Yavesh; they were overjoyed.
Berean Standard Bible
So they said to the messengers who had come, “Tell the men of Jabesh-gilead: ‘Deliverance will be yours tomorrow by the time the sun is hot.’” And when the messengers relayed this to the men of Jabesh, they rejoiced.
American Standard Version
And they said unto the messengers that came, Thus shall ye say unto the men of Jabesh-gilead, To-morrow, by the time the sun is hot, ye shall have deliverance. And the messengers came and told the men of Jabesh; and they were glad.
World English Bible Messianic
They said to the messengers who came, “Thus you shall tell the men of Jabesh Gilead, ‘Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you shall have deliverance.’” The messengers came and told the men of Jabesh; and they were glad.
Geneva Bible (1599)
Then they saide vnto the messengers that came, So say vnto the men of Iabesh Gilead, To morowe by then the sunne be hote, ye shall haue helpe. And the messengers came and shewed it to the men of Iabesh, which were glad.
Young's Literal Translation
And they say to the messengers who are coming, `Thus do ye say to the men of Jabesh-Gilead: To-morrow ye have safety--by the heat of the sun;' and the messengers come and declare to the men of Jabesh, and they rejoice;
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In the KJVVerse 7,455 of 31,102
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Commentary on 1 Samuel 11 verses 5–11
5 ¶ And, behold, Saul came after the herd out of the field; and Saul said, What aileth the people that they weep? And they told him the tidings of the men of Jabesh.
6 And the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard those tidings, and his anger was kindled greatly.
7 And he took a yoke of oxen, and hewed them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the coasts of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, Whosoever cometh not forth after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done unto his oxen. And the fear of the LORD fell on the people, and they came out with one consent.
8 And when he numbered them in Bezek, the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.
9 And they said unto the messengers that came, Thus shall ye say unto the men of Jabeshgilead, To morrow, by that time the sun be hot, ye shall have help. And the messengers came and shewed it to the men of Jabesh; and they were glad.
10 Therefore the men of Jabesh said, To morrow we will come out unto you, and ye shall do with us all that seemeth good unto you.
11 And it was so on the morrow, that Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the host in the morning watch, and slew the Ammonites until the heat of the day: and it came to pass, that they which remained were scattered, so that two of them were not left together.
What is here related turns very much to the honour of Saul, and shows the happy fruits of that other spirit with which he was endued. Observe here,
I. His humility. Though he was anointed king, and accepted by his people, yet he did not think it below him to know the state of his own flocks, but went himself to see them, and came in the evening, with his servants, after the herd out of the field, Sa1 11:5. This was an evidence that he was not puffed up with his advancement, as those are most apt to be that are raised from a mean estate. Providence had not yet found him business as a king; he left all to Samuel; and therefore, rather than be idle, he would, for the present, apply himself to his country business again. Though the sons of Belial would, perhaps, despise him the more for it, such as were virtuous and wise, and loved business themselves, would think never the worse of him. He had no revenues settled upon him for the support of his dignity, and he was desirous not to be burdensome to the people, for which reason, like Paul, he worked with his hands; for, if he neglect his domestic affairs, how must he maintain himself and his family? Solomon gives it as a reason why men should look well to their herds because the crown doth not endure to every generation, Pro 27:23, Pro 27:24. Saul's did not; he must therefore provide something surer.
II. His concern for his neighbours. When he perceived them in tears, he asked, "What ails the people that they weep? Let me know, that, if it be a grievance which can be redressed, I may help them, and that, if not, I may weep with them." Good magistrates are in pain if their subjects are in tears.
III. His zeal for the safety and honour of Israel. When he heard of the insolence of the Ammonites, and the distress of a city, a mother in Israel, the Spirit of God came upon him, and put great thoughts into his mind, and his anger was kindled greatly, Sa1 11:6. He was angry at the insolence of the Ammonites, angry at the mean and sneaking spirit of the men of Jabesh-Gilead, angry that they had not sent him notice sooner of the Ammonites' descent and the extremity they were likely to be reduced to. He was angry to see his neighbours weeping, when it was fitter for them to be preparing for war. It was a brave and generous fire that was now kindled in the breast of Saul, and such as became his high station.
IV. The authority and power he exerted upon this important occasion. He soon let Israel know that, though he had retired to his privacy, he had a care for the public, and knew how to command men into the field, as well as how to drive cattle out of the field, Sa1 11:5, Sa1 11:7. He sent a summons to all the coasts of Israel, to show the extent of his power beyond his own tribe, even to all the tribes, and ordered all the military men forthwith to appear in arms at a general rendezvous in Bezek. Observe, 1. His modesty, in joining Samuel in commission with himself. He would not execute the office of a king without a due regard to that of a prophet. 2. His mildness in the penalty threatened against those that should disobey his orders. He hews a yoke of oxen in pieces, and sends the pieces to the several cities of Israel, threatening, with respect to him who should decline the public service, not, "Thus shall it be done to him," but, "Thus shall it be done to his oxen." God had threatened it as a great judgment (Deu 28:31), Thy ox shall be slain before thy eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof. It was necessary that the command should be enforced with some penalty, but this was not nearly so severe as that which was affixed to a similar order by the whole congregation, Jdg 21:5. Saul wished to show that his government was more gentle than that which they had been under. The effect of this summons was that the militia, or trained bands, of the nation, came out as one man, and the reason given is, because the fear of the Lord fell upon them. Saul did not affect to make them fear him, but they were influenced to observe his orders by the fear of God and a regard to him who had made Saul their king and them members one of another. Note, Religion and the fear of God will make men good subjects, good soldiers, and good friends to the public interests of the country. Those that fear God will make conscience of their duty to all men, particularly to their rulers.
V. His prudent proceedings in this great affair, Sa1 11:8. He numbered those that came in to him, that he might know his own strength, and how to distribute his forces in the best manner their numbers would allow. It is the honour of princes to know the number of their men, but it is the honour of the King of kings that there is not any number of his armies, Job 25:3. In this muster, it seems, Judah, though numbered by itself, made no great figure; for, as it was one tribe of twelve, so it was but an eleventh part of the whole number, 30,330, though the rendezvous was at Bezek, in that tribe. They wanted the numbers, or the courage, or the zeal for which that tribe used to be famous; so low was it, just before the sceptre was brought into it in David.
VI. His faith and confidence, and (grounded thereon) his courage and resolution, in this enterprise. It should seem that those very messengers who brought the tidings from Jabesh-Gilead Saul sent into the country to raise the militia, who would be sure to be faithful and careful in their own business, and them he now sends back to their distressed countrymen, with this assurance (in which, it is probable, Samuel encouraged him): "Tomorrow, by such an hour, before the enemy can pretend that the seven days have expired, you shall have deliverance, Sa1 11:9. Be you ready to do your part, and we will not fail to do ours. Do you sally out upon the besiegers, while we surround them." Saul knew he had a just cause, a clear call, and God on his side, and therefore doubted not of success. This was good news to the besieged Gileadites, whose right eyes had wept themselves dry for their calamities, and now began to fail with looking for relief and to ache in expectation of the doom of the ensuing day, when they must look their last; the greater the exigence the more welcome the deliverance. When they heard it they were glad, relying on the assurances that were sent to them. And they sent into the enemies' camp (Sa1 11:10) to tell them that next day they would be ready to meet them, which the enemies understood as an intimation that they despaired of relief, and so were made the more secure by it. If they took not care, by sending out scouts, to rectify their own mistake, they must thank themselves if they were surprised: the besieged were under no obligation to give them notice of the help they were assured of.
VII. His industry and close application to this business. If he had been bred up to war from his youth, and had led regiments as often as he had followed droves, he could not have gone about an affair of this nature more dexterously nor more diligently. When the Spirit of the Lord comes upon men it will make them expert even without experience. A vast army (especially in comparison with the present usage) Saul had now at his foot, and a long march before him, nearly sixty miles, and over Jordan too. No cavalry in his army, but all infantry, which he divides into three battalions, Sa1 11:11. And observe, 1. With what incredible swiftness he flew to the enemy. In a day and a night he came to the place of action, where his own fate, and that of Israel, must be determined. He had passed his word, and would not break it; nay, he was better than his word, for he promised help next day, by that time the sun was hot (Sa1 11:9), but brought it before day, in the morning-watch, Sa1 11:11. Whom God helps he helps right early, Psa 46:5. 2. With what incredible bravery he flew upon the enemy. Betimes in the morning, when they lay dreaming of the triumphs they expected that day over the miserable inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead, before they were aware he was in the midst of their host; and his men, being marched against them in three columns, surrounded them on every side, so that they could have neither heart nor time to make head against them.
Lastly, To complete his honour, God crowned all these virtues with success. Jabesh-Gilead was rescued, and the Ammonites were totally routed; he had now the day before him to complete his victory in, and so complete a victory it was that those who remained, after a great slaughter, were scattered so that two of them were not left together to encourage or help one another, Sa1 11:11. We may suppose that Saul was the more vigorous in this matter, 1. Because there was some alliance between the tribe of Benjamin and the city of Jabesh-Gilead. That city had declined joining with the rest of the Israelites to destroy Gibeah, which was then punished as their crime, but perhaps was now remembered as their kindness, when Saul of Gibeah came with so much readiness and resolution to relieve Jabesh-Gilead. Yet that was not all; two-thirds of the Benjamites that then remained were provided with wives from that city (Jdg 21:14), so that most of the mothers of Benjamin were daughters of Jabesh-Gilead, for which city Saul, being a Benjamite, had therefore a particular kindness; and we find they returned his kindness, Sa1 31:11, Sa1 31:12. 2. Because it was the Ammonites' invasion that induced the people to desire a king (so Samuel says, Sa1 12:12), so that if he had not done his part, in this expedition, he would have disappointed their expectations, and for ever forfeited their respect.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 5–11. Public domain.
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BedeAD 735
Commentary on Samuel
So the messengers came, and announced to the men of Jabesh, etc. Those who first feared the wiles of the heretics and the thorns of their arguments, later, being strengthened by the consolations of stronger and more learned doctors, promise that they will not come to them now in the night of dialectical deception, but in the manifestation of the most radiant truth and virtue, not now to be condemned with them by the Church, but to bear arms against them with the Church.
BedeAD 735
Commentary on Samuel
And they said to the messengers who came: Thus you shall say, etc. They once said with a living voice to those present, they also speak to us today consulting their writings, the defenders of the Church, and they command to be sent to the members of the same Church in peril, never to go out to listen to heretics, certain of their salvation, where the truth of the evangelical sun has shone. It is also said to all who suffer persecution for the sake of righteousness; because the patience of the poor shall not perish forever (Psalm IX). But when the day of judgment will have inclined, eternal salvation will be given.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
1 Samuel 11:9 captures the pivotal moment when King Saul's Spirit-empowered promise of imminent deliverance transformed the desperate despair of Jabesh-Gilead into profound gladness. This verse encapsulates Saul's emerging leadership, demonstrating his decisive action and strategic confidence as he rallied Israel to rescue their brethren from the brutal Ammonite threat, thereby solidifying his nascent kingship through a tangible act of salvation and hope.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The verse employs several impactful literary devices. The most prominent is Foreshadowing, as Saul's confident promise of "help" directly anticipates and sets the stage for the decisive victory described in the subsequent verses. There is also a strong element of Contrast, juxtaposing the initial despair and terror of Jabesh-Gilead with the sudden, overwhelming "gladness" brought by the news. This highlights the transformative power of hope and divine intervention. The phrase "by [that time] the sun be hot" serves as vivid Imagery, conjuring a precise temporal setting and conveying a sense of urgency and strategic planning. Furthermore, the narrative demonstrates a clear Narrative Arc, moving from crisis (the siege and Nahash's demand) to the turning point of hope (Saul's promise) before the ultimate resolution (the battle and victory). The very act of sending messengers and their reception also functions as a form of Dramatic Tension and Release, building anticipation for the promised deliverance and then providing immediate emotional relief.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
1 Samuel 11:9 powerfully illustrates God's faithfulness to His covenant people, even when they have chosen a king like the nations around them. Though Israel sought a human king, it is God who empowers Saul, and it is His divine "help" that is ultimately extended through Saul's leadership. This passage reinforces the biblical truth that God is the ultimate source of salvation and deliverance, often working through human instruments. The specific, timely promise of "help" speaks to God's precise timing in addressing the needs of His people, reminding us that even in our darkest hours, God's intervention is often imminent and perfectly orchestrated. The transformation from despair to gladness underscores the profound spiritual impact of receiving a word of hope and the assurance of God's presence in times of distress.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
The profound shift from despair to gladness in Jabesh-Gilead, sparked by a confident promise of help, offers timeless lessons for our own lives and ministries. In a world often plagued by fear, hopelessness, and overwhelming challenges, we are reminded of the transformative power of a timely word of encouragement and the assurance of God's presence. Just as Saul's messengers brought life-altering news, we too are called to be conduits of hope, sharing the good news of God's faithfulness and intervention with those who are suffering or in distress. This verse challenges us to trust in God's perfect timing, even when our circumstances seem dire and immediate relief appears impossible. It encourages us to pray for and actively seek God's "help" in our personal battles and to respond courageously, as Saul did, when we perceive a need for divine intervention in the lives of others, remembering that God often works through willing vessels.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What was the significance of "by [that time] the sun be hot"?
Answer: The phrase "by [that time] the sun be hot" (Hebrew: kachom hashshemesh) is an idiomatic expression in ancient Hebrew that refers to the warmest part of the day, typically mid-morning to noon (approximately 9 AM to 12 PM). Its significance lies in its precision and the confidence it conveyed. It was not a vague promise of future assistance but a specific, measurable deadline for deliverance. For the besieged men of Jabesh-Gilead, this precision instilled immediate hope and trust, indicating that Saul had a clear plan and the capability to execute it swiftly. For Saul, it demonstrated his strategic intent and military resolve, suggesting a planned dawn march and a mid-morning assault, a common tactic to catch an enemy off guard after a night of watch.
Why was Jabesh-Gilead so important to Saul and Israel?
Answer: Jabesh-Gilead held a unique and deeply significant historical connection to the tribe of Benjamin, Saul's own tribe. As recorded in Judges 21, after a devastating civil war that nearly annihilated the tribe of Benjamin, the men of Jabesh-Gilead were the only ones who did not participate in the war. Consequently, their virgins were spared and given as wives to the surviving Benjaminite men to prevent the tribe's extinction. This act created a profound and lasting bond of gratitude and kinship between Benjamin (and by extension, all Israel) and Jabesh-Gilead. For Saul, a Benjaminite, the plight of Jabesh-Gilead was not merely a distant crisis but a personal and tribal obligation, making his swift and decisive response all the more understandable and imperative.
How did this event solidify Saul's kingship?
Answer: This event was Saul's first major act of decisive leadership and military success as king, effectively solidifying his nascent monarchy. Prior to this, his kingship was primarily established through prophetic anointing (1 Samuel 10:1) and public acclamation (1 Samuel 10:24), but he had not yet performed a significant act of deliverance. His Spirit-empowered response to the crisis, his ability to rally all the tribes of Israel (1 Samuel 11:7), and his subsequent overwhelming victory over the Ammonites (1 Samuel 11:11) proved his capability as a military leader and a deliverer. This success led to a renewed and enthusiastic affirmation of his kingship at Gilgal (1 Samuel 11:15), demonstrating that he was indeed the king God had provided to "save us from the hand of our enemies" (1 Samuel 9:16).
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
The timely "help" promised by Saul in 1 Samuel 11:9, which brought gladness and deliverance to Jabesh-Gilead, serves as a powerful foreshadowing of the ultimate and eternal "help" provided by Jesus Christ. While Saul delivered Israel from a physical enemy and a temporal threat, Jesus, the true King of Israel, came to deliver humanity from a far greater enemy: sin and death. The despair of Jabesh-Gilead under the threat of mutilation and subjugation mirrors the spiritual bondage and hopelessness of humanity under the curse of sin, a plight from which no human king or military might could truly rescue us. Just as Saul's promise brought immediate gladness, the Gospel message of Christ's finished work on the cross brings profound and lasting joy to all who believe, for He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!. He entered our desperate situation, not with a promise of temporal aid, but with the definitive act of salvation, conquering death and the devil (Hebrews 2:14-15). Christ's deliverance is not merely "by the time the sun be hot" but is an eternal reality, secured by His death and resurrection, offering true freedom and everlasting life (Romans 5:8). He is the ultimate deliverer who has "delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son" (Colossians 1:13-14), ensuring our victory over sin and death forever (1 Corinthians 15:54-57).